Communication method, terminal, network device, communication system and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method, a terminal, network equipment, a communication system and a storage medium. The method comprises the steps that a plurality of first beams are sent, the plurality of first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, first information related to different first beams in the plurality of first beams is different, and the first information is used for indicating each first beam in the plurality of first beams. Through the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the time of beam scanning can be shortened, and the time delay of initial access of the terminal is reduced.

Description

Communication method, terminal, network device, communication system and storage medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular to a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system and a storage medium.

[0002] In the field of communication technology, in order to cover all directions as much as possible, the base station can perform synchronization signal block (SSB) beam scanning. Each beam in the beam scanning can cover a certain solid angle range. During the initial access process of the terminal, the terminal can determine the random access occasion (RACH occasion, RO) of the terminal based on the information in the SSB and the mapping relationship in the protocol.

[0003]

[0004] When the terminal makes initial access, SSB beam scanning will cause a certain delay.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The method includes: sending multiple first beams, wherein the multiple first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, the first information related to different first beams in the multiple first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate each first beam in the multiple first beams.

[0006] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided. The method includes: receiving a first beam, wherein the first beam is one of a plurality of first beams, the plurality of first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, the first information associated with different first beams in the plurality of first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate the first beam.

[0007] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: send multiple first beams, wherein the multiple first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, the first information related to different first beams in the multiple first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate each first beam in the multiple first beams.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided. The terminal includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: receive a first beam, wherein the first beam is one of a plurality of first beams, the plurality of first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, the first information associated with different first beams in the plurality of first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate the first beam.

[0009] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The memory stores executable instructions. When the executable instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the network device executes the method described in the first aspect.

[0010] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided. The terminal includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The memory stores executable instructions. When the executable instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal executes the method described in the second aspect.

[0011] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes a terminal and a network device. The network device is configured to implement the method described in the first aspect. The terminal is configured to implement the method described in the second aspect.

[0012] According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the storage medium, and when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0013] According to a ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program or a computer program product is provided. The computer program or the computer program product comprises code. When the code is executed by a processor, the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect is performed.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device sends multiple first beams, and different first beams are associated with different first information. Each of the multiple first beams can be identified by the first information. In this way, during the beam scanning process, the network device can send multiple beams at the same time, thereby shortening the beam scanning time and reducing the delay of the terminal for initial access.

[0015] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory and do not constitute limitations on the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 2 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG3A is a schematic diagram of a first scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG3B is a schematic diagram of a second scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG3C is a schematic diagram of a third scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 4 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG5 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 6 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of a first exemplary scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG7B is a schematic diagram of a second exemplary scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram of a third exemplary scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 8 is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 9 is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system, and a storage medium.

[0032] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method. The method is performed by a network device. The method includes: sending multiple first beams, wherein the multiple first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, the first information related to different first beams in the multiple first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate each first beam in the multiple first beams.

[0033] In this embodiment, the network device sends multiple first beams, and different first beams are associated with different first information. The first information enables identification of each of the multiple first beams sent simultaneously. In this way, during the beam scanning process, the network device can send multiple beams simultaneously, thereby shortening the beam scanning time and reducing the delay of the terminal for initial access.

[0034] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include a first index value, where the first index value is used to identify each first beam in a beam set, wherein multiple first beams belong to the beam set.

[0035] In this embodiment, each beam in the beam set has a corresponding first index value. The first beam can be uniquely identified by the first index value. Then the first index value can be a "global" index value. In this way, when the network device sends multiple first beams at the same time, the first index value can still be used to determine the first beam where the terminal is located.

[0036] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may also include: sending multiple second beams, wherein the multiple second beams correspond to the same SSB index value, and the multiple second beams belong to a beam set; wherein the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple second beams are different from the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams.

[0037] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include a second index value, where the second index value is used to identify each first beam in the multiple first beams.

[0038] In this embodiment, each first beam in the plurality of first beams has a corresponding second index value. The second index value can be used to uniquely identify the first beam in the plurality of first beams. The second index value can be a "local" index value. In this way, the corresponding first beam can be determined by combining the second index value and the BSS index value. The second index value can be represented by a smaller number of bits, which can reduce the communication load.

[0039] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may also include: sending multiple second beams, wherein the multiple second beams correspond to the same SSB index value, and the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple second beams are different from the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams; wherein the second index value associated with the second beam is used to identify the second beam in the multiple second beams, and the second index values ​​associated with the multiple second beams have the same index value set as the second index values ​​associated with the multiple first beams.

[0040] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the multiple first beams may be associated with second information, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the multiple first beams.

[0041] In this embodiment, the second information may be used to indicate the number of multiple first beams. In this way, the number of beams sent by the terminal at the same time may be promptly notified through the second information. When the first information is the second index value, the first beam in which the terminal is located may be uniquely determined by combining the first information and the second information, as well as the SSB index value.

[0042] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second information may be carried in a master system information block (MIB) and / or a system information block (SIB).

[0043] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may be carried in the MIB.

[0044] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include multiple synchronization signal sequences corresponding to multiple first beams, and the multiple synchronization signal sequences are associated with different random access preamble sets.

[0045] In this embodiment, each of the multiple first beams may use a different synchronization signal sequence, and different synchronization signal sequences are associated with different random access preamble sets. The multiple first beams correspond to different random access preamble sets, and therefore may correspond to different random access preambles. In this way, the corresponding first beam may be determined by the random access preamble.

[0046] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, random access preamble sets associated with multiple synchronization signal sequences of multiple first beams may be disjoint.

[0047] In this embodiment, the random access preamble sets associated with multiple synchronization signal sequences of multiple first beams do not intersect, which means that the random access preambles associated with multiple synchronization signal sequences are different from each other. In this case, based on the random access preamble, the first beam where the terminal is located can be determined from the multiple first beams.

[0048] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may also include: receiving a first random access preamble; determining a first beam among multiple first beams based on the first random access preamble, wherein the first random access preamble belongs to a first random access preamble set, and the first preamble set is associated with a synchronization signal sequence of the first beam.

[0049] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method. The method is performed by a terminal. The method includes: receiving a first beam, wherein the first beam is one of a plurality of first beams, the plurality of first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, the first information associated with different first beams in the plurality of first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate the first beam.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include a first index value, where the first index value is used to identify the first beam in the beam set, wherein the multiple first beams belong to the beam set.

[0051] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may further include: receiving a second beam, wherein the second beam is one of multiple second beams, the multiple second beams correspond to the same SSB index value, and the multiple second beams belong to a beam set; wherein the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple second beams are different from the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams.

[0052] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include a second index value, where the second index value is used to identify the first beam among multiple first beams.

[0053] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may further include: receiving a second beam, wherein the second beam is one of multiple second beams, the multiple second beams correspond to the same SSB index value, and the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple second beams are different from the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams; wherein the second index value associated with the second beam is used to identify the second beam among the multiple second beams, and the second index values ​​associated with the multiple second beams have the same index value set as the second index values ​​associated with the multiple first beams.

[0054] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the multiple first beams may be related to second information, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the multiple first beams.

[0055] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second information may be carried in the MIB and / or SIB.

[0056] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may be carried in the MIB.

[0057] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, multiple first beams may correspond to multiple synchronization signal sequences, and the multiple synchronization signal sequences are associated with different random access preamble sets; wherein the first information may include a synchronization signal sequence corresponding to the first beam.

[0058] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, random access preamble sets associated with multiple synchronization signal sequences of multiple first beams may be disjoint.

[0059] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the above method may also include: sending a first random access preamble, wherein the first random access preamble belongs to a first random access preamble set, and the first preamble set is associated with a synchronization signal sequence of the first beam.

[0060] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device. The network device includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: send multiple first beams, wherein the multiple first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, the first information related to different first beams in the multiple first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate each first beam in the multiple first beams.

[0061] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include a first index value of each first beam of the multiple first beams in the beam set, wherein the multiple first beams belong to the beam set.

[0062] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include a second index value of each first beam in the multiple first beams.

[0063] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the multiple first beams may be related to second information, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the multiple first beams.

[0064] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the second information may be carried in the MIB and / or SIB.

[0065] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may be carried in the MIB.

[0066] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include multiple synchronization signal sequences corresponding to multiple first beams, and the multiple synchronization signal sequences are associated with different random access preamble sets.

[0067] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, random access preamble sets associated with multiple synchronization signal sequences of multiple first beams may be disjoint.

[0068] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module may further be configured to: receive a first random access preamble. The above-mentioned network device may further include a processing module. The processing module is configured to: determine a first beam among multiple first beams according to the first random access preamble, wherein the first random access preamble belongs to a first random access preamble set, and the first preamble set is associated with a synchronization signal sequence of the first beam.

[0069] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal. The terminal includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is configured to: receive a first beam, wherein the first beam is one of a plurality of first beams, the plurality of first beams correspond to the same SSB index value, the first information associated with different first beams in the plurality of first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate the first beam.

[0070] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include a first index value of each first beam of the multiple first beams in the beam set, wherein the multiple first beams belong to the beam set.

[0071] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may include a second index value of the first beam in the multiple first beams.

[0072] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the multiple first beams may be related to second information, and the second information is used to indicate the number of the multiple first beams.

[0073] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the second information may be carried in the MIB and / or SIB.

[0074] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first information may be carried in the MIB.

[0075] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, multiple first beams may correspond to multiple synchronization signal sequences, and the multiple synchronization signal sequences are associated with different random access preamble sets; wherein the first information may include a synchronization signal sequence corresponding to the first beam.

[0076] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the random access preamble sets associated with multiple synchronization signal sequences of multiple first beams may be disjoint.

[0077] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module can also be configured to: send a first random access preamble, wherein the first random access preamble belongs to a first random access preamble set, and the first preamble set is associated with a synchronization signal sequence of the first beam.

[0078] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device. The network device includes at least one processor. The network device is used to execute the method as described in any one of the first aspect and its embodiments.

[0079] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal. The terminal includes at least one processor. The terminal is used to execute the method as described in any one of the second aspect and its embodiments.

[0080] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system. The communication system includes a terminal and a network device. The network device is configured to implement the method as described in any one of the first aspect and its embodiments. The terminal is configured to implement the method as described in any one of the second aspect and its embodiments.

[0081] In an eighth aspect, a storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the storage medium, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the method described in any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the embodiments thereof is executed.

[0082] In a ninth aspect, a computer program or a computer program product is provided. The computer program or the computer program product comprises code. When the code is executed by a processor, the method as described in any one of the first aspect, the second aspect and the embodiments thereof is performed.

[0083] It is understandable that the above-mentioned terminals, network devices, communication systems, storage media, computer programs, and computer program products are all used to execute the methods provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0084] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system, and a storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms management method, communication method, information processing method, information transmission method, etc. can be replaced with each other, the terms communication device, information processing device, information transmission device, etc. can be replaced with each other, and the terms communication system, information processing system, etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0085] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive, but are only illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all of the steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0086] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their internal logical relationships.

[0087] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0088] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a", "an", "a kind of", "the", "above", "said", "aforementioned", "this", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun after the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0089] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0090] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one", "one or more", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0091] In some embodiments, "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another case", "A in one case, B in another case", etc., may include the following technical solutions according to the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc., the above is also similar.

[0092] In some embodiments, the recording method of "A or B" may include the following technical solutions according to the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc., the above is also similar.

[0093] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects, and do not constitute restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. The statement of the description object refers to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and should not constitute unnecessary restrictions due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields", and the "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number, and can be one or more. Taking the "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes may be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" may be the same device or different devices, and their types may be the same or different. For another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" may be the same information or different information, and their contents may be the same or different.

[0094] In some embodiments, “including A”, “comprising A”, “used to indicate A”, and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0095] In some embodiments, terms such as “…”, “determine…”, “in the case of…”, “at the time of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0096] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not lower than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "no more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0097] In some embodiments, devices, etc. can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. Terms such as "device", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", and "subject" can be used interchangeably.

[0098] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, access network equipment, core network equipment, data network equipment, etc.).

[0099] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station (radio base station)", "fixed station (fixed station)", "node (node)", "access point (access point)", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (reception point, RP)", "transmission / reception point (transmission / reception point, TRP)", "panel (panel)", "antenna panel (antenna panel)", "antenna array (antenna array)", "cell (cell)", "macro cell (macro cell)", "small cell (small cell)", "femto cell (femto cell)", "pico cell (pico cell)", "sector (sector)", "cell group (cell)", "serving cell (serving cell)", "carrier (carrier)", "component carrier (component carrier)", "bandwidth part (bandwidth part, BWP)" and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0100] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal" "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0101] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced by a terminal. For example, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the communication between the terminals is replaced by the communication between multiple terminals (for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, it can also be set as a structure in which the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channels, downlink channels, etc. can be replaced by side channels, and uplinks, downlinks, etc. can be replaced by side links.

[0102] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device may also be configured to have a structure that has all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0103] In some embodiments, a network device may also be referred to as a network function, a network function entity, or a network element.

[0104] In some embodiments, the access network device may also be referred to as an access network function, an access network element, etc.

[0105] In some embodiments, the core network device may also be referred to as a core network function, a core network, a core network element, etc. Further, in some embodiments, each network device in the core network may also be referred to as a network device, a network element, etc.

[0106] In some embodiments, acquisition of data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0107] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0108] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102 .

[0109] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0110] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may include at least one of an access network device and a core network device.

[0111] In some embodiments, the network device 102 in the communication system 100 may be replaced with another terminal.

[0112] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include at least two terminals, and these terminals may communicate using the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0113] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 in the communication system 100 may be replaced by another network device.

[0114] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include at least two network devices, and these network devices may communicate using the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0115] In some embodiments, the access network device may be, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a satellite base station, a base station in other communication systems, and at least one of an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0116] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure may be applicable to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces within the network equipment involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may become internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces may be implemented through software or programs.

[0117] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (central unit, CU) and a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit (control unit). The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0118] In some embodiments, the core network device may be one device, or may be multiple devices or a group of devices. The access network device may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G core network (5GCN), and a next generation core (NGC).

[0119] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0120] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , or part of the subject, but are not limited thereto. The subjects shown in FIG1 are examples, and the communication system may include all or part of the subjects in FIG1 , or may include other subjects other than FIG1 , and the number and form of the subjects are arbitrary, and the connection relationship between the subjects is an example, and the subjects may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, which may be a direct connection or an indirect connection, and may be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0121] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), future radio access (FRA), new radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, Device-to-Device (D2D) system, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) system, Internet of Things (IoT) system, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems using other communication methods, next-generation systems based on them, etc. In addition, multiple systems can also be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A and 5G, etc.) for application.

[0122] In the field of communication technology, during the initial access process of the terminal 101, it is necessary to determine the RO of the terminal through SSB beam scanning. In some embodiments, the SSB includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a public broadcasting channel (PBCH).

[0123] In some embodiments, the transmission of SSB can be for SSB single beam scanning. The network device 102 (e.g., access network device) completes the beam transmission in different directions in a time-division multiplexing (TDM) manner, and only sends one beam at a time. In this case, each SSB is mapped to at least one RO. The mapping between SSB and RO can be one of the following: one-to-one mapping, many-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping.

[0124] In some embodiments, an SSB index may be used to identify an SSB. Then, the SSB indexes corresponding to different SSB beams may be different, thereby achieving the correspondence between the SSB and the RO and the preamble sequence.

[0125] In some embodiments, the transmission of SSB may be directed to SSB multi-beam scanning. In other words, the network device 102 may transmit multiple SSB beams simultaneously. In this way, when the total number of SSB beams is constant, the duration of SSB beam scanning may be shortened.

[0126] In some embodiments, as a capability of the network device 102, SSB multi-beam scanning requires the network device 102 to have a corresponding hardware architecture. The hardware architecture includes the following types: analog beamforming architecture, digital beamforming architecture, hybrid beamforming architecture. In the digital beamforming architecture and the hybrid beamforming architecture, the network device 102 may include multiple radio frequency chains to simultaneously send SSB beams in multiple directions. The network device 102 can implement SSB multi-beam transmission through frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), or a combination of frequency division multiplexing and code division multiplexing.

[0127] Fig. 2 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a communication system 100. As shown in Fig. 2, the method includes steps S210 to S230.

[0128] In step S210 , the network device 102 sends a plurality of first beams.

[0129] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may send a plurality of first beams to the terminal 101 .

[0130] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may receive a first beam. It is understood that the network device 102 may send a plurality of first beams, and the terminal 101 may receive at least one first beam among the plurality of first beams.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first beam may be a plurality of beams sent by the network device 102 in different directions at the same time during the SSB beam scanning process. In some embodiments, all beams of the network device 102 during the SSB beam scanning process constitute a beam set. In one example, the number of beams in the beam set may be N, and N is a positive integer. In one example, in the beam set, the number of first beams sent by the network device 102 at the same time may be M. M is a positive integer. Here, N is greater than or equal to M. For example, the network device 102 may have 64 beams (ie, N is 64), and the number of first beams sent at the same time may be 2 (ie, M is 2), then the network device 102 may perform a total of 32 beam transmissions to complete a round of beam scanning.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first beam may carry SSB.

[0133] In some embodiments, the SSB may include an SSB index. The SSB index may be used to identify the SSB. In one example, the SSB index may be carried in the PBCH of the SSB.

[0134] In some embodiments, multiple first beams may correspond to the same SSB index value. In one example, the SSB index values ​​associated with each beam in the beam set may be: index 1, index 1, index 2, index 2, ..., index N / M, index N / M, respectively. Then, the same SSB index value corresponding to multiple first beams may be one of the following: index 1, index 2, ..., index N / M. For example, when N is 64 and M is 2, the SSB index values ​​associated with each beam in the beam set may be: index 1, index 1, index 2, index 2, ..., index 32, index 32, respectively. Then, the same SSB index value corresponding to multiple first beams may be one of the following: index 1, index 2, ..., index 32.

[0135] In some embodiments, the SSB may include the first information. In some embodiments, the first information may be used to indicate each first beam in the plurality of first beams. In some embodiments, the first information associated with different first beams in the plurality of first beams is different.

[0136] In some embodiments, the first information may include a first index value of each first beam in the plurality of first beams in the beam set. In this case, the first index value may be used to identify (or uniquely identify) the first beam in the beam set. In other words, in the beam set, the first index values ​​corresponding to any two beams are different.

[0137] FIG3A is a schematic diagram of a first scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3A , the number of beams in the beam set is N, and the number of the plurality of first beams is M. In some embodiments, the first index values ​​associated with the N beams in the beam set may be: beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam N. In one example, the number of bits p of the first index value satisfies: 2 p =N, where p is a positive integer. In one example, when N is 64 and M is 2, the first index values ​​associated with each beam in the beam set may be: beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam 32. In one example, the number of bits p of the first index value may be 8.

[0138] In some embodiments, the SSB index value and the first index value may be used together to indicate the first beam. In one example, the SSB index value and the first index value may constitute a first indication information pair, that is, in the form of (SSB index value, first index value), for indicating the first beam.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first information may include a second index value of each first beam in the plurality of first beams. In this case, the second index value may be used to uniquely indicate the first beam in the plurality of first beams. In other words, in the plurality of first beams, the second index values ​​corresponding to any two beams are different.

[0140] FIG3B is a schematic diagram of a second scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3B , the number of beams in the beam set is N, and the number of the plurality of first beams is M. In some embodiments, the second index values ​​associated with the plurality of first beams may be: beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam M. In one example, the number of bits q of the second index value satisfies: 2 q =M, where q is a positive integer. In one example, when M is 2, the second index values ​​associated with each beam in the plurality of first beams may be: beam 1, beam 2. In one example, the number of bits q of the second index value may be 1.

[0141] In some embodiments, the SSB index value and the first index value may be used together to indicate the first beam. In one example, the SSB index value and the first index value may constitute a second indication information pair, i.e., in the form of (SSB index value, second index value), for indicating the first beam.

[0142] In some embodiments, the SSB may include second information. In some embodiments, the second information may be used to indicate the multi-beam capability of the network device 102. The multi-beam capability may refer to the number of first beams transmitted by the network device 102 at the same time. In some embodiments, the second information may also be referred to as multi-beam capability indication information. In some embodiments, the number indicated by the second information may be equal to the number M of the plurality of first beams.

[0143] In some embodiments, the second information may include one or more bits. In this case, different values ​​of the second information may indicate that the network device 102 sends different numbers of first beams at the same time. In one example, the second information may include 1 bit. For example, when the value of the second information is "0", it may indicate that the network device 102 sends a single beam, and when the value of the second information is "1", it may indicate that the network device 102 simultaneously sends the first beams in two different directions. In one example, the second information may include 2 bits. For example, when the value of the second information is "00", it may indicate that the network device 102 sends a single beam, when the value of the second information is "01", it may indicate that the network device 102 simultaneously sends the first beams in two different directions, when the value of the second information is "10", it may indicate that the network device 102 simultaneously sends the first beams in four different directions, and when the value of the second information is "11", it may indicate that the network device 102 simultaneously sends the first beams in eight different directions.

[0144] In some embodiments, there may be a one-to-one mapping or a one-to-many mapping between the SSB index value and the RO. In the case of a one-to-one mapping, one SSB index value may correspond to one RO. In the case of a one-to-many mapping, one SSB index value may correspond to multiple ROs (or referred to as a group of ROs).

[0145] In some embodiments, the first information may include a plurality of synchronization signal sequences corresponding to the plurality of first beams. In some embodiments, the plurality of first beams may correspond to the plurality of synchronization signal sequences one by one.

[0146] FIG3C is a schematic diagram of a third scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3C , the number of beams in the beam set is N, and the number of the plurality of first beams is M. In some cases, the synchronization signal sequences used by the plurality of first beams may be: sequence 1, sequence 2, ..., sequence M. In an example, when M is 2, the synchronization signal sequences associated with each beam in the plurality of first beams may be: sequence 1, sequence 2.

[0147] In some embodiments, a synchronization signal sequence may be associated with a random access preamble set. In one example, any two synchronization signal sequences among a plurality of synchronization signal sequences may be associated with different random access preamble sets, i.e., a plurality of synchronization signal sequences may be associated with different random access preamble sets. In one example, the random access preamble sets associated with a plurality of synchronization signal sequences of a plurality of first beams do not intersect with each other. This means that there are no identical random access preambles between different random access preamble sets. In this case, since a plurality of synchronization signal sequences may be associated with different random access preamble sets, the random access preambles associated with any two synchronization signal sequences among a plurality of synchronization signal sequences associated with a plurality of first beams are different.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in the MIB.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first information may be embodied as a synchronization signal sequence rather than being carried in an SSB.

[0150] In some embodiments, the second information may be carried in at least one of the MIB and the SIB.

[0151] In step S220, terminal 101 sends a first random access preamble.

[0152] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may send a first random access preamble to network device 102 .

[0153] In some embodiments, network device 102 may receive a first random access preamble from terminal 101 .

[0154] In some embodiments, the first random access preamble may be determined by the terminal 101 according to the received first beam.

[0155] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may send a first random access preamble on a first RO.

[0156] In some embodiments, the first RO may be determined by the terminal 101 according to the received first beam.

[0157] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may determine the first RO and / or the first random access preamble based on at least one of the SSB index value of the first beam, the first information, and the second information.

[0158] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may determine the first RO according to the first information. As shown in FIG. 3A , there is a corresponding relationship between the N beams in the beam set and the multiple ROs. In the beam set, beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam N and RO1, RO2, ..., RO N In one example, beam 1 and beam 2 correspond to RO1 and RO2, respectively, beam 3 and beam 4 correspond to RO3 and RO4, respectively, and so on. In this case, terminal 101 can determine the corresponding RO based on the first information according to the corresponding relationship. For example, terminal 101 can determine the corresponding RO based on the first index value according to the corresponding relationship. In one example, when N is 64 and M is 2, beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam 64 correspond to RO1, RO2, ..., RO 64 For example, the first index value of the first beam received by the terminal 101 may be beam 20, and the terminal 101 may determine RO 20 It is the first RO.

[0159] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may determine the first RO according to the SSB index value, the first information, and the second information. As shown in FIG. 3B , there may be a corresponding relationship between the N beams in the beam set and the multiple ROs. In the beam set, beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam M corresponding to the SSB index value 1 correspond to RO1, RO2, ..., RO M , beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam M corresponding to SSB index value 2 correspond to RO M+1 ,RO M+2 ,……,RO 2M , and so on. In this case, the terminal 101 can determine the corresponding RO based on the SSB index value, the first information, and the second information according to the corresponding relationship. For example, the terminal 101 can determine the corresponding RO based on the SSB index value, the second index value, and the multi-beam capability according to the corresponding relationship. In one example, when N is 64 and M is 2, beam 1 and beam 2 corresponding to the SSB index value 1 correspond to RO1 and RO2, respectively, and beam 1 and beam 2 corresponding to the SSB index value 2 correspond to RO3 and RO4, respectively, and so on. For example, the SSB index value of the first beam received by the terminal 101 may be 3, the second index value may be beam 1, and the multi-beam capability indication information may be 01, then the terminal 101 can determine that RO5 is the first RO.

[0160] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may determine the first RO and the first random access preamble according to the SSB index value and the first information. Referring to FIG. 3C , there may be a corresponding relationship between the N beams in the beam set and the multiple ROs. In the beam set, the sequence 1, sequence 2, ..., sequence M corresponding to the SSB index value 1 correspond to RO1, the sequence 1, sequence 2, ..., sequence M corresponding to the SSB index value 2 correspond to RO2, and so on. In this case, the terminal 101 determines the corresponding RO based on the SSB index value according to the corresponding relationship. In addition, the terminal 101 may determine the corresponding random access preamble according to the synchronization signal sequence of the first beam. Specifically, the terminal 101 may select a random access preamble from the corresponding random access preamble set based on the synchronization signal sequence of the first beam. In an example, when N is 64 and M is 2, the sequence 1 and sequence 2 corresponding to the SSB index value 1 correspond to RO1, the sequence 1 and sequence 2 corresponding to the SSB index value 2 correspond to RO2, and so on. For example, the SSB index value of the first beam received by the terminal 101 may be 3, and the synchronization signal sequence may be sequence 2, then the terminal 101 may determine that RO3 is the first RO, determine that the random access preamble set associated with sequence 2 is the first random access preamble set, and the random access preamble selected from the first random access preamble set is the first random access preamble. It should be noted that FIG. 3C shows a one-to-one correspondence between the SSB index value and the RO. In some cases, the SSB index value and the RO may correspond one-to-many.

[0161] In step S230 , the network device 102 determines a first beam among a plurality of first beams.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first beam determined by the network device 102 can be considered as the beam where the terminal 101 is located.

[0163] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may determine the first beam based on the first random access preamble.

[0164] In some embodiments, referring to the scenario shown in FIG. 3A , the network device 102 may determine a first RO according to a first random access preamble; and determine a first beam based on the first RO where the first random access preamble is located according to a correspondence between the first information and the RO.

[0165] In some embodiments, referring to the scenario shown in FIG. 3B , the network device 102 may determine a first RO according to the first random access preamble; and determine a first beam based on the first RO according to the correspondence between the SSB index value and the first information and the RO.

[0166] In some embodiments, referring to the scenario shown in Figure 3C, the network device 102 can determine the first RO based on the first random access preamble; determine the first beam based on the first RO and the first random access preamble according to the correspondence between the SSB index value and the RO, and the correspondence between the synchronization signal sequence and the random access preamble.

[0167] In some embodiments, steps S210 to S230 in the above method are also applicable to SSB beam scanning for multiple second beams. It is understandable that the network device 102 may send multiple second beams before or after the network device 102 sends multiple first beams. The multiple second beams also belong to the beam set of the network device 102. In some embodiments, the multiple second beams may correspond to the same SSB index value. Because the multiple second beams and the multiple first beams are sent at different times in the SSB beam scanning of the network device 102, the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple second beams are different from the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams. For example, the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams may be index 1, and the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams may be index 2.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first information related to the multiple second beams may be a second index value. In this case, the second index values ​​related to the multiple second beams and the first index values ​​related to the multiple first beams may have the same index value set. For example, the second index values ​​related to the multiple first beams may be: beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam M; then the second index values ​​related to the multiple second beams may be: beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam M. It can be seen that at this time, the index value set is {beam 1, beam 2, ..., beam M}.

[0169] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "code element", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0170] In some embodiments, terms such as "uplink", "uplink", "physical uplink" can be interchangeable, and terms such as "downlink", "downlink", "physical downlink" can be interchangeable, and terms such as "side", "sidelink", "side communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", "direct link communication" can be interchangeable.

[0171] In some embodiments, the terms "downlink control information (DCI)", "downlink (DL) assignment", "DL DCI", "uplink (UL) grant", "UL DCI" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0172] In some embodiments, terms such as "physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)", "DL data" and the like can be interchangeable, and terms such as "physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)", "UL data" and the like can be interchangeable.

[0173] In some embodiments, the terms "radio", "wireless", "radio access network (RAN)", "access network (AN)", "RAN-based" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0174] In some embodiments, terms such as "synchronization signal (SS)", "synchronization signal block (SSB)", "reference signal (RS)", "pilot", and "pilot signal" can be used interchangeably.

[0175] In some embodiments, terms such as "moment", "time point", "time", and "time position" can be interchangeable, and terms such as "duration", "period", "time window", "window", and "time" can be interchangeable.

[0176] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)", "cell", "frequency carrier", "carrier frequency" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0177] In some embodiments, terms such as wireless access scheme, waveform, etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0178] In some embodiments, "obtain", "obtain", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be interchangeable, and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from high levels, obtaining by self-processing, autonomous implementation, etc.

[0179] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "send", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0180] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "preset", "setting", "indicated", "some", "any", and "first" can be interchangeable, and "specific A", "preset A", "preset A", "setting A", "indicated A", "some A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-defined in a protocol, etc., or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., and can also be interpreted as specific A, some A, any A, or first A, etc., but is not limited to this.

[0181] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values ​​(for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited to this.

[0182] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S210 to S230. For example, step S210 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, a combination of steps S210 and S220 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and a combination of steps S210, S220, and S230 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0183] In some embodiments, steps S220 and S230 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0184] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations recorded before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2 .

[0185] Fig. 4 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 4, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The method includes steps S410 to S430.

[0186] In step S410, a plurality of first beams are transmitted.

[0187] The optional implementation of step S410 can refer to the optional implementation of step S210 in FIG. 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0188] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may send multiple first beams to the terminal 101 at the same time, but is not limited thereto, and may also send multiple first beams to other entities.

[0189] In some embodiments, the plurality of first beams are used for the terminal 101 to determine a first RO and to send a first random access preamble on the first RO.

[0190] In step S420, a first random access preamble is acquired.

[0191] The optional implementation of step S420 can refer to the optional implementation of step S220 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0192] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may receive a first random access preamble sent by the terminal 101 at the first RO.

[0193] In step S430, a first beam among multiple first beams is determined according to the first random access preamble.

[0194] The optional implementation of step S430 can refer to the optional implementation of step S230 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first beam may be determined by the network device 102 according to the first random access preamble.

[0196] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S410 to S430. For example, step S410 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, a combination of steps S410 and S420 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and a combination of steps S410, S420, and S430 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0197] In some embodiments, steps S420 and S430 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0198] Fig. 5 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 5, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The method includes step S510 and step S520.

[0199] In step S510, a first beam is acquired.

[0200] The optional implementation of step S510 can refer to the optional implementation of step S210 in FIG. 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0201] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may receive a first beam of a plurality of first beams transmitted by network device 102 .

[0202] In step S520, a first random access preamble is sent.

[0203] The optional implementation of step S520 can refer to the optional implementation of step S220 in FIG. 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0204] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may send a first random access preamble to network device 102 .

[0205] In some embodiments, the first random access preamble may be used by the network device 102 to determine the first beam.

[0206] The communication method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of step S510 and step S520. For example, step S510 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of steps S510 and S520 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0207] In some embodiments, step S520 is optional and may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0208] Fig. 6 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 6, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method. The method includes step S610.

[0209] In step S610, a first beam is transmitted.

[0210] The optional implementation of step S610 can refer to the optional implementation of step S210 in Figure 2, step S410 in Figure 4, step S510 in Figure 5, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 4 and 5, which will not be repeated here.

[0211] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may send a plurality of first beams to the terminal 101 .

[0212] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may receive a first beam, which may be one of a plurality of first beams.

[0213] In the following, the scheme of the embodiment of the present disclosure is exemplified by a specific example. In the following example, the network device may be, for example, a gNB, and the terminal may be a UE.

[0214] In some embodiments, the gNB can simultaneously send multiple SSB beams in different directions (i.e., the first beam) at one SSB candidate opportunity. In order to ensure the correct symbol-level timing relationship, the SSB index of all SSB beams in different directions sent by the gNB at the same time is the same.

[0215] Scenario 1:

[0216] The beam index information (i.e., the first index value) is added to the SSB. SSB beams in different directions correspond to different beam indexes. The mapping from SSB to RO is no longer based on the SSB index, but on the beam index.

[0217] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of the first exemplary scenario of the communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7A, the gNB sends two SSB beams in different directions at the same time each time, and a total of 64 SSB beams need to be sent, and a total of 32 times need to be sent in TDM mode. The information on each SSB is: (SSB index #0, beam #0), (SSB index #0, beam #1), (SSB index #1, beam #2), (SSB index #1, beam #3), ..., (SSB index #31, beam #62), (SSB index #31, beam #63).

[0218] In some embodiments, the gNB sends two SSB beams simultaneously. For timing requirements, the SSB index is the same, the beam index information is added to the SSB, and a mapping relationship between the RO and the beam index is established. The UE determines the RO resource (first RO) used to send the preamble according to the beam index (first random access preamble) of the selected SSB beam. The gNB can know which SSB beam the UE is located under through the RO resource.

[0219] In some embodiments, beam index information may be added in the MIB and may include 8 bits to indicate 64 beams (beam sets).

[0220] Scenario 2:

[0221] Add 2 bits of multi-beam capability indication information in the SSB. The gNB uses this multi-beam capability indication information to inform the UE to send several SSB beams in different directions at the same time each time, and then add the sub-index (second index value) of each SSB beam.

[0222] Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of a second exemplary scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7B, the UE first determines the number of multiple SSB beams sent simultaneously by the gNB each time according to the multi-beam capability indication of the gNB (see Table 1 below), and then determines which / which group of RO resources a certain SSB beam among the multiple SSB beams currently sent simultaneously corresponds to according to the SSB index and sub-index. For example, if the gNB sends 2 SSB beams each time, the multi-beam capability indication information bit is set to "01", and the sub-index is (SSB index #0, beam #0), (SSB index #0, beam #1), (SSB index #1, beam #0), (SSB index #1, beam #1), ..., (SSB index #31, beam #0), (SSB index #31, beam #1).

[0223] Table 1

[0224] In some embodiments, the gNB sends two SSB beams simultaneously, and for timing purposes, the SSB indexes are the same. The UE determines that the gNB sends two SSB beams simultaneously at a time based on the multi-beam capability indication information (second information), and then determines that this is the fourth beam based on sub-index 1 and SSB index 1, thereby determining the RO resource used to send the preamble.

[0225] In some embodiments, for the case of 64 beams and 2 beams transmitted each time, 2 bits of multi-beam capability indication information and 1 bit of sub-index may be added, for a total of 3 bits.

[0226] Scenario 3:

[0227] Multiple SSB beams transmitted simultaneously use different synchronization signal sequences, and each synchronization signal sequence is associated with a different set of preamble sequences:

[0228] In some embodiments, the SSB index of multiple SSB beams transmitted simultaneously is the same and is mapped to the same / same group of ROs. However, the preamble associated with each beam in the multiple SSB beams transmitted simultaneously is different, and the gNB distinguishes which beam the UE is under with the same SSB index based on different preambles.

[0229] Figure 7C is a schematic diagram of a second exemplary scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7C, in some embodiments, the gNB sends two SSB beams simultaneously, and for timing requirements, the SSB index is the same. The two SSB beams sent simultaneously use different synchronization signal (synchronization signal, SS) sequences and are associated with different preamble sets. The UE determines the preamble to be used based on different SS sequences. As shown in the figure, the two simultaneously transmitted SSB beams SSB index #0 are mapped to the same RO, namely RO#0. However, the preambles associated with the two beams are different. The gNB distinguishes which beam the UE is under under the same SSB index based on different preambles.

[0230] In some embodiments, in this scenario, there is a one-to-one mapping or a one-to-many mapping between the SSB index and the RO.

[0231] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, part or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with part or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0232] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device for implementing any of the above methods. For example, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication device. The above communication device includes a unit or module for implementing each step performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. In this case, the communication device can be set in the terminal. For another example, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide another communication device, including a unit or module for implementing each step performed by the network device in any of the above methods. In this case, the communication device can be set in the network device.

[0233] It should be understood that the division of the units or modules in the above devices is only a division of logical functions, and in actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and instructions are stored in the memory. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the units or modules of the above devices, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory inside the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of some or all of the above units or modules are realized by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD), taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, which can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by a configuration file, so as to realize the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of a processor calling software, or in the form of a hardware circuit, or in part by a processor calling software, and the rest by a hardware circuit.

[0234] In the disclosed embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor may be a circuit with instruction reading and running capability, such as a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which may be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP), etc.; in another implementation, the processor may realize certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the above hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable, such as a hardware circuit implemented by a processor as a dedicated integrated circuit or a programmable logic device, such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document to implement the hardware circuit configuration may be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it may also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which may be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0235] FIG8 is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 800 may include a transceiver module 801 and a processing module 802 .

[0236] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 801 can be used to execute at least one of the sending and receiving related steps (for example, step S210, step S220, step S410, step S420, step S610, but not limited to these) performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods.

[0237] In some embodiments, the processing module 802 may be configured to execute at least one of the related determination steps (eg, step S230, step S430, but not limited thereto) performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods.

[0238] FIG9 is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 900 may include a transceiver module 901 .

[0239] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 901 can be used to execute at least one of the sending and receiving related steps (for example, step S210, step S220, step S510, step S520, step S610, but not limited to this) performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods.

[0240] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a sending module and / or a receiving module, and the sending module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with the transceiver.

[0241] In some embodiments, the communication device 900 may further include a processing module, which may be a module or may include multiple submodules. Optionally, the multiple submodules respectively execute all or part of the steps required to be executed by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module may be interchangeable with the processor.

[0242] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 1000 may be a network device (e.g., an access network device or a core network device, etc.), or a terminal (e.g., a user device, etc.), or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a terminal to implement any of the above communication methods. The communication device 1000 may be used to implement the communication method described in the above method embodiment, and the details may refer to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0243] As shown in FIG10 , the communication device 1000 includes one or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process the communication protocol and the communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device (such as a network device, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute a program, and process the data of the program. The processor 1001 is used to call instructions so that the communication device 1000 executes any of the above communication methods.

[0244] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 further includes one or more memories 1002 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memory 1002 may also be outside the communication device 1000.

[0245] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 further includes one or more transceivers 1003. When the communication device 1000 includes one or more transceivers 1003, the communication steps such as sending and receiving (for example, step S210 and step S220) in the above method are performed by the transceiver 1003, and the other steps (for example, step S230) are performed by the processor 1001.

[0246] In some embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, and the receiver and the transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms such as transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc. may be replaced with each other, the terms such as transmitter, transmission unit, transmitter, transmission circuit, etc. may be replaced with each other, and the terms such as receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc. may be replaced with each other.

[0247] Optionally, the communication device 1000 further includes one or more interface circuits 1004, which are connected to the memory 1002. The interface circuit 1004 can be used to receive signals from the memory 1002 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 1002 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 1004 can read instructions stored in the memory 1002 and send the instructions to the processor 1001.

[0248] The communication device 1000 described in the above embodiments may be an access network device, a core network device, an external network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 1000 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 1000 may not be limited by FIG. 10. The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, a vehicle-mounted device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) other devices.

[0249] The present disclosure also provides a storage medium, on which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed on the communication device 1000, the communication device 1000 executes any of the above communication methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but it can also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, but it can also be a temporary storage medium.

[0250] The present disclosure also provides a program product, and when the program product is executed by the communication device 1000, the communication device 1000 executes any one of the above communication methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0251] The present disclosure also provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the above communication methods.

[0252] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present invention after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present invention that follow the general principles of the present invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present invention are indicated by the following claims.

[0253] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exact construction that has been described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

A communication method, performed by a network device, comprising: Multiple first beams are sent, wherein the multiple first beams correspond to the same synchronization information block SSB index value, the first information associated with different first beams in the multiple first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate each first beam in the multiple first beams. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes a first index value, where the first index value is used to identify each of the first beams in a beam set, wherein the multiple first beams belong to the beam set. The method according to claim 2, wherein The method also includes: sending multiple second beams, wherein the multiple second beams correspond to the same SSB index value, and the multiple second beams belong to the beam set; wherein the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple second beams are different from the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes a second index value, where the second index value is used to identify each of the first beams in the plurality of first beams. The method according to claim 4, wherein The method also includes: sending multiple second beams, wherein the multiple second beams correspond to the same SSB index value, and the SSB index value corresponding to the multiple second beams is different from the SSB index value corresponding to the multiple first beams; wherein the second index value associated with the second beam is used to identify the second beam in the multiple second beams, and the second index value associated with the multiple second beams has the same index value set as the second index value associated with the multiple first beams. The method according to claim 4, wherein The plurality of first beams are associated with second information, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the plurality of first beams. The method according to claim 6, wherein The second information is carried in a master system information block MIB and / or a system information block SIB. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein The first information is carried in the MIB. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes a plurality of synchronization signal sequences corresponding to the plurality of first beams, and the plurality of synchronization signal sequences are associated with different random access preamble sets. The method according to claim 9, wherein The random access preamble sets associated with the plurality of synchronization signal sequences of the plurality of first beams are disjoint. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The method also includes: receiving a first random access preamble; and determining a first beam among the multiple first beams based on the first random access preamble, wherein the first random access preamble belongs to a first random access preamble set, and the first preamble set is associated with a synchronization signal sequence of the first beam. A communication method, executed by a terminal, comprising: Receive a first beam, wherein the first beam is one of multiple first beams, the multiple first beams correspond to the same synchronization information block SSB index value, the first information associated with different first beams in the multiple first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate the first beam. The method according to claim 12, wherein The first information includes a first index value, where the first index value is used to identify the first beam in a beam set, wherein the multiple first beams belong to the beam set. The method according to claim 13, wherein The method also includes: receiving a second beam, wherein the second beam is one of multiple second beams, the multiple second beams correspond to the same SSB index value, and the multiple second beams belong to the beam set; wherein the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple second beams are different from the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams. The method according to claim 12, wherein The first information includes a second index value, where the second index value is used to identify the first beam among the multiple first beams. The method according to claim 15, wherein The method also includes: receiving a second beam, wherein the first beam is one of multiple second beams, the multiple second beams correspond to the same SSB index value, and the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple second beams are different from the SSB index values ​​corresponding to the multiple first beams; wherein the second index value associated with the second beam is used to identify the second beam in the multiple second beams, and the second index values ​​associated with the multiple second beams have the same index value set as the second index values ​​associated with the multiple first beams. The method according to claim 15, wherein The plurality of first beams are associated with second information, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the plurality of first beams. The method according to claim 17, wherein The second information is carried in a master system information block MIB and / or a system information block SIB. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein The first information is carried in the MIB. The method according to claim 12, wherein The multiple first beams correspond to multiple synchronization signal sequences, and the multiple synchronization signal sequences are associated with different random access preamble sets; wherein the first information includes the synchronization signal sequences corresponding to the first beams. The method according to claim 20, wherein The random access preamble sets associated with the plurality of synchronization signal sequences of the plurality of first beams are disjoint. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein The method further includes sending a first random access preamble, wherein the first random access preamble belongs to a first random access preamble set, and the first preamble set is associated with a synchronization signal sequence of the first beam. A network device, comprising: The transceiver module is configured to send multiple first beams, wherein the multiple first beams correspond to the same synchronization information block SSB index value, the first information related to different first beams in the multiple first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate each first beam in the multiple first beams. A terminal, comprising: A transceiver module is configured to receive a first beam, wherein the first beam is one of multiple first beams, the multiple first beams correspond to the same synchronization information block SSB index value, the first information associated with different first beams in the multiple first beams is different, and the first information is used to indicate the first beam. A network device, comprising: at least one processor; A memory coupled to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the network device executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11. A terminal, comprising: at least one processor; A memory coupled to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal executes the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 22. A communication system includes a terminal and a network device, wherein: The network device is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and the terminal is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 12 to 22. A storage medium, wherein The storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

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