Patent Description:
Various aspects described herein relate to communication, and more particularly but not exclusively, to mapping information to communication sub-channels.

In wireless communication systems, control channels are used to indicate important information for data channels. In general, the data channels might not be decoded if the control channel is not decoded correctly. Therefore, it is desirable for the block error probability of the control channel to be lower than that of the data channel. At the same time, it is desirable for the decoding latency for the control channel to be low enough to allow a receiver to handle the data channels that follow the control channel. Tail-biting convolutional codes (TBCCs) are widely used for encoding control channels because of comparable performance and low decoding complexity.

Two examples of control channel designs involve, first, separately encoded channels for users and, second, a commonly encoded control channel. For example, in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, the control channels are separately encoded with one code block of TBCC for each channel. Considering different wireless channel qualities, the coded block may be repeated from <NUM> to <NUM> times. This design attempts to guarantee the performance of cell edge users with <NUM> times repetition. However, overhead is relatively high due to the separate encoding of the code blocks. In contrast, in a WiMAX system, the control channels are combined with one code block of TBCC. Thus, there is only one cyclic redundancy check (CRC) appended to check for all the control channels. A drawback of this solution is that all the users must decode all the control channels. Since channel conditions are generally worse at a cell edge, this solution negatively impacts the ability of a cell edge user to efficiently decode the user's control information. In view of the above, there is a need for techniques that can effectively balance the service needs of users that have good channel quality and users at a cell-edge.

The article "<NPL> discloses polar coding for bidirectional broadcast channel with common and confidential messages. More specifically, bidirectional relay networks are considered in which a relay node establishes bidirectional communication between two other nodes using a decode-and-forward protocol. The use of polar codes allows incorporating receiver side information and secrecy constraints as different sets of frozen bits at the different receivers for an optimal code design.

The article "<NPL> discloses polar code constructions for noisy two-user broadcast channels.

<CIT> discloses a method for adaptive channel coding using polarization comprising identifying a channel structure for a wireless channel, generating a set of mutual information profile parameters corresponding to a set of polarized subchannels of the wireless channel based at least in part on the identified channel structure, selecting a plurality of polar transform sequences based at least in part on the set of mutual information profile parameters, and encoding or decoding a block of information based at least in part on the selected plurality of polar transform sequences.

The following presents a simplified summary of some aspects of the disclosure to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. Its sole purpose is to present various concepts of some aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The invention is set out in independent claims <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>.

These and other aspects of the disclosure will become more fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows. Other aspects, features, and implementations of the disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific implementations of the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features of the disclosure may be discussed relative to certain implementations and figures below, all implementations of the disclosure can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more implementations may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various implementations of the disclosure discussed herein. In similar fashion, while certain implementations may be discussed below as device, system, or method implementations it should be understood that such implementations can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of the aspects and not limitations thereof.

Various aspects of the disclosure relate to mapping different information to different sub-channels. For example, information for a first user may be mapped to a first Polar code sub-channel and information for a second user may be mapped to a second Polar code sub-channel. In some aspects, the mapping may be unbalanced in that different information is mapped to different sub-channels according to the quality (e.g., in terms of error probability) of the sub-channels and a criterion associated with the information. For example, control information for users that are experiencing the worst channel quality (e.g., in a wireless communication channel) may be mapped to the Polar code sub-channels that have the best error probability.

Moreover, altemate configurations may be devised without departing from the scope of protection, which is defined by the appended claims. Additionally, well-known elements will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the disclosure.

For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a standards body that defines several wireless communication standards for networks involving the evolved packet system (EPS), frequently referred to as long-term evolution (LTE) networks. Evolved versions of the LTE network, such as a fifth-generation (<NUM>) network, may provide for many different types of services or applications, including but not limited to web browsing, video streaming, VoIP, mission critical applications, multi-hop networks, remote operations with real-time feedback (e.g., tele-surgery), etc. Thus, the teachings herein can be implemented according to various network technologies including, without limitation, <NUM> technology, fourth generation (<NUM>) technology, third generation (<NUM>) technology, and other network architectures. Also, the techniques described herein may be used for a downlink, an uplink, a peer-to-peer link, or some other type of link.

The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and/or communication standard used will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system. For purposes of illustration, the following may describe various aspects in the context of a <NUM> system and/or an LTE system. It should be appreciated, however, that the teachings herein may be used in other systems as well. Thus, references to functionality in the context of <NUM> and/or LTE terminology should be understood to be equally applicable to other types of technology, networks, components, signaling, and so on.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a wireless communication system <NUM> where a user equipment (UE) can communicate with other devices via wireless communication signaling. For example, a first UE <NUM> and a second UE <NUM> may communicate with a transmit receive point (TRP) <NUM> using wireless communication resources managed by the TRP <NUM> and/or other network components (e.g., a core network <NUM>, an internet service provider (ISP) <NUM>, peer devices, and so on). In some implementations, one or more of the components of the system <NUM> may communicate with each other directedly via a device-to-device (D2D) link <NUM> or some other similar type of direct link.

Communication of information between two or more of the components of the system <NUM> may involve encoding the information. For example, the TRP <NUM> may encode data or control information that the TRP <NUM> sends to the UE <NUM> or the UE <NUM>. As another example, the UE <NUM> may encode data or control information that the UE <NUM> sends to the TRP <NUM> or the UE <NUM>. The encoding may involve block coding such as Polar coding. In accordance with the teachings herein, one or more of the UE <NUM>, the UE <NUM>, the TRP <NUM>, or some other component of the system <NUM> may include an encoder and/or decoder <NUM> for mapping inputs to polar code sub-channels and/or for identifying different information characteristics. For example, as discussed in more detail below, an encoder may map information from different inputs (e.g., different users) to different Polar code sub-channels based on a mapping criterion.

The components and links of the wireless communication system <NUM> may take different forms in different implementations. For example, and without limitation, UEs may be cellular devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, cellular IoT (CIoT) devices, LTE wireless cellular devices, machine-type communication (MTC) cellular devices, smart alarms, remote sensors, smart phones, mobile phones, smart meters, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal computers, mesh nodes, and tablet computers.

In some aspects, a TRP may refer to a physical entity that incorporates radio head functionality for a particular physical cell. In some aspects, the TRP may include <NUM> new radio (NR) functionality with an air interface based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). NR may support, for example and without limitation, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), mission-critical services, and wide-scale deployment of IoT devices. The functionality of a TRP may be similar in one or more aspects to (or incorporated into) the functionality of a CIoT base station (C-BS), a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), radio access network (RAN) access node, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station (BS), a radio base station (RBS), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transceiver function (TF), a radio transceiver, a radio router, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a macro cell, a macro node, a Home eNB (HeNB), a femto cell, a femto node, a pico node, or some other suitable entity. In different scenarios (e.g., NR, LTE, etc.), a TRP may be referred to as a gNodeB (gNB), an eNB, a base station, or referenced using other terminology.

Various types of network-to-device links and D2D links may be supported in the wireless communication system <NUM>. For example, D2D links may include, without limitation, machine-to-machine (M2M) links, MTC links, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) links, and vehicle-to-anything (V2X) links. Network-to-device links may include, without limitation, uplinks (or reverse links), downlinks (or forward links), and vehicle-to-network (V2N) links.

<FIG> is a schematic illustration of a wireless communication system <NUM> that includes a first wireless communication device <NUM> and a second wireless communication device <NUM> that may use the teachings herein. In some implementations, the first wireless communication device <NUM> or the second wireless communication device <NUM> may correspond to the UE <NUM>, the UE <NUM>, the TRP <NUM>, or some other component of <FIG>.

In the illustrated example, the first wireless communication device <NUM> transmits a message over a communication channel <NUM> (e.g., a wireless channel) to the second wireless communication device <NUM>. One issue in such a scheme that may be addressed to reliably communicate the message is to take into account noise <NUM> introduced in the communication channel <NUM>.

Block codes or error correcting codes are frequently used to provide reliable transmission of messages over noisy channels. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence from an information source <NUM> at the first (transmitting) wireless communication device <NUM> is split up into blocks, each block having a length of K bits. An encoder <NUM> mathematically adds redundancy to the information message, resulting in codewords having a length of N. where N > K. Here, the code rate R is the ratio between the message length and the block length (i.e., R = K / N). Exploitation of this redundancy in the encoded information message is a key to reliably receiving the transmitted message at the second (receiving) wireless communication device <NUM>, whereby the redundancy enables correction for bit errors that may occur due to the noise <NUM> imparted on the transmitted message. That is, a decoder <NUM> at the second (receiving) wireless communication device <NUM> can take advantage of the redundancy to reliably recover the information message provided to an information sink <NUM> even though bit errors may occur, in part, due to the addition of the noise <NUM> to the channel <NUM>.

Many examples of such error correcting block codes are known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including Hamming codes, Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes, and turbo codes, among others. Some existing wireless communication networks utilize such block codes. For example, 3GPP LTE networks may use turbo codes. However, for future networks, a new category of block codes, called Polar codes, presents a potential opportunity for reliable and efficient information transfer with improved performance relative to other codes.

Polar codes are linear block error correcting codes where channel polarization is generated with a recursive algorithm that defines polar codes. Polar codes are the first explicit codes that achieve the channel capacity of symmetric binary-input discrete memoryless channels. That is, polar codes achieve the channel capacity (the Shannon limit) or the theoretical upper bound on the amount of error-free information that can be transmitted on a discrete memoryless channel of a given bandwidth in the presence of noise. This capacity can be achieved with a simple successive cancellation (SC) decoder.

One property of Polar codes is that the bit-error probabilities of different sub-channels may have a relatively large range. The disclosure related in some aspects to exploiting this property of Polar codes for sending different types of information (e.g., control channel information for different users, information having different priorities, etc.). For example, because Polar codes may provide better performance and comparable decoding complexity, Polar codes are particularly suitable for sending control channel information. Thus, in some aspects, the proposed scheme may be more efficient than existing algorithms.

Accordingly, the disclosure relates in some aspects, to mapping information to Polar code sub-channels. For example, in <FIG>, the encoder <NUM> may include a module for mapping user information to Polar code channels <NUM> (e.g., mapping information for different users to different Polar code channels). In addition, the encoder <NUM> may include a module for encoding the user information according to the mapping <NUM>. The first wireless communication device <NUM> (e.g., a transmit receive point) then transmits (e.g., broadcasts) the resulting code block.

The second wireless communication device <NUM> (e.g., a user equipment) receives the code block with the user information. The decoder <NUM> includes a module for decoding the code block <NUM>. The decoded code block is then provided to a module for extracting the information for a particular user <NUM> (e.g., a user of the second wireless communication device <NUM>).

Two existing control channel schemes are depicted in <FIG> and <FIG>. <FIG> illustrates an example of encoding used in LTE. <FIG> illustrates an example of encoding used in WiMAX.

Referring initially to <FIG>, in a multi-user encoding scheme <NUM> for LTE, the control information of each user with CRC is separately encoded with a TBCC code. Repetition may be applied before mapping the encoded bits onto the applicable resource (e.g., a wireless communication channel). For example, user <NUM> information <NUM> with CRC <NUM> (e.g., <NUM>-bit CRC) is separately encoded with a TBCC code <NUM> and subjected to repetition <NUM>. Similar operations are applicable for the other users (user <NUM> through user K).

In an example implementation, the repetition <NUM> is up to <NUM> times depending on the channel quality. For TBCC encoding, each bit has approximately the same decode error probability. A radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), e.g., <NUM> bits in length, may be masked into the CRC to differentiate the control information for each user. In an example implementation, the maximum number of blind detection times is <NUM> for each user (receiver) to obtain the desired control information, considering the repetition times and control information formats.

There are several drawbacks with the LTE encoding described above. One drawback is that the number of supported users is limited by the resource mapping. Another other drawback is that the complexity and latency is relatively high due to the use of blind detection at the receiver.

Referring now to <FIG>, in a multi-user encoding scheme <NUM> for WiMAX, the control information of all the users (e.g., user <NUM> information <NUM>, user <NUM> information <NUM>, etc.) is combined and encoded using a TBCC <NUM>. A single CRC <NUM> is applied for validation checking of all of the control information. This implies that the same coding rate and modulation order are used for all of the users despite the different channel quality the users may experience. To guarantee the decoding performance of the cell edge users with lower channel quality, the coding rate for the users with good channel quality cannot be as high as would otherwise be possible. Consequently, the encoding is overdesigned with respect to the users with good channel quality.

Thus, in the WiMAX encoding described above, one drawback is that the design is not flexible for different users with different channel quality. In addition, the performance of the TBCC might be not high enough for some applications.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to using Polar codes to send different types of information (e.g., control channel information for different users, information having different priorities, etc.). A brief introduction to Polar codes follows.

Referring to the top of <FIG>, a binary-input discrete memoryless channel <NUM> may be represented as W: X → Y, where X is an input and Y is an output of a channel W. The capacity C of this channel is: C=I(X;Y), where I represents the mutual information function.

Referring to the bottom of <FIG>, an effective channel WVEC <NUM> for multiple inputs may be represented as follows. For the example of a binary-input, <NUM> ≤ C ≤ <NUM>, a transformation may include the following operations. Starting with N copies of the channel W <NUM>; a one-to-one mapping GNxN <NUM> is applied from U inputs (U<NUM>, U<NUM>,. , UN) to X outputs (X<NUM>, X<NUM>,. , XN) as set forth in Equation <NUM> of Table <NUM>. The effective channel WVEC <NUM> is thus created, with XN = UN • GNxN. For the relatively simple case of N=<NUM>, GNxN may be represented as set forth in Equation <NUM> of Table <NUM>.

Assuming W is a binary erasure channel (BEC) with an erasure probability 'ε', the relationships set forth in Equation <NUM> of Table <NUM> are true (with reference to the schematic <NUM> of <FIG>). In <FIG>, U<NUM> is an input and Y<NUM> is an output for a channel W<NUM>. Similarly, U<NUM> is an input and Y<NUM> is an output for a channel W<NUM>.

For the channel W<NUM>: U<NUM> → YN, the erasure probability (ε-) is set forth in Equation <NUM> of Table <NUM>. For the channel W<NUM>: U<NUM> → (YN, U<NUM>), the erasure probability (ε+) is set forth in Equation <NUM> of Table <NUM>. In view of the above, W<NUM> is a better channel than W<NUM>. Accordingly, U<NUM> will have a higher reliability than U<NUM>. The above operation can be performed recursively, yielding more polarization across N.

An example of an encoder structure <NUM> for Polar codes is depicted in <FIG>. As discussed above, the quality of different Polar code sub-channels may be quite different. In some implementations, the sub-channels correspond to the bit channels between the input of the encoder in the transmitter and the output of a successive cancellation (SC) decoder in the receiver.

In the example, of <FIG>, the Polar code sub-channels are allocated into subsets, ranging from the best sub-channels to the worst sub-channels, based on the corresponding error probability associated with each sub-channel as discussed in the previous section. In this example, the information bits <NUM> are put on the best sub-channels while frozen bits <NUM> (with zero values) are put on the worst sub-channels. A bit-reversal permutation <NUM> is used to provide the output bits of the decoder in a desired sequence. The encoding is performed after multiplying by a Hadamard matrix <NUM>. The generator matrices of Polar codes are comprised of the rows of a Hadamard matrix. The rows corresponding to low error probabilities of an SC decoder are selected for information bits while the remaining rows are for frozen bits.

It may thus be seen that the Polar codes are one type of block codes (N, K), where N is the code block size (codeword length) and K is the number of information bits. With polar codes, the codeword length N is a power-of-two (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc.) because the original construction of a polarizing matrix is based on the Kronecker product of <MAT>.

Referring to <FIG>, the disclosure relates in some aspects to mapping <NUM> different inputs to different Polar code sub-channels. Herein a set of inputs (INPUT <NUM> to INPUT N) are mapped to a set of Polar code subchannels (POLAR CODE SUB-CHANNEL <NUM> to POLAR CODE SUB-CHANNEL N). The mapping <NUM> may take different forms in different implementations.

In some aspects, the mapping <NUM> may be based on one or more characteristics associated with the inputs. For example, information for different users could be mapped to different Polar code sub-channels. As another example, different traffic experiencing different wireless communication qualities (e.g., due to the use of different wireless communication channels to send the different traffic) could be mapped to different Polar code sub-channels. As yet another example, information having different priorities could be mapped to different Polar code sub-channels. In addition, control information, data, or other types of information may be mapped. Other input criteria could be used in other examples.

In some aspects, the mapping <NUM> may be based on one or more characteristics associated with the Polar code sub-channels. For example, certain inputs could be mapped to certain Polar code sub-channels depending on the different error probabilities associated with the different Polar code sub-channels. Other sub-channel criteria could be used in other examples.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a control channel design using Polar codes. For purposes of explanation, a mapping <NUM> of user information <NUM> to Polar code sub-channels in this example will be described in the context of mapping user control information for users experiencing different wireless communication channel quality to different Polar code sub-channels. It should be appreciated that such a mapping may take other forms in other implementations. For example, information other than control information could be mapped, and the information need not be associated with different users.

The user information <NUM> includes information from several users. In the example of <FIG>, the user information <NUM> includes user <NUM> information <NUM> (with optional associated CRC <NUM>), user <NUM> information <NUM> (with optional associated CRC <NUM>), through user K information <NUM> (with optional associated CRC <NUM>). As discussed herein, the CRC may be masked with a user identifier or some other information.

In some implementations (e.g., as shown in <FIG>), the control information of each user has same size and is appended with m-bit CRC. The length of CRC may be set to meet the requirement of both miss-detection probability and false-alarm probability. To improve the decoding performance, the CRC bits for each user can be used for a CRC-aided list SC decoding algorithm for Polar codes.

In some aspects, the mapping may involve (or follow) sorting the wireless communication channel quality of each user and denoting the corresponding information as W1 to WK. For example, after sorting, a user W1 may correspond to the user with the worst wireless communication channel quality while a user WK may correspond to the user with the best wireless communication channel quality.

The sub-channels of Polar codes are sorted as well. For example, the quality (e.g., bit error probability) for the sub-channels may be progressively worse traversing the sub-channels from left (the best sub-channel <NUM>) to right (the worst subchannel <NUM>). In some aspects, a density evolution (DE) algorithm or a Gaussian approximation (GA) algorithm may be used to determine the bit-error probability of each sub-channel.

As a result of the encoding process, the user information <NUM> is aggregated together to form a single coded block <NUM> for Polar codes. The sorted user information is allocated into the sub-channels of Polar codes on the positions except those for frozen bits. That is, the worst sub-channels are allocated for frozen bits with zero values. This is indicated by the block F <NUM> of the coded block <NUM>.

In an example implementation, to obtain better performance, the control information of the user with the worse channel quality will be mapped to the better Polar code sub-channels. For example, in the example of <FIG>, the control information of user W1 (user W1 information <NUM> with optional associated CRC <NUM>) is allocated into the best sub-channel(s). Users with progressively better wireless communication channel quality will be mapped to progressively worse Polar code sub-channels. Thus, the control information of the user W2 (user W2 information <NUM> with optional associated CRC <NUM>) is allocated into the next best sub-channel(s), and this mapping continues until the control information of the user WK (user W1 information <NUM> with optional associated CRC <NUM>) is mapped to the worst, non-frozen, Polar code sub-channel. By mapping the traffic with poorer wireless communication quality onto the better Polar code sub-channels, repetition might not be needed (e.g., in contrast with the LTE approach discussed above).

The proposed algorithm may thus have several advantages. For example, the properties of Polar codes may be fully used to provide unbalance protection (e.g., unbalanced sub-channel distribution over the Polar codes) for different users with variable channel quality (or information with different priorities, and so on). In addition, although the sets of control information for different users are combined together in the example of <FIG>, each user can do a CRC check separately after decoding. As long as the CRC check passes, the control information can be used even if the overall code word is not decoded correctly. Furthermore, the combined information size (e.g., <NUM> bits, several hundred bits, or some other size) may be particularly advantageous for the use of Polar codes. In that range, the Polar codes may outperform codes such as Turbo codes and TBCC. For example, if individual control information takes up from <NUM> - <NUM> bits, a performance gain may be achieved by aggregating these individual blocks into a Polar code block (e.g., with a size of <NUM> bits). Also, blind detection need not be used for the proposed algorithm, thereby reducing the decoding complexity. Moreover, when the same information block size is used for each user, a receiver may be able to readily identify the individual user blocks in the code block <NUM> based on the number of users (e.g., signaled to the receiver) and the length of the code block <NUM>. In other implementations where the individual user blocks are not the same size, an indication of these user block sizes may be signaled to the receiver.

<FIG> illustrates an example encoder <NUM> and an example decoder <NUM> constructed in accordance with the teachings herein. In some aspects, the encoder <NUM> and the decoder <NUM> may correspond to the encoder <NUM> and the decoder <NUM> of <FIG>, respectively.

The encoder <NUM> encodes data <NUM> to generate encoded data <NUM>. In accordance with the teachings herein, the encoder <NUM> may include functionality for Polar coding with mapping <NUM>.

The decoder <NUM> decodes the encoded data <NUM> (e.g., after transmission over a communication channel, not shown) to provide recovered data <NUM>. In accordance with the teachings herein, the decoder <NUM> may include functionality for decoding (e.g., SC decoding) with mapping <NUM>.

In some implementations, the encoder <NUM> may include an interface <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, or both. Such an interface may include, for example, an interface bus, bus drivers, bus receivers, other suitable circuitry, or a combination thereof. For example, the interface <NUM> may include receiver devices, buffers, or other circuitry for receiving a signal. As another example, the interface <NUM> may include output devices, drivers, or other circuitry for sending a signal. In some implementations, the interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> may be configured to interface one or more other components of the encoder <NUM> (other components not shown in <FIG>).

In some implementations, the decoder <NUM> may include an interface <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, or both. Such an interface may include, for example, an interface bus, bus drivers, bus receivers, other suitable circuitry, or a combination thereof. For example, the interface <NUM> may include receiver devices, buffers, or other circuitry for receiving a signal. As another example, the interface <NUM> may include output devices, drivers, or other circuitry for sending a signal. In some implementations, the interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> may be configured to interface one or more other components of the decoder <NUM> (other components not shown in <FIG>).

The encoder <NUM> and the decoder <NUM> may take different forms in different implementations. In some cases, the encoder <NUM> and/or the decoder <NUM> may be an integrated circuit. In some cases, the encoder <NUM> and/or the decoder <NUM> may be included in an integrated circuit that includes other circuitry (e.g., a processor and related circuitry).

<FIG> is an illustration of an apparatus <NUM> that may use encoding according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. The apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within a TRP, a gNB, UE, an access point, or some other type of device that supports encoding. In various implementations, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within an access terminal, an access point, or some other type of device. In various implementations, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within a computer, a server, a personal computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet, a portable computer, a sensor, an alarm, a vehicle, a machine, an entertainment device, a medical device, or any other electronic device having circuitry.

The apparatus <NUM> includes a communication interface <NUM> (e.g., at least one transceiver), a storage medium <NUM>, a user interface <NUM>, a memory device <NUM>, and a processing circuit <NUM> (e.g., at least one processor). These components can be coupled to and/or placed in electrical communication with one another via a signaling bus or other suitable component, represented generally by the connection lines in <FIG>. The signaling bus may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing circuit <NUM> and the overall design constraints. The signaling bus links together various circuits such that each of the communication interface <NUM>, the storage medium <NUM>, the user interface <NUM>, and the memory device <NUM> are coupled to and/or in electrical communication with the processing circuit <NUM>. The signaling bus may also link various other circuits (not shown) such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further.

The communication interface <NUM> may be adapted to facilitate wireless communication of the apparatus <NUM>. For example, the communication interface <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming adapted to facilitate the communication of information bi-directionally with respect to one or more communication devices in a network. Thus, in some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> may be coupled to one or more antennas <NUM> for wireless communication within a wireless communication system. In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> may be configured for wire-based communication. For example, the communication interface <NUM> could be a bus interface, a send/receive interface, or some other type of signal interface including drivers, buffers, or other circuitry for outputting and/or obtaining signals (e.g., outputting signal from and/or receiving signals into an integrated circuit). The communication interface <NUM> can be configured with one or more standalone receivers and/or transmitters, as well as one or more transceivers. In the illustrated example, the communication interface <NUM> includes a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM>.

The memory device <NUM> may represent one or more memory devices. As indicated, the memory device <NUM> may maintain mapping information <NUM> along with other information used by the apparatus <NUM>. In some implementations, the memory device <NUM> and the storage medium <NUM> are implemented as a common memory component. The memory device <NUM> may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processing circuit <NUM> or some other component of the apparatus <NUM>.

The storage medium <NUM> may represent one or more computer-readable, machine-readable, and/or processor-readable devices for storing programming, such as processor executable code or instructions (e.g., software, firmware), electronic data, databases, or other digital information. The storage medium <NUM> may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processing circuit <NUM> when executing programming. The storage medium <NUM> may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose processor, including portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying programming.

By way of example and not limitation, the storage medium <NUM> may include a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The storage medium <NUM> may be embodied in an article of manufacture (e.g., a computer program product). By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. In view of the above, in some implementations, the storage medium <NUM> may be a non-transitory (e.g., tangible) storage medium.

The storage medium <NUM> may be coupled to the processing circuit <NUM> such that the processing circuit <NUM> can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium <NUM>. That is, the storage medium <NUM> can be coupled to the processing circuit <NUM> so that the storage medium <NUM> is at least accessible by the processing circuit <NUM>, including examples where at least one storage medium is integral to the processing circuit <NUM> and/or examples where at least one storage medium is separate from the processing circuit <NUM> (e.g., resident in the apparatus <NUM>, external to the apparatus <NUM>, distributed across multiple entities, etc.).

Programming stored by the storage medium <NUM>, when executed by the processing circuit <NUM>, causes the processing circuit <NUM> to perform one or more of the various functions and/or process operations described herein. For example, the storage medium <NUM> may include operations configured for regulating operations at one or more hardware blocks of the processing circuit <NUM>, as well as to utilize the communication interface <NUM> for wireless communication utilizing their respective communication protocols. In some aspects, the storage medium <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, including code to perform operations as described herein.

The processing circuit <NUM> is generally adapted for processing, including the execution of such programming stored on the storage medium <NUM>. As used herein, the terms "code" or "programming" shall be construed broadly to include without limitation instructions, instruction sets, data, code, code segments, program code, programs, programming, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

The processing circuit <NUM> is arranged to obtain, process and/or send data, control data access and storage, issue commands, and control other desired operations. The processing circuit <NUM> may include circuitry configured to implement desired programming provided by appropriate media in at least one example. For example, the processing circuit <NUM> may be implemented as one or more processors, one or more controllers, and/or other structure configured to execute executable programming. Examples of the processing circuit <NUM> may include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic component, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may include a microprocessor, as well as any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processing circuit <NUM> may also be implemented as a combination of computing components, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a number of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, an ASIC and a microprocessor, or any other number of varying configurations. These examples of the processing circuit <NUM> are for illustration and other suitable configurations within the scope of the disclosure are also contemplated.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosure, the processing circuit <NUM> may be adapted to perform any or all of the features, processes, functions, operations and/or routines for any or all of the apparatuses described herein. For example, the processing circuit <NUM> may be configured to perform any of the steps, functions, and/or processes described with respect to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. As used herein, the term "adapted" in relation to the processing circuit <NUM> may refer to the processing circuit <NUM> being one or more of configured, used, implemented, and/or programmed to perform a particular process, function, operation and/or routine according to various features described herein.

The processing circuit <NUM> may be a specialized processor, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that serves as a means for (e.g., structure for) carrying out any one of the operations described in conjunction with <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG> - <NUM>, and <NUM> - <NUM>. The processing circuit <NUM> may serve as one example of a means for transmitting and/or a means for receiving. In various implementations, the processing circuit <NUM> may provide and/or incorporate, at least in part, the functionality described above for the first wireless communication device <NUM> (e.g., the encoder <NUM>) of <FIG> or the encoder <NUM> of <FIG>.

According to at least one example of the apparatus <NUM>, the processing circuit <NUM> may include one or more of a circuit/module for obtaining <NUM>, a circuit/module for mapping <NUM>, a circuit/module for encoding <NUM>, or a circuit/module for outputting <NUM>. In various implementations, the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM>, the circuit/module for mapping <NUM>, the circuit/module for encoding <NUM>, or the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> may provide and/or incorporate, at least in part, the functionality described above for the first wireless communication device <NUM> (e.g., the encoder <NUM>) of <FIG> or the encoder <NUM> of <FIG>.

As mentioned above, programming stored by the storage medium <NUM>, when executed by the processing circuit <NUM>, causes the processing circuit <NUM> to perform one or more of the various functions and/or process operations described herein. For example, the programming may cause the processing circuit <NUM> to perform the various functions, steps, and/or processes described herein with respect to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> in various implementations. As shown in <FIG>, the storage medium <NUM> may include one or more of code for obtaining <NUM>, code for mapping <NUM>, code for encoding <NUM>, or code for outputting <NUM>. In various implementations, the code for obtaining <NUM>, the code for mapping <NUM>, the code for encoding <NUM>, or the code for outputting <NUM> may be executed or otherwise used to provide the functionality described herein for the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM>, the circuit/module for mapping <NUM>, the circuit/module for encoding <NUM>, or the circuit/module for outputting <NUM>.

The circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for obtaining <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, obtaining information. In some scenarios, the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> may receive information (e.g., from the communication interface <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component of the apparatus <NUM>) and process (e.g., decode) the information. In some scenarios (e.g., if the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> is or includes an RF receiver), the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> may receive information directly from a device that transmitted the information. In either case, the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> may output the received information to another component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the circuit/module for mapping <NUM>, the circuit/module for encoding <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component).

The circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> (e.g., a means for obtaining) may take various forms. In some aspects, the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> may correspond to, for example, a processing circuit as discussed herein. In some aspects, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> may correspond to, for example, an interface (e.g., a bus interface, a receive interface, or some other type of signal interface), a communication device, a transceiver, a receiver, or some other similar component as discussed herein. In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> includes the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> and/or the code for obtaining <NUM>. In some implementations, the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> and/or the code for obtaining <NUM> is configured to control the communication interface <NUM> (e.g., a transceiver or a receiver) to communicate the information.

The circuit/module for mapping <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for mapping <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, mapping an information to a code sub-channel. In some aspects, the circuit/module for mapping <NUM> (e.g., a means for mapping) may correspond to, for example, a processing circuit.

In some aspects, the circuit/module for mapping <NUM> may obtain input information (e.g., from the means for obtaining <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component) and, for each input, map the input to a corresponding sub-channel. For example, this mapping may be based on one or more criterion as discussed herein (e.g., in conjunction with <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and elsewhere). The circuit/module for mapping <NUM> may then generate an output based on the mapping (e.g., an indication of the mapping) and provide the output to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the circuit/module for encoding <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component).

The circuit/module for encoding <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for encoding <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, encoding information. In some aspects, the circuit/module for encoding <NUM> (e.g., a means for encoding) may correspond to, for example, a processing circuit.

In some aspects, the circuit/module for encoding <NUM> may execute an encoding algorithm on at least one input (e.g., obtained from the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM>, the circuit/module for mapping <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component of the apparatus <NUM>). For example, the circuit/module for encoding <NUM> may perform a block coding algorithm or a Polar coding algorithm. In some aspects, the circuit/module for encoding <NUM> may perform one or more of the operations described above in conjunction with <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. The circuit/module for encoding <NUM> then outputs the resulting encoded information (e.g., to the circuit/module for outputting <NUM>, the communication interface <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component).

The circuit/module for outputting <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for outputting <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, outputting (e.g., sending or transmitting) information. In some implementations, the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> may obtain information (e.g., from the circuit/module for encoding <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component of the apparatus <NUM>) and process the information (e.g., encode the information for transmission). In some scenarios, the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> sends the information to another component (e.g., the transmitter <NUM>, the communication interface <NUM>, or some other component) that will send the information to another device. In some scenarios (e.g., if the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> includes a transmitter), the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> transmits the information directly to another device (e.g., the ultimate destination) via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium.

The circuit/module for outputting <NUM> (e.g., a means for outputting) may take various forms. In some aspects, the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> may correspond to, for example, a processing circuit as discussed herein. In some aspects, the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> may correspond to, for example, an interface (e.g., a bus interface, a send interface, or some other type of signal interface), a communication device, a transceiver, a transmitter, or some other similar component as discussed herein. In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> includes the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> and/or the code for outputting <NUM>. In some implementations, the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> and/or the code for outputting <NUM> is configured to control the communication interface <NUM> (e.g., a transceiver or a transmitter) to transmit information.

<FIG> illustrates a process <NUM> for communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. One or more aspects of the process <NUM> may be used in conjunction with (e.g., in addition to or as part of) the process <NUM> of <FIG> or the process <NUM> of <FIG>. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the processing circuit <NUM> of <FIG>), which may be located in an access terminal, a base station, or some other suitable apparatus (e.g., that provides encoding). Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting signaling-related operations.

At block <NUM>, an apparatus (e.g., a device that include an encoder) obtains first information for a first user and second information for a second user. For example, a processing circuit of the apparatus may receive a digital signal including the information from a receive interface, a transceiver, or some other component. As another example, an interface may receive a signal including the information from a transceiver. As yet another example, a receiver may receive an RF signal including the information. In some aspects, the first information and the second information may each include (e.g., may be) control information.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for obtaining <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for obtaining <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus maps the first information to a first Polar code sub-channel and the second information to a second Polar code sub-channel. The mapping may include other inputs and sub-channels in a typical case. For example, the mapping may further include mapping at least one other control information for at least one other user to at least one other Polar code sub-channel.

The mapping may take different forms in different implementations. According to the invention, the mapping includes determining that the first Polar code sub-channel is associated with a higher error probability than the second Polar code sub-channel; and assigning the first information to the first Polar code sub-channel and the second information to the second Polar code sub-channel based on the determination. The mapping includes determining whether the first user is associated with a higher wireless communication channel quality than the second user; and assigning the first information to the first Polar code sub-channel and the second information to the second Polar code sub-channel based on the determination. In some non-claimed aspects, the mapping may include determining that the first user is associated with a lower wireless communication channel quality than the second user and that the first Polar code sub-channel is associated with a higher error probability than the second Polar code sub-channel; and assigning the first information to the first Polar code sub-channel and the second information to the second Polar code sub-channel based on the determination. In some aspects, the mapping may include determining whether the first information has a higher priority than the second information; and assigning the first information to the first Polar code sub-channel and the second information to the second Polar code sub-channel based on the determination. In some aspects, the mapping may include determining that the first information has a higher priority than the second information and that the first Polar code sub-channel is associated with a lower error probability than the second Polar code sub-channel; and assigning the first information to the first Polar code sub-channel and the second information to the second Polar code sub-channel based on the determination.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for mapping <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for mapping <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus encodes the first information and the second information according to the mapping to provide a single code block. In some aspects, the encoding may include (e.g., may be) Polar coding.

The encoding may take different forms in different implementations. In some aspects, the encoding may include encoding first error correction information for the first information; and encoding second error correction information for the second information, where the second error correction information is different from the first error correction information. According to the invention, the encoding includes generating a first cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value for the first information; and generating a second cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value for the second information independently of the generation of the first CRC value for the first information. In some aspects, the first CRC value may have a first length; and the second CRC value may have a second length that is equal to the first length.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for encoding <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for encoding <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus outputs the code block. For example, a processing circuit of the apparatus may send a digital signal including the code block to an interface, a transceiver, or some other component. As another example, an interface may send a signal including the code block to a transceiver. As yet another example, a transmitter may transmit an RF signal including the code block.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for outputting <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for outputting <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

In some aspects, a process may include any combination of the aspects described above for <FIG>.

At block <NUM>, an apparatus (e.g., a device that include an encoder) obtains first information for a first user and second information for a second user. In some aspects, the operations of block <NUM> may be similar to the operations of block <NUM> of <FIG>.

At optional block <NUM>, the apparatus may determines whether a first Polar code sub-channel is associated with a higher error probability than a second Polar code sub-channel. For example, the operations of block <NUM> may involve comparing a first error probability associated with the first Polar code sub-channel to a second error probability associated with the second Polar code sub-channel.

At optional block <NUM>, the apparatus may determine whether the first user is associated with a higher wireless communication channel quality than a second user. For example, the operations of block <NUM> may involve comparing a first wireless communication channel quality associated with the first user to a second wireless communication channel quality associated with the second user.

At optional block <NUM>, the apparatus may determine whether the first information has a higher priority than the second information. For example, the operations of block <NUM> may involve comparing a first priority associated with the first information to a second priority associated with the second information.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus assigns the first information and the second information to mutually exclusive Polar code sub-channels. For example, and without limitation, the operations of block <NUM> may involve assigning the first information to a second Polar code subchannel and assigning the second information to a first Polar code sub-channel. This assignment may be based on one or more of the determination of block <NUM>, the determination of block <NUM>, or the determination of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, an apparatus (e.g., a device that include an encoder) maps different information to different Polar code sub-channels. The information may take different forms in different implementations. In some aspects, the different information may be associated with different characteristics. In some aspects, the different information may be different types of information. In some aspects, the different information includes control information.

In some aspects, the different characteristics may include different users experiencing different wireless communication channel qualities. According to the invention, users experiencing lower wireless communication channel quality are mapped to Polar code sub-channels having higher quality.

In some aspects, the characteristics may be priorities. For example, information with higher priority may be mapped to Polar code sub-channels having higher quality.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus encodes the different information according to the mapping to provide encoded information. In some aspects, the encoding includes Polar coding. In some aspects, the encoding includes encoding the different information in a single code block.

In some aspects, the process <NUM> may further include encoding error correction information for each type of information. For example, the process <NUM> may include separately encoding CRC information for the information for each user. In some aspects, the CRC information for each user may have the same length.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus transmits the encoded information. In some aspects, the operations of block <NUM> may be similar to the operations of block <NUM> of <FIG>.

<FIG> is an illustration of an apparatus <NUM> that may use decoding according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. The apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within a UE, an access point, a TRP, a gNB, or some other type of device that supports decoding. In various implementations, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within an access terminal, an access point, or some other type of device. In various implementations, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet, a portable computer, a server, a personal computer, a sensor, an alarm, a vehicle, a machine, an entertainment device, a medical device, or any other electronic device having circuitry.

The apparatus <NUM> includes a communication interface (e.g., at least one transceiver) <NUM>, a storage medium <NUM>, a user interface <NUM>, a memory device <NUM> (e.g., storing mapping information <NUM>), and a processing circuit (e.g., at least one processor) <NUM>. In various implementations, the user interface <NUM> may include one or more of: a keypad, a display, a speaker, a microphone, a touchscreen display, of some other circuitry for receiving an input from or sending an output to a user. The communication interface <NUM> may be coupled to one or more antennas <NUM>, and may include a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM>. In general, the components of <FIG> may be similar to corresponding components of the apparatus <NUM> of <FIG>.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosure, the processing circuit <NUM> may be adapted to perform any or all of the features, processes, functions, operations and/or routines for any or all of the apparatuses described herein. For example, the processing circuit <NUM> may be configured to perform any of the steps, functions, and/or processes described with respect to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>. As used herein, the term "adapted" in relation to the processing circuit <NUM> may refer to the processing circuit <NUM> being one or more of configured, used, implemented, and/or programmed to perform a particular process, function, operation and/or routine according to various features described herein.

The processing circuit <NUM> may be a specialized processor, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that serves as a means for (e.g., structure for) carrying out any one of the operations described in conjunction with <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG> - <NUM> and <NUM>. The processing circuit <NUM> serves as one example of a means for transmitting and/or a means for receiving. In various implementations, the processing circuit <NUM> may provide and/or incorporate, at least in part, the functionality described above for the second wireless communication device <NUM> (e.g., the decoder <NUM>) of <FIG> or the decoder <NUM> of <FIG>.

According to at least one example of the apparatus <NUM>, the processing circuit <NUM> may include one or more of a circuit/module for receiving <NUM>, a circuit/module for decoding <NUM>, or a circuit/module for identifying <NUM>. In various implementations, the circuit/module for receiving <NUM>, the circuit/module for decoding <NUM>, or the circuit/module for identifying <NUM> may provide and/or incorporate, at least in part, the functionality described above for the second wireless communication device <NUM> (e.g., the decoder <NUM>) of <FIG> or the decoder <NUM> of <FIG>.

As mentioned above, programming stored by the storage medium <NUM>, when executed by the processing circuit <NUM>, causes the processing circuit <NUM> to perform one or more of the various functions and/or process operations described herein. For example, the programming may cause the processing circuit <NUM> to perform the various functions, steps, and/or processes described herein with respect to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG> in various implementations. As shown in <FIG>, the storage medium <NUM> may include one or more of code for receiving <NUM>, code for decoding <NUM>, or code for identifying <NUM>. In various implementations, the code for receiving <NUM>, the code for decoding <NUM>, or the code for identifying <NUM> may be executed or otherwise used to provide the functionality described herein for the circuit/module for receiving <NUM>, the circuit/module for decoding <NUM>, or the circuit/module for identifying <NUM>.

The circuit/module for receiving <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for receiving <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, receiving information. In some scenarios, the circuit/module for receiving <NUM> may obtain information (e.g., from the communication interface <NUM>, the memory device, or some other component of the apparatus <NUM>) and processes (e.g., decodes) the information. In some scenarios (e.g., if the circuit/module for receiving <NUM> is or includes an RF receiver), the circuit/module for receiving <NUM> may receive information directly from a device that transmitted the information. In either case, the circuit/module for receiving <NUM> may output the obtained information to another component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the circuit/module for determining a code block size <NUM>, the circuit/module for block encoding <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component).

The circuit/module for receiving <NUM> (e.g., a means for receiving) may take various forms. In some aspects, the circuit/module for receiving <NUM> may correspond to, for example, an interface (e.g., a bus interface, a send/receive interface, or some other type of signal interface), a communication device, a transceiver, a receiver, or some other similar component as discussed herein. In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> includes the circuit/module for receiving <NUM> and/or the code for receiving <NUM>. In some implementations, the circuit/module for receiving <NUM> and/or the code for receiving <NUM> is configured to control the communication interface <NUM> (e.g., a transceiver or a receiver) to receive information.

The circuit/module for decoding <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for decoding <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, decoding information. In some aspects, the circuit/module for decoding <NUM> (e.g., a means for decoding) may correspond to, for example, a processing circuit.

In some aspects, the circuit/module for decoding <NUM> may execute an decoding algorithm on at least one encoded input (e.g., obtained from the circuit/module for receiving <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component of the apparatus <NUM>). For example, the circuit/module for decoding <NUM> may perform an SC decoding algorithm. In some aspects, the circuit/module for decoding <NUM> may perform one or more of the operations described above in conjunction with <FIG>, <FIG> - <NUM>, and <NUM>. The circuit/module for decoding <NUM> then outputs the resulting decoded information (e.g., to the circuit/module for identifying <NUM>, the communication interface <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component).

The circuit/module for identifying <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for identifying <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example identifying information within a decoded block of information. In some aspects, the circuit/module for identifying <NUM> (e.g., a means for identifying) may correspond to, for example, a processing circuit.

Initially, the circuit/module for identifying <NUM> may obtain a decoded block (e.g., from the circuit/module for decoding <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component). Next, the circuit/module for identifying <NUM> locates specified information (e.g., information associated with a particular user as indicates, for example, by an identifier) in the decoded block. In some aspects, the circuit/module for identifying <NUM> may perform one or more of the operations described above in conjunction with <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. The circuit/module for identifying <NUM> may then output the identified information (e.g., to the memory device <NUM> or some other component).

<FIG> illustrates a process <NUM> for communication in accordance with some non-claimed aspects of the disclosure. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the processing circuit <NUM> of <FIG>), which may be located in an access terminal, a base station, or some other suitable apparatus (e.g., that provides decoding). Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting signaling-related operations.

At block <NUM>, an apparatus (e.g., a device that include a decoder) receives an encoded block of information. For example, a processing circuit of the apparatus may receive a digital signal including the encoded block of information from a receive interface, a transceiver, or some other component. As another example, an interface may receive a signal including the encoded block of information from a transceiver. As yet another example, a receiver may receive an RF signal including the encoded block of information.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for receiving <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for receiving <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus decodes the block of information. In some aspects, the encoded block of information may include Polar coded information.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for decoding <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for decoding <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus identifies different information associated with different characteristics within the decoded block of information. In some aspects, the different information may include associated error correction information. In some aspects, the error correction information may include CRC information. In some aspects, the different types of information may be for different users and the CRC information for each user may have the same length. In some aspects, the different information may be different types of information.

The characteristics may take different forms in different implementations. In some aspects, the different characteristics may include different users experiencing different wireless communication channel qualities. In some aspects, the characteristics may be priorities.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for identifying <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for identifying <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

The examples set forth herein are provided to illustrate certain concepts of the disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art will comprehend that these are merely illustrative in nature, and other examples may fall within the scope of the appended claims. Based on the teachings herein those skilled in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways.

As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to any suitable telecommunication system, network architecture, and communication standard. By way of example, various aspects may be applied to wide area networks, peer-to-peer network, local area network, other suitable systems, or any combination thereof, including those described by yet-to-be defined standards. Various aspects may be applied to 3GPP <NUM> systems and/or other suitable systems, including those described by yet-to-be defined wide area network standards. Various aspects may also be applied to systems using LTE (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA2000, Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE <NUM> (Wi-Fi), IEEE <NUM> (WiMAX), IEEE <NUM>, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and/or other suitable systems. Various aspects may also be applied to UMTS systems such as W-CDMA, TD-SCDMA, and TD-CDMA. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and/or communication standard used will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system. Evolved versions of the LTE network, such as a fifth-generation (<NUM>) network, may provide for many different types of services or applications, including but not limited to web browsing, video streaming, VoIP, mission critical applications, multi-hop networks, remote operations with real-time feedback (e.g., tele-surgery), etc..

Many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits, for example, central processing units (CPUs), graphic processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or various other types of general purpose or special purpose processors or circuits, by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequence of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon execution would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein.

Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the disclosure.

One or more of the components, steps, features and/or functions illustrated in above may be rearranged and/or combined into a single component, step, feature or function or embodied in several components, steps, or functions. The apparatus, devices, and/or components illustrated above may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein.

It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed is an illustration of example processes.

The methods, sequences or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. An example of a storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium.

Likewise, the term "aspects" does not require that all aspects include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the aspects. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof Moreover, it is understood that the word "or" has the same meaning as the Boolean operator "OR," that is, it encompasses the possibilities of "either" and "both" and is not limited to "exclusive or" ("XOR"), unless expressly stated otherwise. It is also understood that the symbol "/" between two adjacent words has the same meaning as "or" unless expressly stated otherwise. Moreover, phrases such as "connected to," "coupled to" or "in communication with" are not limited to direct connections unless expressly stated otherwise.

Any reference to an element herein using a designation such as "first," "second," and so forth does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements may be used there or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwise a set of elements may comprise one or more elements. In addition, terminology of the form "at least one of a, b, or c" or "a, b, c, or any combination thereof" used in the description or the claims means "a or b or c or any combination of these elements. " For example, this terminology may include a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or a and b and c, or 2a, or 2b, or 2c, or 2a and b, and so on.

For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Also, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. Also, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

Claim 1:
A method (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) of communication executable by an apparatus, comprising:
obtaining (<NUM>; <NUM>) first information and second information, wherein the first information comprises control information for a first user and the second information comprises control information for a second user;
determining (<NUM>) that a first Polar code sub-channel is associated with a higher error probability than a second Polar code sub-channel;
determining (<NUM>) that the first information for a first user is associated with a higher wireless communication channel quality than the second information for a second user;
mapping (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) the first information to the first Polar code sub-channel and the second information to the second Polar code sub-channel, wherein the mapping is based on the determining that the first Polar code sub-channel is associated with a higher error probability than the second Polar code sub-channel and further based on the determining that the first information is associated with a higher wireless communication channel quality than the second information;
encoding (<NUM>; <NUM>) the first information and the second information according to the mapping to provide a single code block, wherein the encoding comprises Polar coding; wherein the encoding further comprises:
generating a first cyclic redundancy check, CRC, value for the first information; and
generating a second cyclic redundancy check, CRC, value for the second information independently of the generation of the first CRC value for the first information, the first CRC value and the second CRC value to be used in CRC-aided list successive cancellation, SC, decoding; and
outputting (<NUM>; <NUM>) the code block.