Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, and the method comprises the steps: receiving at least two auxiliary synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks SSBs from network equipment, the at least two auxiliary SSBs are used for the auxiliary initial access of at least two intelligent metasurfaces (RIS), each auxiliary SSB in the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponds to one RIS in the at least two RISs, and each auxiliary SSB in the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponds to one RIS in the at least two RISs; by adopting the embodiment of the invention, the RIS auxiliary terminal equipment can perform initial access through the auxiliary SSB in a communication system deployed with a plurality of RISs, so that the initial access overhead is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0002] Reconfigurable intelligence surface (RIS) is an ultra-thin metamaterial surface, which is composed of a large number of small, low-cost and adjustable electromagnetic units. The characteristics of the electromagnetic units can be dynamically controlled through intelligent control circuits to achieve intelligent control of electromagnetic waves in space. It can dynamically configure the wireless propagation environment to enhance useful signals and suppress interference signals. Compared with traditional relays, RIS has the advantages of low cost and low energy consumption, so RIS is widely used in communications.

[0003] RIS can receive signals from network devices and forward the signals to terminal devices. In a communication system where multiple RIS are deployed, how terminal devices perform initial access and reduce initial access overhead are issues that are being addressed by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application proposes a communication method and apparatus, which can enable a RIS-assisted terminal device to perform initial access through a secondary SSB in a communication system where multiple RISs are deployed, thereby reducing initial access overhead.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising: receiving at least two secondary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB from a network device, the at least two secondary SSBs being used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, each of the at least two secondary SSBs corresponding to one of the at least two RISs.

[0006] The method can be applied to a terminal device, including being executed by the terminal device, or by a component in the terminal device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device's functions.

[0007] In the above method, at least two secondary SSBs from a network device are received by a terminal device, so that in a scenario where multiple RISs, such as at least two RISs, are deployed, the RIS assists the terminal device in initial access, and accordingly, the terminal device can perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs, thereby quickly accessing the network. In this way, a terminal device that can access the network but has a poor access signal can perform initial access with the assistance of the RIS, thereby effectively improving the communication quality.

[0008] In a possible implementation, each of the at least two secondary SSBs is received at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

[0009] In the above method, through the above manner, the terminal device can receive each of the at least two secondary SSBs at the indicated time-frequency resource position or the predefined time-frequency resource position, thereby increasing the possibility that the terminal device receives the secondary SSB.

[0010] In another possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a primary SSB from the network device, the primary SSB including first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB.

[0011] In the above method, signaling overhead can be saved by including the first configuration information in the main SSB.

[0012] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

[0013] In the above method, the main SSB includes the first configuration information, which may refer to the main information block MIB carried on the physical broadcast channel PBCH in the main SSB including the first configuration information, or it may be the system message block SIB1 received from the network device, SIB1 including the first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes the configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB, that is, all configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB. By including the first configuration information in MIB or SIB1, the flexibility and diversity of the way of indicating the first configuration information is increased.

[0014] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs; a system message block SIB1 is received from the network device, and the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information.

[0015] In the above method, the main SSB includes the first configuration information, which may mean that the main information block MIB carried on the physical broadcast channel PBCH in the main SSB includes the first configuration information, the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs, and then SIB1 includes all the configuration information except the partial configuration information, that is, the flexibility and diversity of the method of indicating the configuration information of the SS is increased by the joint indication of MIB and SIB1.

[0016] In another possible implementation, one or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the following one or more include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC, and block error rate BLER threshold.

[0017] In another possible implementation, the primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

[0018] In the above method, signaling overhead can be saved by including the second configuration information in the main SSB.

[0019] In yet another possible implementation, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

[0020] In another possible implementation, the method also includes: detecting the main SSB to obtain a detection result of the main SSB, the detection result including one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; when the detection result is lower than a first threshold, determining to perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs.

[0021] In the above method, the main SSB is detected, and the initial access is determined based on the detection result. For example, when the SNR is lower than the first threshold, the initial access is performed on one of the at least two secondary SSBs. That is, it is possible to determine whether to perform initial access based on signal quality, thereby improving communication quality. For example, when the received power is lower than the first threshold, the initial access is performed on one of the at least two secondary SSBs. That is, it is possible to determine whether to perform initial access based on the power consumption of the terminal device, thereby increasing the usage time of the terminal device and reducing energy consumption.

[0022] In another possible implementation, the method also includes: detecting each secondary SSB to determine the detection result of each secondary SSB, and the detection result of each secondary SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, SNR, and received power; determining the first RO and the first preamble code based on the second configuration information and the detection result of each secondary SSB; and sending the first preamble code on the first RO.

[0023] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising: sending at least two secondary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB to a terminal device, the at least two secondary SSBs being used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, each of the at least two secondary SSBs corresponding to one of the at least two RISs.

[0024] The method can be applied to network devices, including being executed by the network device, or by a component in the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions.

[0025] In a possible implementation, each of the at least two secondary SSBs is sent at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

[0026] In another possible implementation, a main SSB is sent to the terminal device, and the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB.

[0027] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

[0028] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs; a system message block SIB1 is sent to the terminal device, and the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information.

[0029] In another possible implementation, one or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the following one or more include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC or block error rate BLER threshold.

[0030] In another possible implementation, the primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

[0031] In yet another possible implementation, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

[0032] In yet another possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving, on the first RO, a first preamble code from the terminal device.

[0033] In another possible implementation, after sending the main SSB to the terminal device, the method further includes: receiving a second preamble code from the terminal device on a second RO corresponding to the main SSB; detecting the second preamble code to obtain a detection result, the detection result including one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; if the detection result is lower than a second threshold, sending indication information to the terminal device, the indication information being used to instruct the terminal device to perform initial access with the assistance of the RIS.

[0034] In the above method, by detecting the second preamble code and determining the manner of sending the indication information to the terminal device based on the detection result, the network can be better scheduled.

[0035] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the second aspect or possible implementation methods, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0036] In the third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device, or a component in the terminal device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device, including: a processing unit and a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit being used to receive at least two auxiliary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB from a network device, the at least two auxiliary SSBs being used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponding to one of the at least two RISs.

[0037] In a possible implementation, each of the at least two secondary SSBs is received at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

[0038] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to receive a main SSB from the network device, and the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each auxiliary SSB.

[0039] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

[0040] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs; the transceiver unit is further used to receive a system message block SIB1 from the network device, and the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information.

[0041] In another possible implementation, one or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the following one or more include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC, and block error rate BLER threshold.

[0042] In another possible implementation, the primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

[0043] In yet another possible implementation, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

[0044] In another possible implementation, the processing unit is further used to detect the main SSB to obtain a detection result of the main SSB, and the detection result of the main SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; the processing unit is also used to determine to perform initial access on one of the at least two auxiliary SSBs when the detection result is lower than a first threshold.

[0045] In another possible implementation, the processing unit is further used to detect each secondary SSB to determine the detection result of each secondary SSB, and the detection result of each secondary SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, SNR, and received power; the processing unit is further used to determine the first RO and the first preamble code based on the second configuration information and the detection result of each secondary SSB; the processing unit sends the first preamble code on the first RO through the transceiver unit.

[0046] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the third aspect or possible implementation methods, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0047] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device, or a component in a network device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device, including: a processing unit and a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit being used to send at least two auxiliary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB to a terminal device, the at least two auxiliary SSBs being used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponding to one of the at least two RISs.

[0048] In a possible implementation, each of the at least two secondary SSBs is sent at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

[0049] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to send a main SSB to the terminal device, and the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each auxiliary SSB.

[0050] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

[0051] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs; the transceiver unit is further used to send a system message block SIB1 to the terminal device, and the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information.

[0052] In another possible implementation, one or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the following one or more include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC or block error rate BLER threshold.

[0053] In another possible implementation, the primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

[0054] In yet another possible implementation, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

[0055] In yet another possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first preamble code from the terminal device on the first RO.

[0056] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to receive a second preamble code from the terminal device on a second RO corresponding to the main SSB; the processing unit is further used to detect the second preamble code to obtain a detection result, and the detection result includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; the processing unit is also used to send indication information to the terminal device through the transceiver unit when the detection result is lower than a second threshold, and the indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform initial access with the assistance of the RIS.

[0057] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect or possible implementation methods, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the second aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0058] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface, and the at least one processor calls a computer program or instruction stored in a memory to execute the method described in the first aspect or a possible implementation method in the first aspect.

[0059] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor calls a computer program or instruction stored in a memory to execute the method described in the second aspect or a possible implementation method of the second aspect.

[0060] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip device, wherein the chip device includes at least one processor, and the at least one processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions to implement the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0061] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed on a processor, the method described in any one of the above aspects is implemented.

[0062] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the method described in any one of the above aspects is implemented.

[0063] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising: the device as described in the fifth aspect and the device as described in the sixth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a RIS application scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a process of initial access of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an SSB scanning process of a RIS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 5 It is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a process of sending a secondary SSB provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of another process of sending a secondary SSB provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of all configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB included in a MIB provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of all configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB included in SIB1 provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of configuration information of an SS that jointly indicates at least two secondary SSBs provided by an embodiment of the present application using MIB and SIB1;

[0074] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram showing that a first RO and a second RO are different from each other provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Fig.12 It is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Fig.13 It is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Fig.14 It is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] Fig.15is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Fig.16 It is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0081] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. described in this application mean that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in some other embodiments", "in some other embodiments", etc. that appear at different places in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways.

[0082] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a, b, and c. Among them, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0083] It can be understood that in this application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, implicit indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0084] In this application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated, etc., or the information to be indicated can be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association relationship between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved with the help of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (such as specified by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent.

[0085] The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in this application. Among them, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be pre-defined, for example, pre-defined according to a protocol, or can be configured by the transmitting end device by sending configuration information to the receiving end device.

[0086] It can be understood that "sending" and "receiving" in this application indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information is YY, which can include directly receiving from YY through the air interface, and also includes indirectly receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0087] In other words, sending and receiving can be performed between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal device, or can be performed within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device through a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0088] It is understandable that information may be processed between the source and destination of information transmission, such as coding, modulation, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated.

[0089] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to cellular communication systems related to the third generation partnership project (3GPP), for example, fourth generation (4G) communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) communication systems, and can also be applied to fifth generation (5G) communication systems, such as 5G new radio (NR) communication systems, or to various future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) communication systems. The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to Bluetooth systems, wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, LoRa systems or Internet of Vehicles systems, communication systems that support the integration of multiple wireless technologies, and device-to-device (D2D) systems. The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to satellite communication systems, wherein the satellite communication system can be integrated with the above-mentioned communication system. The wireless communication systems involved in this application also include but are not limited to: narrowband Internet of Things system (NB-IoT), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access system (WCDMA), code division multiple access 2000 system (CDMA2000), or time division-synchronization code division multiple access system (TD-SCDMA).

[0090] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1The communication system architecture shown is used as an example to illustrate the application scenario used in this application. The communication system includes a network device 101, a terminal device 102, and an intelligent metasurface (reconfigurable intelligence surface, RIS) 103, the number of intelligent metasurfaces 103 is at least two, wherein the intelligent metasurface can also be called an intelligent reflection surface (intelligent reflection surface, IRS). The device provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the network device 101 and the terminal device 102. It can be understood that Figure 1 Only one possible communication system architecture to which the embodiment of the present application can be applied is shown. The communication system architecture may include more or fewer network devices, more or fewer terminal devices, or more RIS. In other possible scenarios, the communication system architecture may also include other devices. It should be noted that the method shown in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to Figure 1 In the communication system.

[0091] The network device 101 is a device deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The network device 101 may also be called an access network (RAN) entity, an access node, a network node, or a communication device.

[0092] Specifically, the network device may be an access network device of a cellular system related to the third generation partnership project (3GPP). For example, a fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication system, or a 5G mobile communication system. The network device may also be an access network device in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN). Alternatively, the network device may also be an access network device in a communication system obtained by integrating two or more of the above communication systems.

[0093] The network equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, macro base station, micro base station, wireless relay node, donor node, wireless controller in CRAN scenario, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and receiving point (TRP). The network equipment can also be an access network equipment in a 5G mobile communication system. For example, the next generation NodeB (gNB) in a new radio (NR) system, TRP, TP, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system. Alternatively, the network device may also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point. For example, a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be separately configured or may be included in the same network element. For example, a BBU. The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit. For example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). Alternatively, the network device may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an on-board device. For example, in V2X technology, the network device may be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0094] It should be noted that in different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called an open centralized unit (open centralized unit, O-CU) or an open CU, DU may also be called an open distributed unit (open distributed unit, O-DU), centralized unit control plane (centralized unit control plane, CU-CP) may also be called an open centralized unit control plane (open centralized unit control plane, O-CU-CP) or an open CU-CP, centralized unit user plane (centralized unit user plane, CU-UP) may also be called an open centralized unit user plane (open centralized unit user plane, O-CU-UP) or an open CU-UP, and RU may also be called an open radio unit (open radio unit, O-RU), which is not limited in this application. Any of the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU in this application may be implemented together by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0095] In some deployments, CU implements some functions of gNB, and DU implements some functions of gNB, for example, CU implements the functions of radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and DU implements the functions of radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC) and physical (PHY) layer. Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or be converted from the information of the PHY layer, therefore, under this architecture, high-level signaling, such as RRC layer signaling or PHCP layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by DU, or, sent by DU+RU. It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, CU can be divided into a network device in the access network RAN, and CU can also be divided into a network device in the core network CN, which is not limited here.

[0096] Optionally, the network device may also be a core network device. The core network device is responsible for access control, registration management, service management, mobility management, etc. of the terminal device accessing the network. The core network device includes, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, a user plane function (UPF) entity, etc., which are not listed here one by one. Among them, the AMF entity may be responsible for terminal access management and mobility management; the SMF entity may be responsible for session management, such as user session establishment, etc.; the UPF entity may be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting to the external network. It should be noted that in this application, the entity may also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity. For example, the AMF entity may also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity. For another example, the SMF entity may also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc.

[0097] It should be noted that the network device may be the device or apparatus shown above, or a component (eg, chip), module, or unit in the device or apparatus shown above, and this application does not make any specific limitation thereto.

[0098] The terminal device 102, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice or data connectivity to a user, specifically, a device that provides voice to a user, or a device that provides data connectivity to a user, or a device that provides voice and data connectivity to a user. For example, it may include a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device may communicate with a core network via a radio access network (RAN), exchange voice or data with the RAN, or exchange voice and data with the RAN. At present, terminal devices can be: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MID), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), vehicle-mounted devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, TVs, air conditioners, electric meters, etc.), smart robots, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in unmanned driving, wireless terminals in remote surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, flight equipment (such as smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the terminal device can also be a device that serves as a terminal in D2D communication.The terminal device may also include vehicle to everything (V2X) terminal device, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal device, Internet of Things (IoT) terminal device, light terminal device (light UE), reduced capability UE (REDCAP UE), subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, or user equipment, drone equipment, etc. For example, it may include a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone), a computer with a mobile terminal device, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, or computer-built-in mobile device, etc. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDA) and other devices. It also includes restricted devices, such as devices with low power consumption, or devices with limited storage capacity, or devices with limited computing power. For example, it includes information sensing devices such as barcodes, radio frequency identification (RFID), sensors, global positioning systems (GPS), laser scanners, etc. In this application, terminal devices with wireless transceiver functions and chips that can be set in the aforementioned terminal devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices.

[0099] It should be noted that the terminal device may be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, module or control unit in the device or apparatus shown above, and this application does not limit this specifically.

[0100] RIS103 is an ultra-thin metamaterial surface that is composed of a large number of small, low-cost and adjustable electromagnetic units. The characteristics of the electromagnetic units can be dynamically controlled through intelligent control circuits to achieve intelligent control of electromagnetic waves in space. It can dynamically configure the wireless propagation environment to enhance useful signals and suppress interference signals. For example, RIS103 can be composed of 1024 or more arrays, each of which is followed by a phase shifter. Compared with traditional relays, RIS has the advantages of low cost and low energy consumption. RIS103 can be used to expand the coverage of wireless communication networks. For example, RIS103 can be installed on large planes, such as indoor walls or ceilings, outdoor buildings or landmarks, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an RIS application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. When there is an insurmountable obstacle between the network device and the terminal device, the network device and the terminal device are in a non-line-of-sight channel. If the signal propagation environment is single and lacks a reflection path, the signal that the terminal device can receive is very weak. The RIS can manipulate the reflection beam, aim at the terminal device located in the blind spot and dynamically track it, and create a virtual line of sight (LoS) propagation path between the network device and the terminal device, that is, the RIS can receive the signal of the terminal device and forward it to the network device. Correspondingly, the RIS can receive the signal of the network device and forward it to the terminal device, thereby expanding the coverage of the cell.

[0101] In order to better understand the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, some terms, concepts or processes involved in the embodiments of the present application are first introduced below.

[0102] 1. Initial access of terminal devices

[0103] Currently, in the NR system, the initial access of the terminal device can be performed through the broadcast synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block (SSB), see Figure 3 , Figure 3 It is a flowchart of initial access of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0104] Step 1: The network device broadcasts SSB and remaining minimum system information (RMSI).

[0105] Among them, SSB includes primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH), among which, terminal equipment can use PSS for frequency synchronization and SSS for obtaining cell identification information, etc. Terminal equipment can obtain radio frame number and air interface alignment through PBCH, and obtain information of scheduling system information block 1 (SIB1). Among them, master information block (MIB) can be carried on PBCH.

[0106] RMSI may include SIB1 and other system information (OSI). OSI includes system information block 2 (SIB2) to system information block 9 (SIB9), and SIB1 may be sent via the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). Among them, MIB and SIB1 have their own RRC messages "MasterInformationBlock" and "SystemInformationBlock1", respectively, and SIB2 to SIB9 are encapsulated in a general RRC message called "SystemInformation". MIB and SIB1 may be broadcast periodically, while other system information may be triggered by a network device or broadcast or provided in a dedicated manner upon request by a terminal device.

[0107] Step 2: The terminal device detects an SSB and decodes the PBCH to determine the timing information.

[0108] The timing information includes an SSB index.

[0109] Step 3: The terminal device obtains the frequency domain location of the RMSI and the time-frequency resource location of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) control resource set (CORESET) according to the MIB.

[0110] Among them, the terminal equipment obtains RMSI information according to the frequency domain position of the RMSI, and obtains random access channel (RACH) configuration information, uplink and downlink initial bandwidth (BWP) configuration information, and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) configuration information from the RMSI.

[0111] Step 4: The terminal device sends a RACH preamble to the network device at the corresponding random access channel occasion (RO).

[0112] Step 5: The network device receives the physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0113] After receiving the PRACH, the network device obtains the SSB index and determines which beam is most suitable for the terminal device based on the PRACH.

[0114] Step 6: The network device and the terminal device complete a 2-step or 4-step random access process to complete initial access.

[0115] 2. RIS SSB scanning process, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the SSB scanning process of a RIS proposed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0116] Step 1: The network device sends SSB 1 to RIS.

[0117] The communication link between the network device and the RIS may be referred to as a backhaul link.

[0118] The network device sends M beams to the RIS, where M is a positive integer, and the M beams include SSB1.

[0119] Step 2: RIS continuously sends N beams to the terminal device in each of the M beams.

[0120] The M*N beams include SSB 1. The communication link between the RIS and the terminal device may be referred to as an access link.

[0121] Step 3: The terminal device continuously scans M*N beams to obtain SSB1.

[0122] Therefore, the terminal device needs to scan N*M times in total to obtain the SSB1 sent by the network device. Compared with when the terminal device and the network device are connected, the terminal device continuously scans M beams and needs to scan M times to obtain the SSB, so the scanning time is prolonged.

[0123] Due to the introduction of RIS, when there are multiple RIS, the access overhead will increase. In order to solve the above problem, the embodiment of the present application proposes the following solution.

[0124] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0125] Step S501: The network device sends at least two secondary SSBs to the terminal device.

[0126] The network device may send at least two secondary SSBs to the terminal device via at least two RISs.

[0127] Step S502: The terminal device receives at least two secondary SSBs from the network device.

[0128] The terminal device may receive at least two auxiliary SSBs from the network device through at least two RISs.

[0129] The at least two secondary SSBs are used for at least two RIS to assist in initial access. That is, the at least two secondary SSBs are used for at least two RIS to assist in initial access of terminal devices. Optionally, the secondary SSB can be called secondarySSB.

[0130] Each of the at least two secondary SSBs corresponds to one of the at least two RISs, that is, each of the at least two secondary SSBs corresponds to each of the at least two RISs in a one-to-one correspondence. In an example, the at least two secondary SSBs include secondary SSB1 and secondary SSB2, and the at least two RISs include RIS1 and RIS2. The network device sends secondary SSB1 and secondary SSB2 to the terminal device, wherein the secondary SSB1 and the secondary SSB2 correspond to RIS1 and RIS2, respectively, that is, the secondary SSB1 corresponds to RIS1, and the secondary SSB2 corresponds to RIS2.

[0131] Among them, each of the at least two secondary SSBs is received at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, that is, the terminal device can receive each of the at least two secondary SSBs at the corresponding time-frequency resource position of each of the at least two secondary SSBs. The time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position. Optionally, the predefined time-frequency resource position can be understood as defining a set of possible frequency positions for the secondary SSB based on the frequency band, which is called a synchronization grid, and accordingly, the terminal device can search for the secondary SSB on the synchronization grid. Accordingly, through the above method, the possibility of the terminal device receiving the secondary SSB can be improved.

[0132] In an example, the at least two secondary SSBs include secondary SSB1 and secondary SSB2, and the terminal device receives secondary SSB1 at time-frequency resource position 1 corresponding to secondary SSB1 and receives secondary SSB2 at time-frequency resource position 2 corresponding to secondary SSB2. Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a secondary SSB transmission provided by an embodiment of the present application. The time domain resource corresponding to time-frequency resource position 1 does not overlap with the time domain resource corresponding to time-frequency resource position 2, but the frequency domain resource corresponding to time-frequency resource position 1 overlaps with the frequency domain resource corresponding to time-frequency resource position 2. In this case, the network device can use the beam corresponding to each RIS to send at least two secondary SSBs to the RIS in time-sharing. For example, the network device sends secondary SSB1 to RIS1 with beam 0, and sends the secondary SSB2 to RIS2 with beam 1. Accordingly, different RISs perform time-sharing scanning. RIS1 performs beam scanning on time domain resource 1 to reflect secondary SSB1, and RIS2 performs beam scanning on time domain resource 2 to reflect secondary SSB2. Optional, see Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is another flowchart of sending a secondary SSB provided by an embodiment of the present application. The time domain resource corresponding to time-frequency resource position 1 overlaps with the time domain resource corresponding to time-frequency resource position 2, but the frequency domain resource corresponding to time-frequency resource position 1 does not overlap with the frequency domain resource corresponding to time-frequency resource position 2. In this case, the network device can use a fixed beam to send at least two secondary SSBs to the RIS on the frequency domain resources corresponding to different RISs. For example, the network device sends secondary SSB1 to RIS1 with beam 0 on frequency domain resource 1, and sends the secondary SSB2 to RIS2 with beam 1 on frequency domain resource 2. Correspondingly, different RISs are scanned in divided frequencies. RIS1 performs beam scanning on frequency domain resource 1 to reflect the secondary SSB1, and RIS2 performs beam scanning on frequency domain resource 2 to reflect the secondary SSB2.

[0133] In a possible implementation, the network device sends a primary SSB to the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the primary SSB from the network device. Optionally, before the terminal device receives at least two secondary SSBs from the network device, the terminal device receives the primary SSB from the network device.

[0134] Optionally, the network device may send the primary SSB to the terminal device by broadcasting. Optionally, the primary SSB may be called a mandatory SSB.

[0135] The primary SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB, that is, the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB is the indicated time-frequency resource position. Accordingly, the terminal device can determine the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB based on the first configuration information. The first configuration information may include the configuration information of the synchronization signal (synchronous signal, SS) of each secondary SSB, that is, all the configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB, or the first configuration information may include partial configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs, and all or part of the configuration information may be, for example, the time-frequency resource position, sequence type, basic frequency point, etc., as follows:

[0136] The first configuration information may include all configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB. Optionally, the primary SSB including the first configuration information may mean that the MIB carried on the PBCH in the primary SSB includes the first configuration information, that is, the MIB includes all configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB, see Figure 8 , Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of all configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB included in a MIB provided by an embodiment of the present application. The primary SSB includes the first configuration information and may also refer to the terminal device receiving SIB1 from the network device, the SIB1 including the first configuration information, that is, the SIB1 includes all configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB, see Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of all configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB included in SIB1 provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0137] The first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs. The terminal device may receive SIB1 from the network device. The SIB1 includes configuration information other than partial configuration in all configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs. Specifically, the following two situations may be included:

[0138] The first case: assuming that the at least two secondary SSBs include secondary SSB1 and secondary SSB2, all configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB1 includes configuration information 1 and configuration information 2, and all configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB2 includes configuration information 3 and configuration information 4, then the first configuration information may include partial configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB1, such as configuration information 1, and partial configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB2, such as configuration information 3. Correspondingly, SIB1 may include the remaining partial configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB1, namely configuration information 2, and the remaining partial configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB2, namely configuration information 4.

[0139] The second case: assuming that the at least two secondary SSBs include secondary SSB1 and secondary SSB2, the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SSs of secondary SSB1 and secondary SSB2, and the partial configuration information can be understood as the content of the characteristics commonly shared by the configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB1 and the configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB2, for example, it can be referred to as configuration information 5, and SIB1 includes configuration information 6 and configuration information 7, wherein configuration information 6 is the configuration information of all configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB1 except for configuration information 5, that is, the content of the characteristics commonly shared, and configuration information 7 is the configuration information of all configuration information of the SS of secondary SSB2 except for configuration information 5, that is, the content of the characteristics commonly shared.

[0140] In the above two cases, the main SSB includes the first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SSs of at least two secondary SSBs, which may refer to the MIB carried on the PBCH in the main SSB including the first configuration information, that is, the MIB includes partial configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs, wherein the partial configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs may be referred to as the first part of information in all configuration information, and the MIB may also include indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to the configuration information other than the partial configuration information in all configuration information in SIB1, wherein the configuration information other than the partial configuration information in all configuration information may be referred to as the second part of information, that is, the indication information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to the second part of information in SIB1. Accordingly, the terminal device determines the first part of information based on the MIB, and the SIB1 received from the network device can determine the time-frequency resource position corresponding to the second part of information in SIB1 according to the indication information in the MIB, thereby determining the second part of information, that is, the configuration information of the SSs of at least two secondary SSBs is jointly indicated by the MIB and SIB1, please refer to Fig.10 , Fig.10This is a schematic diagram of a MIB and SIB1 jointly indicating the configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs provided by an embodiment of the present application, wherein SIB1 is carried on the PDSCH, and the PDSCH requires the physical downlink control channel (DCI) scheduling in the PDCCH. Accordingly, after successful MIB decoding, the terminal device determines the first part of the information from the MIB, and the terminal device can also obtain information about the control resource set (CORSET0) and PDCCH search space required for SIB1 decoding, and then obtains the DCI from the PDCCH, and then determines the PDSCH based on the DCI, thereby determining SIB1, determining the second part of the information from SIB1, and obtaining all the configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs based on the MIB and SIB1.

[0141] Optionally, one or more of the following items of the PDSCH used to carry SIB1 may be the same as the PBCH and / or PDCCH, and one or more of the following items may include: a coding method, adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), and a block error rate (BLER) threshold. Optionally, the coding method may include a polar code, the AMC may include a low-order modulation method and a low coding rate, and the BLER threshold may be relatively small.

[0142] Optionally, the primary SSB includes second configuration information, which is the first random access channel occasion (rach occasion, RO) corresponding to each secondary SSB. The second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO. Optionally, the first RO corresponding to each secondary SSB may be different from the second RO corresponding to the primary SSB, see Fig.11 , Fig.11It is a schematic diagram of a first RO and a second RO provided in an embodiment of the present application, which may specifically include one or more of the following: the sequence of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO may be different from the sequence of the second preamble code corresponding to the second RO, the cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO is different from the cyclic shift of the second preamble code corresponding to the second RO, and the time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO is different from the time-frequency domain position corresponding to the second RO. Optionally, the sequence of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO may be a Golden sequence and / or an M sequence, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The sequence of the second preamble code corresponding to the second RO may be a Zadoff–Chu sequence, i.e., a ZC sequence. The time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO is different from the time-frequency domain position corresponding to the second RO, which can be understood as the first RO corresponding to time-frequency domain position 1, and the second RO corresponding to time-frequency domain position 2, wherein the time-frequency domain resources corresponding to time-frequency domain position 1 are not completely the same as the time-frequency domain resources corresponding to time-frequency domain position 2, for example, the time domain resources corresponding to time-frequency domain position 1 are the same as the time domain resources corresponding to time-frequency domain position 2, but the frequency domain resources are different; the time domain resources corresponding to time-frequency domain position 1 are different from the time domain resources corresponding to time-frequency domain position 2, but the frequency domain resources are the same; the time domain resources corresponding to time-frequency domain position 1 are different from the time domain resources corresponding to time-frequency domain position 2, and the frequency domain resources are different.

[0143] In another possible implementation, the terminal device detects the main SSB to obtain a detection result of the main SSB, and when the detection result of the main SSB is lower than a first threshold, determines to perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs.

[0144] Optionally, after receiving the main SSB from the network device, the terminal device detects the main SSB to obtain a detection result. The detection result includes sequence correlation, SNR, and receiving power. Sequence correlation refers to the sum of the correlations between the sequence of the SS in the main SSB and the sequence on the terminal device side at multiple times. SNR refers to the ratio between the SS and noise of the received main SSB. The receiving power refers to the power of the SS receiving the main SSB. Optionally, the first threshold may be determined by the terminal device, the network device, or agreed upon by the protocol, and is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. When the detection result of the main SSB is lower than the first threshold, it is determined to perform initial access on one of the at least two auxiliary SSBs, that is, initial access is not performed on the main SSB.

[0145] In the above method, the main SSB is detected, and the initial access is determined based on the detection result. For example, when the SNR is lower than the first threshold, the initial access is performed on one of the at least two secondary SSBs. That is, it is possible to determine whether to perform initial access based on signal quality, thereby improving communication quality. For example, when the received power is lower than the first threshold, the initial access is performed on one of the at least two secondary SSBs. That is, it is possible to determine whether to perform initial access based on the power consumption of the terminal device, thereby increasing the usage time of the terminal device and reducing energy consumption.

[0146] In another possible implementation, the terminal device detects each secondary SSB to determine the detection result of each secondary SSB, and determines the first RO and the first preamble code based on the second configuration information and the detection result of each secondary SSB; the first preamble code is sent on the first RO, and accordingly, the network device can receive the first preamble code from the terminal device on the first RO.

[0147] Among them, the detection result of each secondary SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, SNR, and received power, and the details can be referred to above. The second configuration information is the first random access channel opportunity corresponding to each secondary SSB, which can be understood as the second configuration information used to indicate the configuration of possible ROs corresponding to all RIS. The terminal device detects each secondary SSB, which can mean that after the terminal device determines the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB based on the first configuration information, it can blindly detect each secondary SSB at the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB, and select the best SS for synchronization and decoding PBCH. Since the terminal device has at least two RISs to choose from, but can only select one of the best RISs to assist in initial access each time, that is, select the best SS in the secondary SSB corresponding to the best RIS, the best can be understood as the one with the best synchronization performance, and optionally, the sequence correlation, SNR, received power and other indicators in the detection result of each secondary SSB can be used to determine whether the synchronization performance is the best, that is, determine the SS with the best synchronization performance, and thus the best RIS corresponding to the secondary SSB of the SS with the best synchronization performance. Since the second configuration information is used to indicate the configuration of possible ROs corresponding to all RISs, the first RO can be determined based on the best RIS and the second configuration information corresponding to the secondary SSB of the SS with the best synchronization performance. The terminal device sending the first preamble on the first RO can be understood as the terminal device sending the corresponding first preamble to the network device on the first RO through the selected best RIS, and accordingly, the network device can receive the corresponding first preamble from the terminal device on the first RO through the RIS.

[0148] In another possible implementation, after the network device sends the main SSB to the terminal device, the network device can also receive a second preamble code from the terminal device on a second RO corresponding to the main SSB, detect the second preamble code to obtain a detection result, and if the detection result is lower than a second threshold, send an indication information to the terminal device.

[0149] Optionally, the SIB1 received by the terminal device may include third configuration information, and the third configuration information may be configuration information of the second RO corresponding to the primary SSB. The third configuration information may include one or more of the following: a sequence of the second preamble code corresponding to the second RO, a cyclic shift of the second preamble code corresponding to the second RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the second RO. Accordingly, the terminal device may determine the second RO based on the third configuration information, and send the second preamble code to the network device on the second RO.

[0150] The detection result includes sequence correlation, SNR, and received power. The sequence correlation refers to the sum of correlations between the sequence constituting the second preamble code and the sequence on the network device side at multiple times, the SNR refers to the ratio between the received second preamble code and the noise, and the received power refers to the power of receiving the second preamble code.

[0151] Optionally, the second threshold may be determined by a terminal device, a network device, or specified by a protocol, and is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0152] Optionally, the indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device performs initial access through the assistance of RIS, and the indication information can be carried in message 2 (Msg2). Optionally, before the network device sends the indication information to the terminal device, the network device needs to determine the access status of different terminal devices, that is, whether the terminal device performs initial access through the main SSB or the auxiliary SSB. Among them, the network device can determine the access status of different terminal devices based on the second configuration information. That is, if the terminal device performs initial access through the configuration of the first RO indicated in the second configuration information, the terminal device needs to perform initial access through the auxiliary SSB; if the terminal device performs initial access through the configuration of the second RO indicated in the third configuration information, the terminal device needs to perform initial access through the main SSB.

[0153] In the above method, by detecting the second preamble code and determining the manner of sending the indication information to the terminal device based on the detection result, the network can be better scheduled.

[0154] In another possible implementation, before the terminal device receives the secondary SSB from the network device, the terminal device does not detect the primary SSB sent by the network device, and access fails.

[0155] exist Figure 5 In the described method, at least two secondary SSBs from a network device are received by a terminal device, so that in a scenario where multiple RISs, such as at least two RISs, are deployed, the RIS assists the terminal device in initial access, and accordingly, the terminal device can perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs, thereby quickly accessing the network. In this way, a terminal device that can access the network but has a poor access signal can perform initial access with the assistance of the RIS, thereby effectively improving the communication quality.

[0156] See also Fig.12 , Fig.12 : is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0157] Step S1201: The network device sends a main SSB to the terminal device.

[0158] Optionally, before the network device sends the main SSB to the terminal device, at least two RISs perform initial access through the main SSB, that is, the at least two RISs have accessed the network. Optionally, the network device can send the main SSB to the terminal device by broadcasting.

[0159] Step S1202: The terminal device receives the main SSB from the network device.

[0160] Among them, the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each of the at least two secondary SSBs. The first configuration information includes the configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB. The first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs, and the terminal device can also receive SIB1 from the network device, and the SIB1 includes all configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information. One or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and one or more of the following include: coding mode, AMC, BLER threshold value. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0161] Among them, the main SSB includes second configuration information, which is the configuration information of the RO corresponding to each secondary SSB. The second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0162] Step S1203: The terminal device detects the main SSB to obtain a detection result. When the detection result is lower than a first threshold, it determines to perform initial access on one of at least two secondary SSBs.

[0163] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0164] Step S1204: The network device sends at least two secondary SSBs to the terminal device.

[0165] The network device may send at least two secondary SSBs to the terminal device via at least two RISs.

[0166] Step S1205: The terminal device receives at least two secondary SSBs from the network device.

[0167] The terminal device may receive at least two auxiliary SSBs from the network device through at least two RISs.

[0168] Among them, at least two auxiliary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponds to one RIS of the at least two RISs. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0169] Step S1206: The terminal device detects each secondary SSB to determine a detection result of each secondary SSB, and determines a first RO and a first preamble code based on the second configuration information and the detection result of each secondary SSB.

[0170] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0171] Step S1207: The terminal device sends a first preamble code to the network device on the first RO.

[0172] The terminal device may send a first preamble code to the network device on the first RO via the RIS.

[0173] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0174] Step S1208: The network device receives a first preamble code from the terminal device on the first RO.

[0175] exist Fig.12In the described method, at least two secondary SSBs are received from a network device by a terminal device, so that in a scenario where multiple RISs, such as at least two RISs, are deployed, the RIS assists the terminal device in initial access, and accordingly, the terminal device can perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs, thereby quickly accessing the network. In this way, a terminal device that can access the network but has a poor access signal can perform initial access with the assistance of the RIS, thereby effectively improving the communication quality.

[0176] See also Fig.13 , Fig.13 : is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0177] Step S1301: The network device sends a main SSB to the terminal device.

[0178] Optionally, before the network device sends the main SSB to the terminal device, at least two RISs perform initial access through the main SSB, that is, the at least two RISs have accessed the network.

[0179] Step S1302: The terminal device receives the main SSB from the network device.

[0180] Among them, the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each of the at least two secondary SSBs. The first configuration information includes the configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB. The first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs, and the terminal device can also receive SIB1 from the network device, and the SIB1 includes all configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information. One or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and one or more of the following include: coding mode, AMC, BLER threshold value. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0181] Among them, the main SSB includes second configuration information, which is the configuration information of the RO corresponding to each secondary SSB. The second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0182] Step S1303: The terminal device detects the main SSB and determines the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each of the at least two secondary SSBs based on the first configuration information.

[0183] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0184] Step S1304: The terminal device sends a second preamble code to the network device on the second RO corresponding to the main SSB.

[0185] Optionally, the SIB1 received by the terminal device may include third configuration information, and the third configuration information may be configuration information of the second RO corresponding to the main SSB. The third configuration information may include one or more of the following: a sequence of the second preamble code corresponding to the second RO, a cyclic shift of the second preamble code corresponding to the second RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the second RO. Accordingly, the terminal device can determine the second RO based on the third configuration information, and send the second preamble code to the network device on the second RO. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0186] Step S1305: The network device receives a second preamble code from the terminal device on the second RO corresponding to the main SSB.

[0187] Step S1306: The network device detects the second preamble code to obtain a detection result, and if the detection result is lower than the second threshold, sends an indication message to the terminal device.

[0188] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0189] Step S1307: The network device sends message 2 (Msg2) to the terminal device.

[0190] Among them, the message 2 includes indication information, and the indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform initial access through the assistance of RIS. Optionally, before the network device sends the indication information to the terminal device, the network device needs to determine the access status of different terminal devices, that is, whether the terminal device performs initial access through the main SSB or the auxiliary SSB. Among them, the network device can determine the access status of different terminal devices based on the second configuration information. That is, if the terminal device performs initial access through the configuration of the first RO indicated in the second configuration information, the terminal device needs to perform initial access through the auxiliary SSB; if the terminal device performs initial access through the configuration of the second RO indicated in the third configuration information, the terminal device needs to perform initial access through the main SSB.

[0191] Step S1308: The terminal device receives message 2 from the network device.

[0192] Step S1309: The network device sends at least two secondary SSBs to the terminal device.

[0193] The network device may send at least two secondary SSBs to the terminal device via at least two RISs.

[0194] Step S1310: The terminal device receives at least two secondary SSBs from the network device.

[0195] The terminal device may receive at least two auxiliary SSBs from the network device through at least two RISs.

[0196] Among them, at least two auxiliary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponds to one RIS of the at least two RISs. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0197] Step S1311: The terminal device detects each secondary SSB to determine the detection result of each secondary SSB, and determines the first RO and the first preamble code based on the second configuration information and the detection result of each secondary SSB.

[0198] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0199] Step S1312: The terminal device sends a first preamble code to the network device on the first RO.

[0200] The terminal device may send a first preamble code to the network device on the first RO via the RIS.

[0201] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0202] Step S1313: The network device receives a first preamble code from the terminal device on the first RO.

[0203] The network device may receive the first preamble code of the terminal device on the first RO through the RIS.

[0204] exist Fig.13 In the described method, at least two secondary SSBs from a network device are received by a terminal device, so that in a scenario where multiple RISs, such as at least two RISs, are deployed, the RIS assists the terminal device in initial access, and accordingly, the terminal device can perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs, thereby quickly accessing the network. In this way, a terminal device that can access the network but has a poor access signal can perform initial access with the assistance of the RIS, thereby effectively improving the communication quality.

[0205] See also Fig.14 , Fig.14 : is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0206] Step S1401: The network device sends a main SSB to the terminal device.

[0207] Optionally, before the network device sends the main SSB to the terminal device, at least two RISs perform initial access through the main SSB, that is, the at least two RISs have accessed the network.

[0208] Among them, the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each of the at least two secondary SSBs. The first configuration information includes the configuration information of the SS of each secondary SSB. The first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs, and the terminal device can also receive SIB1 from the network device, and the SIB1 includes all configuration information of the SS of at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information. One or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and one or more of the following include: coding mode, AMC, BLER threshold value. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0209] Among them, the main SSB includes second configuration information, which is the configuration information of the RO corresponding to each secondary SSB. The second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0210] Step S1402: The terminal device does not detect the main SSB and access fails.

[0211] Step S1403: The network device sends at least two secondary SSBs to the terminal device.

[0212] The network device may send at least two secondary SSBs to the terminal device via at least two RISs.

[0213] Among them, at least two auxiliary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponds to one RIS of the at least two RISs. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0214] Step S1404: The terminal device detects each secondary SSB at the corresponding time-frequency resource position of each secondary SSB among at least two secondary SSBs.

[0215] Among them, the terminal device detects each secondary SSB at the corresponding time-frequency resource position of each secondary SSB of the at least two secondary SSBs, which can be understood as the terminal device blindly detects each secondary SSB at the possible time-frequency resource position (synchronization grid) corresponding to each secondary SSB, and selects the best SS for synchronization and decoding PBCH. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0216] Step S1405: The terminal device sends a first preamble code to the network device on the first RO.

[0217] The terminal device may send a first preamble code to the network device on the first RO via the RIS.

[0218] For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0219] Step S1406: The network device receives a first preamble from the terminal device on the first RO.

[0220] exist Fig.14 In the described method, at least two secondary SSBs from a network device are received by a terminal device, so that in a scenario where multiple RISs, such as at least two RISs, are deployed, the RIS assists the terminal device in initial access, and accordingly, the terminal device can perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs, thereby quickly accessing the network. In this way, a terminal device that can access the network but has a poor access signal can perform initial access with the assistance of the RIS, thereby effectively improving the communication quality.

[0221] The method of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above, and the device of the embodiment of the present application is provided below.

[0222] See also Fig.15 , Fig.15 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1500 may include a processing unit 1501 and a transceiver unit 1502. The specific details of each unit are as follows:

[0223] The processing unit 1501 is used to perform data processing. The transceiver unit 1502 can implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 1502 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module. Optionally, the processing unit 1501 can be implemented by at least one processor or a processor-related circuit.

[0224] Optionally, the communication device 1500 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 1501 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module to implement the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0225] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1502 may include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiment. The receiving unit is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiment. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1502 may be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit.

[0226] It should be noted that the communication device 1500 may include a sending unit but not a receiving unit. Alternatively, the communication device 1500 may include a receiving unit but not a sending unit. Specifically, it depends on whether the above solution executed by the communication device 1500 includes a sending action and a receiving action.

[0227] Optionally, the communication device 1500 may be used to execute the actions executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The communication device 1500 may be a terminal device or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) that may be configured in the terminal device. For example, the communication device 1500 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0228] The transceiver unit 1502 is used to receive at least two auxiliary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB from a network device, the at least two auxiliary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponds to one of the at least two RISs.

[0229] In a possible implementation, each of the at least two secondary SSBs is received at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

[0230] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1502 is further used to receive a main SSB from the network device, and the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each auxiliary SSB.

[0231] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

[0232] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs; the transceiver unit 1502 is also used to receive a system message block SIB1 from the network device, and the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information.

[0233] In another possible implementation, one or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the following one or more include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC, and block error rate BLER threshold.

[0234] In another possible implementation, the primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

[0235] In yet another possible implementation, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

[0236] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1501 is further used to detect the main SSB to obtain a detection result of the main SSB, and the detection result of the main SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; the processing unit 1501 is also used to determine to perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs when the detection result is lower than a first threshold.

[0237] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1501 is further used to detect each secondary SSB to determine the detection result of each secondary SSB, and the detection result of each secondary SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, SNR, and received power; the processing unit 1501 is further used to determine the first RO and the first preamble code based on the second configuration information and the detection result of each secondary SSB; the processing unit 1501 sends the first preamble code on the first RO through the transceiver unit 1502.

[0238] It should be noted that the implementation and beneficial effects of each module can also refer to Figure 5 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 or Fig.14 The corresponding description of the method embodiment shown.

[0239] Optionally, the communication device 1500 may be used to execute the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiment. The communication device 1500 may be a network device or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) that may be configured in a network device. For example, the communication device 1500 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0240] The transceiver unit 1502 is used to send at least two secondary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB to the terminal device, the at least two secondary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two secondary SSBs corresponds to one of the at least two RISs.

[0241] In a possible implementation, each of the at least two secondary SSBs is sent at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

[0242] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1502 is further used to send a main SSB to the terminal device, and the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each auxiliary SSB.

[0243] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

[0244] In another possible implementation, the first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs; the transceiver unit 1502 is further used to send a system message block SIB1 to the terminal device, and the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SS of the at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information.

[0245] In another possible implementation, one or more of the following physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the following one or more include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC or block error rate BLER threshold.

[0246] In another possible implementation, the primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

[0247] In yet another possible implementation, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

[0248] In yet another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1502 is further configured to receive a first preamble code from the terminal device on the first RO.

[0249] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1502 is further used to receive a second preamble code from the terminal device on a second RO corresponding to the main SSB; the processing unit 1501 is further used to detect the second preamble code to obtain a detection result, and the detection result includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; the processing unit 1501 is also used to send indication information to the terminal device through the transceiver unit 1502 when the detection result is lower than a second threshold, and the indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform initial access with the assistance of the RIS.

[0250] It should be noted that the implementation and beneficial effects of each module can also refer to Figure 5 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 or Fig.14 The corresponding description of the method embodiment shown.

[0251] It should be understood that the specific process of each module executing the above corresponding process has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0252] See also Fig.16 , Fig.16 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application, the communication device 1600 includes at least one processor 1601 and a communication interface 1603, and optionally, also includes a memory 1602, the processor 1601, the memory 1602 and the communication interface 1603 are interconnected via a bus 1604. Optionally, the memory 1602 can also be integrated with the processor 1601.

[0253] The memory 1602 includes, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or a portable read-only memory (CD-ROM), and is used to store relevant computer programs and data. The communication interface 1603 is used to receive and send data.

[0254] The processor 1601 may be one or more central processing units (CPUs). When the processor 1601 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0255] The processor 1601 in the communication device 1600 is used to read the computer program or instructions stored in the memory 1602 to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit, and the communication interface 1603 in the communication device 1600 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit.

[0256] The embodiment of the present application also provides a chip device, the chip device includes at least one processor, the at least one processor is used to call a computer program or instruction stored in a memory, so that the processor executes the above Figure 5 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 or Fig.14 The illustrated embodiments provide methods.

[0257] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed on a processor, the above Figure 5 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 or Fig.14 The illustrated embodiments provide for the method to be performed.

[0258] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed on a processor, the above Figure 5 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 or Fig.14 The illustrated embodiments provide for the method to be performed.

[0259] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal device in the above embodiment and the network device in the above embodiment. The terminal device is used to perform some or all of the operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the network device is used to perform some or all of the operations of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0260] It is understandable that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0261] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware, or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0262] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instruction may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape; it may also be an optical medium, for example, a digital video disc; it may also be a semiconductor medium, for example, a solid-state hard disk. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0263] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for in any logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0264] In the description of this application, words such as "first", "second", "S501", or "S502" are only used to distinguish the description and facilitate the context. Different sequence numbers themselves do not have specific technical meanings and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying the order of execution of operations. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0265] The term "and / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three kinds of relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this article indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0266] In this application, "transmission" may include the following three situations: sending of data, receiving of data, or sending of data and receiving of data. In this application, "data" may include service data and / or signaling data.

[0267] In this application, the terms "comprises" or "has" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process / method comprising a series of steps, or a system / product / apparatus comprising a series of units, is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes / methods / products / apparatus.

[0268] In the description of this application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more. "Including at least one of the following: A, B, C." means that it may include A, or include B, or include C, or include A and B, or include A and C, or include B and C, or include A, B and C. A, B, and C can be single or plural.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: At least two auxiliary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB are received from a network device, wherein the at least two auxiliary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponds to one of the at least two RISs.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Each of the at least two secondary SSBs is received at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive a primary SSB from the network device, wherein the primary SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs; A system information block SIB1 is received from the network device, wherein the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs except for the partial configuration information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that One or more of the following items of the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the following item or items include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC, and block error rate BLER threshold.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that: The primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

9. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Detecting the main SSB to obtain a detection result of the main SSB, wherein the detection result of the main SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; When the detection result is lower than a first threshold, it is determined to perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: Detecting each secondary SSB to determine a detection result of each secondary SSB, wherein the detection result of each secondary SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, SNR, and received power; Determine the first RO and the first preamble code based on the second configuration information and the detection result of each secondary SSB; The first preamble is sent on the first RO.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: include: At least two secondary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB are sent to the terminal device, wherein the at least two secondary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two secondary SSBs corresponds to one of the at least two RISs.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Each of the at least two secondary SSBs is sent at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A main SSB is sent to the terminal device, wherein the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each secondary SSB.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs; A system message block SIB1 is sent to the terminal device, wherein the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs except the partial configuration information.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that One or more of the following items of the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the one or more of the following items include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC or block error rate BLER threshold.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that: The primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first preamble is received from the terminal device at the first RO.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, characterized in that: After sending the main SSB to the terminal device, the method further includes: receiving a second preamble from the terminal device on a second RO corresponding to the primary SSB; Detecting the second preamble to obtain a detection result, wherein the detection result includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio (SNR), and received power; If the detection result is lower than a second threshold, indication information is sent to the terminal device, where the indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform initial access through the assistance of the RIS.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is used to receive at least two auxiliary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB from a network device, the at least two auxiliary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two auxiliary SSBs corresponds to one of the at least two RISs.

22. The device according to claim 21, characterized in that Each of the at least two secondary SSBs is received at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

23. The device according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that The transceiver unit is also used to receive a main SSB from the network device, and the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each auxiliary SSB.

24. The device according to claim 23, characterized in that The first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

25. The device according to claim 23, characterized in that The first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs; The transceiver unit is further used to receive a system message block SIB1 from the network device, wherein the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs except for the partial configuration information.

26. The device according to claim 25, characterized in that One or more of the following items of the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the following item or items include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC, and block error rate BLER threshold.

27. The device according to any one of claims 23 to 26, characterized in that The primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

28. The device according to claim 27, characterized in that The second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

29. The device according to any one of claims 23 to 28, characterized in that The processing unit is further used to detect the main SSB to obtain a detection result of the main SSB, where the detection result of the main SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; The processing unit is further configured to determine, when the detection result is lower than a first threshold, to perform initial access on one of the at least two secondary SSBs.

30. The device according to any one of claims 27 to 29, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to detect each secondary SSB to determine a detection result of each secondary SSB, wherein the detection result of each secondary SSB includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, SNR, and received power; The processing unit is further configured to determine the first RO and the first preamble code based on the second configuration information and the detection result of each secondary SSB; The processing unit sends the first preamble code on the first RO through the transceiver unit.

31. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is used to send at least two secondary synchronization signals and a physical broadcast channel block SSB to the terminal device, the at least two secondary SSBs are used for at least two smart metasurface RISs to assist in initial access, and each of the at least two secondary SSBs corresponds to one of the at least two RISs.

32. The device according to claim 31, characterized in that Each of the at least two secondary SSBs is sent at a corresponding time-frequency resource position, and the time-frequency resource position is an indicated time-frequency resource position or a predefined time-frequency resource position.

33. The device according to claim 31 or 32, characterized in that The transceiver unit is also used to send a main SSB to the terminal device, and the main SSB includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used to indicate the time-frequency resource position corresponding to each auxiliary SSB.

34. The device according to claim 33, characterized in that The first configuration information includes configuration information of the synchronization signal SS of each secondary SSB.

35. The device according to claim 33, characterized in that The first configuration information includes partial configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs; The transceiver unit is further used to send a system message block SIB1 to the terminal device, wherein the SIB1 includes configuration information of all configuration information of the SSs of the at least two secondary SSBs except for the partial configuration information.

36. The device according to claim 35, characterized in that One or more of the following items of the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH used to carry the SIB1 may be the same as the physical broadcast channel PBCH and / or the physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and the one or more of the following items include: coding mode, adaptive modulation coding AMC or block error rate BLER threshold.

37. The device according to any one of claims 33 to 36, characterized in that The primary SSB includes second configuration information, where the second configuration information is configuration information of the first random access channel opportunity RO corresponding to each secondary SSB.

38. The device according to claim 37, characterized in that The second configuration information includes one or more of the following: a sequence of a first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, a cyclic shift of the first preamble code corresponding to the first RO, and a time-frequency domain position corresponding to the first RO.

39. The device according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first preamble code from the terminal device on the first RO.

40. The device according to any one of claims 33 to 39, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second preamble from the terminal device on a second RO corresponding to the primary SSB; The processing unit is further configured to detect the second preamble code to obtain a detection result, wherein the detection result includes one or more of the following: sequence correlation, signal to interference plus noise ratio SNR, and received power; The processing unit is further configured to, when the detection result is lower than a second threshold, send indication information to the terminal device through the transceiver unit, wherein the indication information is configured to instruct the terminal device to perform initial access through the RIS assistance.

41. A communication device, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor calls a computer program or instruction stored in a memory to execute the method according to claims 1-10.

42. A communication device, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor calls a computer program or instruction stored in a memory to execute the method according to claims 11-20.

43. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises: an apparatus as claimed in claim 41 and an apparatus as claimed in claim 42.

44. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction, which, when executed on a processor, enables the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 to be executed.

45. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 is executed.

Images