Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The method comprises: a terminal device determines the number of sending times of a first message, the number of sending times being an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first message comprising Msg2 and / or Msg4; and the terminal equipment receives the first message from the network equipment according to the sending times of the first message. The method can enhance the downlink coverage of the first message.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Satellite communication belongs to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication. Compared with terrestrial communication, satellite communication can provide a wider coverage area. In the satellite communication scenario, the round-trip delay between the terminal device and the network device is relatively large, and it is necessary to enhance the downlink coverage to improve reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus for enhancing downlink channel transmission coverage.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be applied to a communication device. The communication device can be a network device (such as an access network device) or a module in the network device (such as a circuit, a chip, a chip system, or a processor), and can also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method includes: determining the number of times of sending a first message, where the number of times is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4; receiving the first message from the network device according to the number of times of sending the first message.

[0005] In the above implementation, since the first message can be sent multiple times, the downlink channel transmission coverage corresponding to the first message can be enhanced.

[0006] In a possible implementation, it further includes: reporting a first terminal capability to the network device or requesting to send the first message multiple times, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive the first message sent multiple times.

[0007] In a possible implementation, reporting the terminal capability to the network device or requesting to send the first message multiple times includes: sending Msg1 to the network device based on a first PRACH resource, where the first PRACH resource belongs to a first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource group corresponds to a first sending manner of the first message or corresponds to the first terminal capability, and the first sending manner is sending multiple times.

[0008] In the above implementation, by sending Msg1 through the first PRACH resource to report the terminal capability or request to send the first message multiple times, signaling overhead can be saved.

[0009] In a possible implementation, it further includes: receiving first configuration information of the first PRACH resource packet from the network device, where the first configuration information indicates that the first PRACH resource packet corresponds to the first transmission mode of the first message, or indicates that the first PRACH resource packet corresponds to the first terminal capability.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes first indication information, or includes second indication information, or includes the first indication information and the second indication information; the first indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource packet corresponds to the first transmission mode of Msg2, or indicates that the first PRACH resource packet corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg2 sent multiple times; the second indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource packet corresponds to the first transmission mode of Msg4, or indicates that the first PRACH resource packet corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times.

[0011] In a possible implementation, it further includes: receiving second configuration information of the first PRACH resource packet from the network device, where the second configuration information indicates the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource packet, and the first PRACH resource is included in the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource packet.

[0012] In a possible implementation, reporting the first terminal capability to the network device or requesting to send the first message multiple times includes: sending Msg3 to the network device, where the Msg3 includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times, or the third indication information is used to request to send Msg4 multiple times.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is located in the message payload of the Msg3; or, the third indication information is located in the media access control (MAC) sub-header of the Msg3.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is carried in the R field, or the logical channel identification field, or the extended logical channel identification field of the MAC sub-header.

[0015] In a possible implementation, reporting the first terminal capability to the network device or requesting to send the first message multiple times includes: if the reception performance parameter of the terminal device is lower than the set requirement, reporting the first terminal capability to the network device or requesting to send the first message multiple times.

[0016] In the above implementation, the terminal device reports the first terminal capability to the network device or requests to send the first message multiple times only when it determines that the reception performance parameter is lower than the set requirement, so as to trigger the network side to send the first message multiple times, thereby reducing the network resource overhead.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the reception performance parameter includes one or more of the following: communication elevation angle or the value range where the communication elevation angle is located, reception gain or reception gain level, received signal strength or received signal strength level; the reception performance parameter of the terminal device being lower than the set requirement includes one or more of the following: the communication elevation angle of the terminal device is less than or equal to the communication elevation angle threshold; or, the reception gain of the terminal device is less than or equal to the reception gain threshold, or the reception gain level of the terminal device is less than or equal to the reception gain level threshold; or, the received signal strength of the terminal device is less than or equal to the received signal strength threshold, or the received signal strength level of the terminal device is less than or equal to the received signal strength level threshold.

[0018] In a possible implementation, it further includes: sending the reception performance parameter of the terminal device to the network device; the number of times of sending the first message corresponds to the reception performance parameter of the terminal device.

[0019] In a possible implementation, determining the number of times of sending the first message includes: receiving a second message from the network device, where the second message indicates the number of times of sending the first message; determining the number of times of sending the first message according to the second message.

[0020] In a possible implementation, before receiving the second message from the network device, it further includes: receiving a system message from the network device, where the system message indicates M numbers of times of sending the first message, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the second message includes scheduling signaling, and the scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending the first message, and the number of times of sending the first message indicated by the scheduling signaling is one of the M numbers of times of sending.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the second message includes a first scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg2, and / or a second scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg4, the first scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending Msg2 or indicates the number of times of sending Msg2 and Msg4, and the second scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending Msg4.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the number of transmissions of Msg2 is included in a set of resource information corresponding to the row index indicated by the time domain resource assignment (TDRA) field in the first scheduling signaling; and / or, the number of transmissions of Msg4 is included in a set of resource information corresponding to the row index indicated by the TDRA field in the second scheduling signaling.

[0023] In a possible implementation, N bits of the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field in the first scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2, where the N bits are the N bits starting from the highest bit of the MCS field, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and / or, N bits of the MCS field in the second scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4, where the N bits are the N bits starting from the highest bit of the MCS field.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the first value of the transmission block scaling factor in the first scheduling signaling is associated with one of the M transmissions of Msg2, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the second message is a system message.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the second message is Msg2, and Msg2 is used to indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the number of transmissions of the first message is associated with the number of transmissions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK or Msg3.

[0028] In a possible implementation, it further includes: receiving third configuration information from the network device, where the third configuration information is used to enable demodulation reference signal (DMRS) binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message; or, receiving third configuration information and fourth configuration information from the network device, where the third configuration information is used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the fourth configuration information indicates the window length of the DMRS binding; or, receiving scheduling signaling from the network device for enabling DMRS binding, where the scheduling signaling is further used to schedule the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message.

[0029] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a communication device. The communication device may be a terminal device or a module in the terminal device (such as a circuit, a chip, a chip system or a processor), and may also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: determining to send a first message multiple times, where the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4; and sending the first message to the terminal device according to the number of times of sending the first message, where the number of times of sending is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the determining to send the first message multiple times includes: receiving a first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or a request to send the first message multiple times, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive the first message sent multiple times; and determining to send the first message to the terminal device multiple times according to the first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or the request to send the first message multiple times.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the receiving a first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or a request to send the first message multiple times includes: receiving Msg1 sent by the terminal device to the network device based on a first PRACH resource, where the first PRACH resource belongs to a first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource group corresponds to a first sending manner of the first message or corresponds to the first terminal capability, and the first sending manner is to send multiple times.

[0032] In a possible implementation, it further includes: sending first configuration information of the first PRACH resource group, where the first configuration information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first sending manner of the first message or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes first indication information, or includes second indication information, or includes the first indication information and the second indication information; the first indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first sending manner of Msg2 or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg2 sent multiple times; the second indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first sending manner of Msg4 or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times.

[0034] In a possible implementation, it further includes: sending second configuration information of the first PRACH resource packet, where the second configuration information indicates the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource packet, and the first PRACH resource included in the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource packet.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the receiving the first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or the request for sending the first message multiple times includes: receiving Msg3 from the terminal device, where the Msg3 includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that the terminal device has the capability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times, or the third indication information is used to request sending Msg4 multiple times.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is located in the message payload of the Msg3; or, the third indication information is located in the MAC sub-header of the Msg3.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is carried in the R field, or the logical channel identification field, or the extended logical channel identification field of the MAC sub-header.

[0038] In a possible implementation, it further includes: receiving reception performance information from the terminal device; determining the number of times of sending the corresponding first message according to the reception performance information.

[0039] In a possible implementation, sending a second message, where the second message indicates the number of times of sending the first message.

[0040] In a possible implementation, before sending the second message, it further includes: sending a system message, where the system message indicates M times of sending the first message, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the second message includes scheduling signaling, and the scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending the first message, and the number of times of sending the first message indicated by the scheduling signaling is one of the M times of sending.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the second message includes first scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg2, and / or second scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg4, the first scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending Msg2, and the second scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending Msg4.

[0042] In a possible implementation, N bit positions of the MCS field in the first scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2, where the N bits are the N bits starting from the highest bit position of the MCS field, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and / or, N bit positions of the MCS field in the second scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4, where the N bits are the N bits starting from the highest bit position of the MCS field.

[0043] In a possible implementation, a first value of the transport block scaling factor in the first scheduling signaling is associated with one of the M transmissions of Msg2, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the second message is a system message.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the second message is Msg2, and Msg2 is used to indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the number of transmissions of the first message is associated with the number of transmissions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK or Msg3.

[0047] In a possible implementation, it further includes: sending third configuration information, where the third configuration information is used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message; or, sending third configuration information and fourth configuration information, where the third configuration information is used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the fourth configuration information indicates the window length of the DMRS binding; or, sending scheduling signaling for enabling DMRS binding, where the scheduling signaling is further used to schedule the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message.

[0048] In a third aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a network device and a terminal device. The terminal device can implement the method described in any one of the first aspects above, and the network device can implement the method described in any one of the second aspects above.

[0049] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, including units or modules for performing the method described in any one of the first aspects above. Optionally, the communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is used to determine the number of transmissions of the first message, where the number of transmissions is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4; the processing unit is further used to receive the first message from the network device through the transceiver unit according to the number of transmissions of the first message.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to: report a first terminal capability to the network device through the transceiver unit or request to send a first message multiple times, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive the first message sent multiple times.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is specifically configured to: send Msg1 to the network device through the transceiver unit based on a first PRACH resource, where the first PRACH resource belongs to a first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource group corresponds to a first sending manner of the first message or corresponds to the first terminal capability, and the first sending manner is sending multiple times.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive first configuration information of the first PRACH resource group from the network device, where the first configuration information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first sending manner of the first message or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes first indication information, or includes second indication information, or includes the first indication information and the second indication information; the first indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to a first sending manner of Msg2 or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg2 sent multiple times; the second indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to a first sending manner of Msg4 or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times.

[0054] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive second configuration information of the first PRACH resource group from the network device, where the second configuration information indicates the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource is included in the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource group.

[0055] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is specifically configured to: send Msg3 to the network device through the transceiver unit, where the Msg3 includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times or the third indication information is used to request to send Msg4 multiple times.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is located in the message payload of the Msg3; or, the third indication information is located in the media access control (MAC) sub-header of the Msg3.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is carried in the R field, or the logical channel identification field, or the extended logical channel identification field of the MAC sub-header.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is specifically configured to: if the reception performance parameter of the terminal device is lower than the set requirement, report the first terminal capability to the network device through the transceiver unit or request to send the first message multiple times.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the reception performance parameter includes one or more of the following: communication elevation angle or the value range where the communication elevation angle is located, reception gain or reception gain level, reception signal strength or reception signal strength level; the reception performance parameter of the terminal device being lower than the set requirement includes one or more of the following: the communication elevation angle of the terminal device is less than or equal to the communication elevation angle threshold; or, the reception gain of the terminal device is less than or equal to the reception gain threshold, or the reception gain level of the terminal device is less than or equal to the reception gain level threshold; or, the reception signal strength of the terminal device is less than or equal to the reception signal strength threshold, or the reception signal strength level of the terminal device is less than or equal to the reception signal strength level threshold.

[0060] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to: send the reception performance parameter of the terminal device to the network device through the transceiver unit; the number of times of sending the first message corresponds to the reception performance parameter of the terminal device.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: receive a second message from the network device, where the second message indicates the number of times of sending the first message; determine the number of times of sending the first message according to the second message.

[0062] In a possible implementation, before the transceiver unit receives the second message from the network device, it also receives a system message from the network device, where the system message indicates M times of sending the first message, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the second message includes scheduling signaling, and the scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending the first message, and the number of times of sending the first message indicated by the scheduling signaling is one of the M times of sending.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the second message includes a first scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg2, and / or a second scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg4, the first scheduling signaling indicating the number of transmissions of Msg2, and the second scheduling signaling indicating the number of transmissions of Msg4.

[0064] In a possible implementation, the number of transmissions of Msg2 is included in a set of resource information corresponding to the row index indicated by the TDRA field in the first scheduling signaling; and / or, the number of transmissions of Msg4 is included in a set of resource information corresponding to the row index indicated by the TDRA field in the second scheduling signaling.

[0065] In a possible implementation, N bit positions of the MCS field in the first scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2, the N bits being the N bits starting from the highest bit position of the MCS field, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and / or, N bit positions of the MCS field in the second scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4, the N bits being the N bits starting from the highest bit position of the MCS field.

[0066] In a possible implementation, the first value of the transmission block scaling factor in the first scheduling signaling is associated with one of the M number of transmissions of Msg2, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the second message is a system message.

[0068] In a possible implementation, the second message is Msg2, and Msg2 is used to indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4.

[0069] In a possible implementation, the number of transmissions of the first message is associated with the number of transmissions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK or Msg3.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive third configuration information from the network device, the third configuration information being used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, the window length of the DMRS binding being associated with the number of transmissions of the first message; or, receive third configuration information and fourth configuration information from the network device, the third configuration information being used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, the fourth configuration information indicating the window length of the DMRS binding; or, receive scheduling signaling from the network device for enabling DMRS binding, the scheduling signaling being further used to schedule the first message, the window length of the DMRS binding being associated with the number of transmissions of the first message.

[0071] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, including units or modules for performing the method described in any one of the above second aspects. Optionally, the communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is configured to determine to send a first message multiple times, where the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4; the processing unit is further configured to send the first message to a terminal device through the transceiver unit according to the number of times the first message is sent, and the number of times is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0072] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: receive a first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or a request for sending the first message multiple times, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive the first message sent multiple times; the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine to send the first message to the terminal device multiple times according to the first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or the request for sending the first message multiple times.

[0073] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: receive Msg1 sent by the terminal device to the network device based on a first PRACH resource, where the first PRACH resource belongs to a first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource group corresponds to a first sending manner of the first message or corresponds to the first terminal capability, and the first sending manner is sending multiple times.

[0074] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to: send first configuration information of the first PRACH resource group through the transceiver unit, where the first configuration information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first sending manner of the first message or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes first indication information, or includes second indication information, or includes the first indication information and the second indication information; the first indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first sending manner of Msg2 or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg2 sent multiple times; the second indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first sending manner of Msg4 or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to: send, through the transceiver unit, second configuration information of the first PRACH resource packet, where the second configuration information indicates PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource packet, and the first PRACH resource is included in the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource packet.

[0077] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: receive Msg3 from the terminal device, where the Msg3 includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times, or the third indication information is used to request to send Msg4 multiple times.

[0078] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is located in the message payload of the Msg3; or, the third indication information is located in the MAC sub-header of the Msg3.

[0079] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is carried in the R field, or the logical channel identification field, or the extended logical channel identification field of the MAC sub-header.

[0080] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive reception performance information from the terminal device; determine the number of transmissions of the corresponding first message according to the reception performance information.

[0081] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to: send, through the transceiver unit, a second message, where the second message indicates the number of transmissions of the first message.

[0082] In a possible implementation, before sending the second message through the transceiver unit, the processing unit is further configured to: send, through the transceiver unit, a system message, where the system message indicates M numbers of transmissions of the first message, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the second message includes scheduling signaling, and the scheduling signaling indicates the number of transmissions of the first message, and the number of transmissions of the first message indicated by the scheduling signaling is one of the M numbers of transmissions.

[0083] In a possible implementation, the second message includes first scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg2, and / or second scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg4, the first scheduling signaling indicates the number of transmissions of Msg2, and the second scheduling signaling indicates the number of transmissions of Msg4.

[0084] In a possible implementation, N bit positions of the MCS field in the first scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2, the N bits being the N bits starting from the highest bit position of the MCS field, and N being an integer greater than or equal to 1; and / or, N bit positions of the MCS field in the second scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4, the N bits being the N bits starting from the highest bit position of the MCS field.

[0085] In a possible implementation, the first value of the transport block scaling factor in the first scheduling signaling is associated with one of the M transmissions of Msg2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0086] In a possible implementation, the second message is a system message.

[0087] In a possible implementation, the second message is Msg2, and Msg2 is used to indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4.

[0088] In a possible implementation, the number of transmissions of the first message is associated with the number of transmissions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK or Msg3.

[0089] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to: send third configuration information through the transceiver unit, where the third configuration information is used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message; or, send third configuration information and fourth configuration information through the transceiver unit, where the third configuration information is used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the fourth configuration information indicates the window length of the DMRS binding; or, send scheduling signaling for enabling DMRS binding through the transceiver unit, where the scheduling signaling is further used to schedule the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message.

[0090] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: one or more processors configured to execute the method according to any one of the first aspect, or execute the method according to any one of the second aspect.

[0091] In a seventh aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, where a program is stored in the readable storage medium, and when the program is executed by a communication device, the method according to any one of the first aspect is implemented, or the method according to any one of the second aspect is implemented.

[0092] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a chip system, including: a memory for storing a computer program; a processor; when the processor calls and runs the computer program from the memory, the communication device installed with the chip system is caused to execute the method described in any one of the first aspect or execute the method described in any one of the second aspect.

[0093] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer program product, which when called by a computer, causes the computer to execute the method described in any one of the first aspect or execute the method described in any one of the second aspect. Description of the Drawings

[0094] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 2C They are respectively schematic structural diagrams of an NTN communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] Figure 3 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the content included in the MAC sub-header of Msg3 in an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0100] During the random access process of a traditional fifth generation (5G) communication system, the following 4 messages (Msgs) are exchanged between a terminal device and a network device:

[0101] Msg1: One or more preambles sent by the terminal device according to the random access configuration and downlink measurement.

[0102] Msg2: The network device responds to Msg1, providing further information and scheduling of Msg3. Msg2 can also be referred to as a random access response (RAR) message. The RAR message includes uplink grant (UL grant, where UL is the English abbreviation of uplink, i.e., uplink) information.

[0103] Msg3: L2 (layer 2) / L3 (layer 3) message. Msg3 is, for example, a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment request message.

[0104] Msg4: Dispute resolution. Msg4 is, for example, an RRC connection establishment completion message.

[0105] Before the terminal device sends Msg1, the terminal device acquires downlink synchronization, acquires random access configuration, and performs measurements.

[0106] In the current communication protocol, the transmission of Msg2 does not support repetition, and the transmission of Msg4 also does not support repetition. Among them, not supporting the repetition of Msg2 can be understood as not supporting sending Msg2 multiple times. Similarly, not supporting the repetition of Msg4 can be understood as not supporting sending Msg4 multiple times.

[0107] Downlink coverage enhancement in the satellite scenario will be one of the potential research topics for R19, including coverage enhancement at the physical layer channel link level and enhancements in satellite parameters. For example, the number of wave positions in the satellite coverage area is huge, and the satellite power is limited. Considering power sharing between on-board beams and beam management technologies such as hopping beams to solve problems such as synchronization signal scanning and data channel transmission in the satellite coverage area. According to the satellite parameter assumptions of 3GPP R18 (TR38.821), the equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) density of a single satellite beam is large. Considering multi-wave position coverage (for example, based on the satellite antenna assumptions of 3GPP, the main lobe 3dB width of the satellite beam is 4.4 degrees. In the LEO600 scenario with a minimum terminal elevation angle of 30 degrees, more than 1300 wave positions are required to fully cover the coverage area of a single satellite), turning on multiple beams simultaneously according to the existing parameter assumptions of the satellite will result in excessive overall satellite power. The subsequent discussion direction for R19 based on satellite parameters is to reduce the lighting ratio of wave positions in the coverage area (for example, only lighting 10% of the wave positions in the sub-satellite coverage area at the same time), and combined with considering dynamic power sharing strategies between beams and hopping beam mechanisms to ensure the coverage of all wave positions.

[0108] Another impact caused by the power sharing between satellite beams is the reduction of the link budget for the transmission of each downlink data channel, which is mainly reflected in the reduction of the satellite downlink beam EIRP (compared with the downlink single-beam EIRP parameters defined in SET-1, SET-2, etc. in TR38.821). Therefore, for multiple downlink data channels discussed based on R18, such as the Msg2 physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), Msg4 PDSCH, etc., there will be coverage gaps (i.e., the carrier to noise ratio (CNR) of the link budget is less than the signal noise ratio (SNR) required by the channel decoding threshold).

[0109] To this end, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related devices that can implement this method to enhance downlink channel transmission, reduce the decoding threshold of the link, and improve the coverage ability.

[0110] The embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0111] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: 5G communication systems, NTN communication systems, etc., and can also be applied to communication systems evolved after 5G, such as the sixth generation (6G) communication system. As Figure 1 shown, it is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication system includes a network device and terminal devices. The number of network devices is taken as 1, and the number of terminal devices is taken as 2 (terminal device A and terminal device B) as an example. Terminal device A and terminal device B can communicate with the network device separately or simultaneously. It should be noted that the number of terminal devices and network devices in the communication system shown in the embodiments of the present application is not limited Figure 1 to the number of terminal devices and network devices in the shown communication system.

[0112] The above terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal, etc., and is a device or equipment with wireless communication capabilities. Terminal devices can be widely applied in various scenarios, such as machine type of communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), vehicle to everything (V2X), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, etc. Terminal devices can be subscriber units, cellular phones, smart phones, wireless data cards, personal digital assistant (PDA) computers, tablet computers, wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, customer-premises equipment (CPE), smart point of sale (POS) machines, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, MTC devices, ground stations, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal device.

[0113] The above-mentioned network device can also be referred to as an access network (AN) device or a radio access network (RAN) device, which is a device that can be deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The network device can be a base station for wireless communication such as an artificial earth satellite and a high-altitude aircraft, for example, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite in a non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO), a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a high-altitude platform station (HAPS), an evolved NodeB (eNB), and a 5G base station (gNB), etc. Optionally, the network device in the embodiments of the present application can include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, devices that implement base station functions in a communication system evolved after 5G (such as 6G), transmitting and receiving points (TRPs), transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, and devices that undertake base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, etc. It can also include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) system, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0114] Taking the network device as a satellite as an example, the specific communication scenarios applied in the embodiments of the present application can be as Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 2C shown.

[0115] In Figure 2A the scenario shown, the base station is deployed on the ground, the satellite is connected to the ground station through the air interface, and the ground station can be connected to the base station through a wireless or wired link. The ground terminal device accesses the mobile communication network through the air interface (the air interface can be various types of air interfaces, such as a 5G air interface), and the satellite acts as a transmission node to forward the information of the terminal device.

[0116] In Figure 2BIn the scenario shown, the base station is deployed on a satellite. The satellite is connected to a ground station via an air interface, and the ground station can be connected to the core network via a wireless or wired link. Terminal devices on the ground communicate with the satellite base station via the air interface to access the mobile communication network. The satellite, acting as a base station, is connected to the ground station via the NG interface, and the ground station is connected to the core network via the NG interface. This NG interface can be in wireless or wired form.

[0117] Figure 2C The scenario shown compared with Figure 2B the scenario shown, adds a communication scenario between satellite base stations. Specifically, satellite base stations can communicate with each other via the Xn interface.

[0118] In Figures 2A - 2C , the terminal devices can include various types of terminal devices that support the new air interface, such as the various types of terminals listed above. The terminal devices can access the satellite network via the air interface and initiate services such as making calls and accessing the Internet.

[0119] The base station is mainly used to provide wireless access services, schedule wireless resources for the accessed terminal devices, provide reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols, etc.

[0120] The core network is mainly used to provide functions such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and billing. The core network consists of multiple functional units and can be divided into functional entities of the control plane and the data plane.

[0121] The ground station is mainly responsible for forwarding signaling and service data between the satellite and the base station, or between the satellite and the core network.

[0122] Air interface: Represents the wireless link between the terminal device and the base station.

[0123] Xn interface: Represents the interface between satellite base stations, mainly used for signaling interactions such as handover.

[0124] NG interface: Represents the interface between the base station and the core network, or between the ground station and the core network, or between the satellite base station and the ground station (in this case, the interface is a wireless link), mainly for interacting with signaling such as the non-access stratum (NAS) of the core network, as well as the service data of users.

[0125] Based on Figure 1 or Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B or Figure 2C the system architecture shown, Figure 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0126] As Figure 3As shown, the process may include the following steps:

[0127] Step 301: The terminal device determines the number of transmissions of the first message, where the number of transmissions is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4.

[0128] In a possible implementation, the network device sends a second message to the terminal device, and the second message indicates the number of transmissions of Msg2 and / or Msg4. Correspondingly, the terminal device determines the number of transmissions of Msg2 and / or Msg4 according to the second message.

[0129] In a possible implementation, the network device may, when determining that certain conditions are met, such as when there may be more channels to be enhanced currently, decide to perform multiple transmissions for the first message, and then indicate the number of transmissions of the first message through the second message.

[0130] Optionally, if the network device determines that the current communication scenario is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication scenario, it determines to perform multiple transmissions for the first message. Among them, the network device can determine whether it is currently in an NTN communication scenario through the communication frequency band. For example, if the current frequency band is n255 or n256, it can be determined that the current communication scenario is an NTN communication scenario.

[0131] Optionally, if the network device configures the number of repetitions of Msg3 repetition and the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) threshold for triggering Msg3 repetition in the system information, it determines to perform multiple transmissions for the first message. Among them, the system information is, for example, a system information block (SIB).

[0132] Optionally, if the network device configures the number of repetitions of Msg4 hybrid automatic repeat request-ACKnowledgement (HARQ-ACK) repetition and the RSRP threshold for triggering Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition in the system information, it determines to perform multiple transmissions for the first message. Among them, the system information is, for example, a system information block (SIB).

[0133] Optionally, if the network device determines at least two of the following conditions, it may determine that there may be more channels to be enhanced in the current communication scenario, and then decide to send the first message multiple times: 1) The current communication scenario is an NTN communication scenario; 2) The network device configures the number of repetitions of Msg3 repetition and the RSRP threshold for triggering Msg3 repetition in the system information; 3) The network device configures the number of repetitions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition and the RSRP threshold for triggering Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition in the system information.

[0134] In a possible implementation, the second message is a system message. That is to say, the number of transmissions of the first message can be broadcast through the system message, and the number of transmissions of the first message is configured at the cell level. For terminal devices with the first terminal capability within the cell, the first message is received according to the same number of transmissions. For terminal devices without the first terminal capability, the terminal device only attempts to decode the first message received for the first time. Among them, the first terminal capability is the ability to receive the first message transmitted multiple times. Among them, "multiple transmissions" is relative to "single transmission" or "only transmit once", which can be understood as the number of transmissions is greater than or equal to 2, or it can be understood as repeated transmission.

[0135] Optionally, the system message may be an SIB, and indication information may be set in the SIB to indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2 and / or Msg4.

[0136] In a possible implementation, the second message is a scheduling signal, such as downlink control information (DCI) or media access control control element (MAC CE), etc. That is to say, the network device can configure the number of transmissions of the first message at the UE level by sending a scheduling signal to a terminal device with the first terminal capability.

[0137] In a possible implementation, the second message is a first scheduling signal for scheduling Msg2, and the first scheduling signal is used to indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2 or indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2 and Msg4. Exemplarily, the first scheduling signal is DCI format 1_0 scrambled by a random access-radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI).

[0138] Optionally, the number of transmissions of Msg2 is included in a set of resource information corresponding to the row index indicated by the time domain resource assignment (TDRA) field in the first scheduling signaling. In the embodiments of the present application, the TDRA field may be redefined so that the row index indicated by this field points to the table provided in the embodiments of the present application, and each row index in this table corresponds to a set of resource parameters, including the number of transmissions of Msg2.

[0139] Table 1 shows the table provided by the related art, and Table 2 shows a table provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] Table 1: Default PDSCH time domain resource allocation A for normal cyclic prefix (CP)

[0141]

[0142] In the embodiments of the present application, Table 1 is modified, that is, when the above scenarios are met (for example, one or more of the following scenarios: the current communication scenario is an NTN communication scenario, the repetition times of Msg3 repetition and the RSRP threshold for triggering Msg3 repetition are configured, the repetition times of Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition and the RSRP threshold for triggering Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition are configured), a new table is introduced. In the newly introduced table, the TypeB PDSCH mapping Type is removed, and a column of configuration information on the number of transmissions (such as the "Nrep" column in Table 2) is introduced. The newly introduced table is shown in Table 2.

[0143] Table 2: Default PDSCH time domain resource allocation A for normal cyclic prefix (CP)

[0144]

[0145] Based on Table 2, after receiving the first scheduling signaling, the terminal device queries Table 2 according to the row index in the TDRA field of the first scheduling signaling to obtain the number of transmissions of Msg2 corresponding to this row index.

[0146] Optionally, the N bits of the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field in the first scheduling signaling indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2. The N bits are the N bits starting from the highest bit of the MCS field, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The MCS field is a 5-bit field. Considering that in scenarios where Msg2 needs to be transmitted multiple times, the communication quality is poor, and generally the network side will not schedule a high MCS level. Therefore, the high 2 bits or 1 bit of the MCS field can be reused to indicate the number of transmissions of Msg2.

[0147] For example, using 2 bits to indicate one of the 4 transmission times {1, 2, 4, 8}. For instance, the value "00" of the 2 bits indicates a transmission time of 1, "01" indicates a transmission time of 2, "10" indicates a transmission time of 4, and "11" indicates a transmission time of 8; using 1 bit to indicate one of the 2 transmission times {2, 4}. Among them, the mapping relationship between the value of the 2 bits or 1 bit and the transmission time can be pre-agreed or configured by the network device, which is not limited in this application.

[0148] For another example, when the number of transmission times of Msg2 configured by the network device through system messages (such as SIB or broadcast messages) does not exceed 4, 2 bits of the MCS field can be used to indicate one of the transmission times. For example, when the network device configures 3 transmission times for Msg2 through SIB, the value "00" of the 2 bits of the MCS font is mapped to the first transmission time configured in the SIB, "01" is mapped to the second transmission time configured in the SIB, "10" is mapped to the third transmission time configured in the SIB, and "11" is not mapped.

[0149] Optionally, the first value of the transport block (TB) scaling factor in the first scheduling signaling is associated with one of the M transmission times of Msg2, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The TB scaling field is 2 bits, and the 4 code points of the 2 bits are 00, 01, 10, 11 respectively, and "11" is reserved, as shown in Table 3.

[0150] Table 3: Scaling factor of paging RNTI (P-RNTI), RA-RNTI and MSGE-RNTI info of the scaling factor

[0151] TB scaling field Scaling factor S 00 1 01 0.5 10 0.25 11 Reserved

[0152] In the embodiment of the present application, the codepoint "11" of the TB scaling field can be reused to indicate one of the transmission times {2, 4, 8} of Msg2, and its mapping relationship can be configured by SIB or pre-agreed.

[0153] In a possible implementation, the second message is a second scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg4, and the second scheduling signaling is used to indicate the transmission times of Msg4. Exemplarily, the second scheduling signaling is DCI format 1_0 scrambled by a temporary cell (TC) RNTI, and this DCI is also referred to as DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by TC-RNTI.

[0154] Optionally, the transmission times of Msg4 are included in a set of resource information corresponding to the row index indicated by the TDRA field in the second scheduling signaling. In the embodiment of the present application, the TDRA field can be redefined so that the row index indicated by this field points to the table provided by the embodiment of the present application. Each row index in this table corresponds to a set of resource parameters, including the transmission times of Msg4. An example of this table can be shown in Table 2.

[0155] Optionally, N bits of the MCS field in the second scheduling signaling indicate the transmission times of Msg4. The N bits are the N bits starting from the highest bit of the MCS field, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The MCS field is a 5-bit field. Considering that in scenarios where Msg4 needs to be transmitted multiple times, the communication quality is poor, and generally the network side will not schedule a higher MCS level, therefore, the high 2 bits or 1 bit of the MCS field can be reused to indicate the transmission times of Msg4.

[0156] For example, 2 bits are used to indicate one of 4 transmission times {1, 2, 4, 8}. For example, the transmission time indicated by the value "00" of 2 bits is 1, "01" indicates the transmission time of 2, "10" indicates the transmission time of 4, and "11" indicates the transmission time of 8; 1 bit is used to indicate one of 2 transmission times {2, 4}. Among them, the mapping relationship between the value of 2 bits or 1 bit and the transmission times can be pre-agreed or configured by the network device, and the present application does not limit it.

[0157] For another example, when the number of transmission times of Msg4 configured by the network device through system messages (such as SIB or broadcast messages) does not exceed 4, 2 bits of the MCS field can be used to indicate one of the transmission times. For example, when the network device configures 3 transmission times for Msg4 through SIB, the value "00" of the 2 bits of the MCS font is mapped to the first transmission time configured in the SIB, "01" is mapped to the second transmission time configured in the SIB, "10" is mapped to the third transmission time configured in the SIB, and "11" is not mapped.

[0158] In a possible implementation manner, the second message is Msg2, and the Msg2 is used to indicate the transmission times of Msg4. That is to say, the transmission times of Msg4 can be indicated in other scheduling signaling except for scheduling Msg4. In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can use 1 bit reserved in the channel state information (CSI) request field in the UL grant information in Msg2 to enable the terminal device to perform multiple transmissions of Msg4, and the "enabled" transmission times can be agreed by the protocol or configured by the SIB. For example, the number of transmission times Nrep of Msg4 = 2. For a terminal device that supports multiple transmissions of Msg4, the terminal device can select the Msg4 reception method according to the content indicated by the CSI request field; for a terminal device that does not support receiving Msg4 multiple times, the terminal device only attempts to decode the first received Msg4.

[0159] In a possible implementation manner, the network device can configure multiple transmission times of the first message through system messages, and then indicate one of the multiple times to the terminal device through scheduling signaling. Exemplarily, the network device sends a system message, and the system message indicates M transmission times of the first message, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The network device sends a second message to the terminal device, and the second message includes scheduling signaling, and the scheduling signaling indicates the transmission times of the first message, and the transmission times of the first message indicated by the scheduling signaling is one of the M transmission times. Among them, the scheduling signaling may include a first scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg2, and / or a second scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg4. The specific implementation manner of indicating the transmission times of the first message through scheduling signaling can refer to the relevant content in the above text.

[0160] In a possible implementation, the number of transmissions of the first message is associated with the number of repetitions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition. Optionally, in an implementation, the number of transmissions of the first message is the same as the number of repetitions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition. Optionally, in another implementation, there is a correspondence between the number of transmissions of the first message and the number of repetitions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition, and this correspondence can be pre-agreed or configured by the network device.

[0161] In a possible implementation, the number of transmissions of the first message is associated with the number of repetitions of Msg3 repetition. Optionally, in an implementation, the number of transmissions of the first message is the same as the number of repetitions of Msg3 repetition. Optionally, in another implementation, there is a correspondence between the number of transmissions of the first message and the number of repetitions of Msg3 repetition, and this correspondence can be pre-agreed or configured by the network device.

[0162] Step 302: The network device sends a first message to the terminal device, and the number of transmissions of the first message is greater than or equal to 2. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first message from the network device according to the number of transmissions of the first message.

[0163] Optionally, the network device may send Msg2 N1 times in N1 consecutive time slots, where Msg2 is sent once in each of the N1 time slots.

[0164] Optionally, the network device may indicate to the terminal device the time-frequency resources used for the first transmission of Msg2, such as the time slot used for the first transmission of Msg2; the terminal device may receive Msg2 in this time slot and the N1 consecutive time slots including this time slot according to the time slot used for the first transmission of Msg2 and the number of transmissions N1 of Msg2.

[0165] Similarly, the network device may send Msg4 N2 times in N2 consecutive time slots, where Msg4 is sent once in each of the N2 time slots. N2 may be equal to N1 or may not be equal to N1, which is not limited in this application. The network device may indicate to the terminal device the time-frequency resources used for the first transmission of Msg4, such as the time slot used for the first transmission of Msg4; the terminal device may receive Msg4 in this time slot and the N2 consecutive time slots including this time slot according to the time slot used for the first transmission of Msg4 and the number of transmissions N2 of Msg4.

[0166] The above Figure 3The process shown can achieve multiple transmissions of Msg2 and / or Msg4, which can enhance the downlink coverage of the downlink data channel in the NTN scenario.

[0167] In a possible implementation, if the third message uses repeated transmission (i.e., the third message uses a transmission method of multiple transmissions), then the first message also uses repeated transmission (i.e., the first message uses a transmission method of multiple transmissions). That is to say, the repeated transmission request of the third message can be associated with the request for multiple transmissions of the first message, or the repeated transmission request of the third message can be associated with the multiple transmissions of the first message. Among them, the third message can be Msg4 HARQ-ACK or Msg3.

[0168] Exemplarily, the request for multiple transmissions of Msg4 is associated with the repeated request of Msg4 HARQ-ACK. Among them, the signaling of the repeated request of Msg4 HARQ-ACK is carried by the Msg3 high-layer signaling.

[0169] Another example is that the request for multiple transmissions of Msg4 is associated with the repeated request of Msg3. Among them, the signaling of the repeated request of Msg3 is carried by a specific PRACH resource group, and the PRACH resources in this group carry the repeated request of the terminal device for Msg3.

[0170] In a possible implementation, Figure 3 The process shown further includes the following steps:

[0171] Step 300: The terminal device reports the first terminal capability to the network device or requests multiple transmissions of the first message.

[0172] A possible implementation of step 300 is that the terminal device sends Msg1 to the network device based on the first PRACH resource. The first PRACH resource belongs to the first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission method of Msg2 and / or Msg4, or corresponds to the first terminal capability. The first transmission method is multiple transmissions. That is to say, if the terminal device uses a specific PRACH resource (such as the above first PRACH resource) to send Mag1, it means that the terminal device has the first terminal capability, or it means that the terminal device requests the network device to perform multiple transmissions of Msg2 and / or Msg4.

[0173] Optionally, the network device may configure PRACH resource groups, such as configuring a first PRACH resource group and a second PRACH resource group, or a greater number of PRACH resource groups, which is not limited in this application. Among them, the first PRACH resource group corresponds (or is associated) to the first transmission mode of Msg2 and / or Msg4, or corresponds (or is associated) to the first terminal capability; the second PRACH resource group corresponds to the second transmission mode of Msg2 and / or Msg4, or corresponds to the second terminal capability, where the second transmission mode means transmitting only once, and the second terminal capability means not having the ability to receive Msg2 and / or Msg4 transmitted multiple times. If the terminal device has the first terminal capability, it may send Msg1 based on the PRACH resources in the first PRACH resource group; or if the terminal device has the first terminal capability and the current reception performance or channel quality is poor, it may send Msg1 based on the PRACH resources in the first PRACH resource group. If the terminal device does not have the first terminal capability, it sends Msg1 based on the PRACH resources in the second PRACH resource group; or if the terminal device has the first terminal capability and the current reception performance or channel quality is good, it sends Msg1 based on the PRACH resources in the second PRACH resource group.

[0174] The PRACH resources may include one or more of the following types of resources: time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, code-domain resources (such as preamble sequences), etc. In the embodiments of this application, one or more of the above types of resources may be grouped to form different PRACH resource groups. Exemplarily, the preamble sequence included in the first PRACH resource group is different from the preamble sequence included in the second PRACH resource group. Another exemplarily, the random access occasion (RO) included in the first PRACH resource group is different from the RO included in the second PRACH resource group. Among them, the RO indicates the time-domain resource and / or frequency-domain resource for random access.

[0175] In a possible implementation of configuring the PRACH resource group, the network device sends the first configuration information of the first PRACH resource group, and the first configuration information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission mode of Msg2 and / or Msg4, or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability.

[0176] Optionally, the first configuration information may be sent through a system message, such as the first configuration information is included in the SIB sent by the network device.

[0177] Optionally, the first configuration information may include first indication information, or include second indication information, or include both the first indication information and the second indication information. Among them, the first indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission mode of Msg2, or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg2 sent multiple times. The second indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission mode of Msg4, or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times.

[0178] Exemplarily, an NR feature or a FeatureCombination cell, etc., may be set in the SIB. This cell is associated with the first PRACH resource group, and the cell includes the above-mentioned first indication information and / or second indication information, so as to indicate through this cell that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission mode of Msg2 and / or Msg4, or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability.

[0179] The following code exemplarily shows some of the content included in the FeatureCombination cell, and this FeatureCombination cell is associated with the first PRACH resource group.

[0180] The FeatureCombination cell may include:

[0181]

[0182] Among them, Msg2-Repetiions-r19 is a feature corresponding to Msg2. If this feature is enabled (i.e., set to true), it means that Msg2 is sent multiple times, otherwise it means that Msg2 is sent only once. Similarly, Msg4-Repetiions-r19 is a feature corresponding to Msg4. If this feature is enabled (i.e., set to true), it means that Msg4 is sent multiple times, otherwise it means that Msg2 is sent only once.

[0183] Optionally, the FeatureCombination cell may include Msg2-Repetiions-r19 but not Msg4-Repetiions-r19, or include Msg4-Repetiions-r19 but not Msg2-Repetiions-r19, or include both Msg2-Repetiions-r19 and Msg4-Repetiions-r19.

[0184] It can be understood that Msg2-Repetiions-r19 set to "true" corresponds to the above first indication information, and Msg4-Repetiions-r19 set to "true" corresponds to the above second indication information.

[0185] The network device may also configure the PRACH resources in the first PRACH resource group. Optionally, when the first configuration information indicates that Msg2 and / or Msg4 are sent multiple times, the PRACH resources in the first PRACH resource group may be configured through the second configuration information.

[0186] In a possible implementation of configuring PRACH resources, the network device sends the second configuration information of the first PRACH resource group, and the second configuration information indicates the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource group, and the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource group include the first PRACH resource.

[0187] Optionally, the second configuration information may be sent through a system message. For example, the second configuration information is included in the SIB sent by the network device. Exemplarily, the network device may configure the PRACH resources within the first PRACH resource group in the FeatureCombinationPreambles cell. For example, the identifier of the preamble sequence included in the first PRACH resource group or the random access opportunity (RO) included in the first PRACH resource group is indicated within this cell.

[0188] A possible implementation of step 300 is that the terminal device sends Msg3 to the network device, and the Msg3 includes third indication information, where the third indication information indicates that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times, or the third indication information is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4.

[0189] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is located in the message payload of Msg3, for example, it can be carried in the spare bits in the message payload of Msg3. Among them, the message payload of Msg3 is sent on the uplink common control channel (CCCH). In a possible implementation, the length of this payload is 48 bits.

[0190] Exemplarily, the following code exemplarily shows the content included in the 48-bit payload (CCCH) of Msg3:

[0191]

[0192]

[0193] Among them, there is 1 spare bit in RRCSetupRequest-IEs; the EstablishmentCause field is an 8-bit field, and currently there are 6 reserved encodings (spare positions) available in the encoding formed by this field.

[0194] Exemplarily, the embodiments of the present application can use the EstablishmentCause field in the message payload of Msg3 to carry the third indication information. For example, the reserved encoding of EstablishmentCause can be used to indicate that the terminal device has the ability to receive multiple transmissions of Msg4, or to request multiple transmissions of Msg4. For example, the highest bit in the EstablishmentCause field is used for indication. When the value of this highest bit is equal to 1, it means that the terminal device has the ability to receive multiple transmissions of Msg4, or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4.

[0195] Another exemplarily, there is 1 spare bit in the RRCSetupRequest-IEs field in the message payload of Msg3. The embodiments of the present application can use this bit to indicate that the terminal device has the ability to receive multiple transmissions of Msg4, or to request multiple transmissions of Msg4. For example, when the value of this bit is equal to 1, it means that the terminal device has the ability to receive multiple transmissions of Msg4, or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4.

[0196] The above only exemplarily lists several examples of indicating that the terminal device has the ability to receive multiple transmissions of Msg4, or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4 through the message payload of Msg3. The present application is not limited thereto.

[0197] In a possible implementation, the third indication information is located in the media access control (MAC) sub-header of Msg3.

[0198] Figure 4 Exemplarily shown is the content included in the MAC sub-header of Msg3. Figure 4 Figure (a) therein shows a MAC sub-header that does not include the eLCID field, Figure 4 Figure (b) therein shows a MAC sub-header that includes the eLCID field. When the number of encodings of the logical channel identification (LCID) is equal to 34, the MAC sub-header adopts a long format and includes an additional extended LCID (eLCID), and 289 reserved codepoints are not used in this eLCID, as shown in Figure 4 Figure (b) therein.

[0199] Among them, the codepoints of LCID can be as shown in Table 4:

[0200] Table 4: LCID values of the uplink control channel (SCH)

[0201]

[0202] Among them, the codepoints of the 1-byte eLCID can be as shown in Table 5:

[0203] Table 5: 1-byte eLCID values of the uplink SCH

[0204] Codepoint index LCID values 0 to 228 64 to 292 Reserved

[0205] Exemplarily, the third indication information can be carried in the R field of the MAC sub-header. The R field in the MAC sub-header includes 2 bits, and these 2 bits are reserved bits. In the embodiments of the present application, 1 of these bits can be used to indicate that the terminal device has the ability to receive multiple transmissions of Msg4, or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4.

[0206] Exemplarily, the third indication information may be carried in the LCID field in the MAC sub-header. This field is used to carry the LCID, and the LCID includes 7 reserved codepoints, which are 37 to 42 and 47 respectively. In one possible implementation, 1 of the reserved codepoints may be used to indicate that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times, or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4. In another possible implementation, on the basis of using 4 of the reserved codepoints to indicate that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4, the 4 reserved codepoints may be associated with at least 2 of the 4 features. For example, the third indication information is jointly encoded with the 4 features. The 4 features are: RedCap UE, non-RedCap UE, the size of the first CCCH payload (i.e., the message payload of Msg3), and the size of the second CCCH payload. That is to say, through the 4 reserved codepoints, it can be indicated that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4, and the above 4 features can also be indicated.

[0207] Exemplarily, the third indication information may be carried in the eLCID field. This field is used to carry the eLCID, and the eLCID includes 289 reserved codepoints. When the MAC sub-header of Msg3 adopts the long format (the encoding length of LCID is 34), there are many unused codepoints in the eLCID field, such as up to 289. In one possible implementation, 1 of the reserved codepoints may be used to indicate that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times, or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4. In another possible implementation, on the basis of using 4 of the reserved codepoints to indicate that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 sent multiple times or is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4, the 4 reserved codepoints may be associated with at least 2 of the 4 features. For example, the third indication information is jointly encoded with the 4 features. The 4 features are: RedCap UE UE, non-RedCap UE UE, the size of the first CCCH payload (i.e., the message payload of Msg3), and the size of the second CCCH payload. Compared with associating the third indication information and the above 4 features using the reserved codepoints of LCID, using the reserved codepoints of eLCID to associate the third indication information and the above 4 features can utilize resources more reasonably.

[0208] Considering that the satellite has a wide coverage area and a large number of covered users, only a part of the terminal devices may have the need for coverage enhancement. By reporting the first terminal capability or requesting multiple transmissions of the first message, the network device can implement configurations related to the number of transmissions of the first message at the UE level, thereby making the configurations related to multiple transmissions of the first message more flexible.

[0209] In some embodiments of the present application, a terminal device with the first terminal capability may report the first terminal capability or request multiple transmissions of the first message to the network device only when certain conditions are met. For example, when the receiving performance of the terminal device is poor or the channel quality is poor, it is possible that the terminal device cannot receive the first message sent by the network device. In this case, the terminal device may report the first terminal capability or request multiple transmissions of the first message to the network device, so that the network device transmits the first message multiple times, thereby enhancing the downlink coverage of the first message. When the receiving performance of the terminal device is good or the channel quality is good, the terminal device may not report the first terminal capability or request multiple transmissions of the first message to the network device, and the network device may transmit the first message only once, thereby reducing network resource overhead.

[0210] In a possible implementation, if the receiving performance parameter of the terminal device is lower than the set requirement, the terminal device reports the first terminal capability or requests multiple transmissions of the first message to the network device.

[0211] Optionally, the receiving performance parameter includes the communication elevation angle or the value range where the communication elevation angle is located. If the communication elevation angle is less than or equal to the communication elevation angle threshold, or the value of the communication elevation angle is within the first value range, it indicates that the receiving performance of the terminal device is poor. In this case, the terminal device reports the first terminal capability or requests multiple transmissions of the first message to the network device. The specific implementation can refer to the previous embodiments. Among them, the possible value range of the communication elevation angle can be divided into at least two value ranges in advance, and the communication elevation angle value corresponding to the first value range is smaller. When the value of the communication elevation angle of the terminal device falls into this first value range, it indicates that the receiving performance of the terminal device is poor.

[0212] Optionally, the communication elevation angle threshold can be set in advance or configured by the network device. For example, the network device can configure the communication elevation angle threshold for the terminal device through system information or scheduling signaling (such as DCI) to improve the flexibility of the system.

[0213] The terminal device can calculate the communication elevation angle based on the ephemeris information of the satellite where the spaceborne base station is located and the position of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Among them, the spaceborne base station can send the ephemeris information through system messages (such as SIB). The embodiments of the present application do not limit the method for the terminal device to calculate the communication elevation angle.

[0214] Optionally, the receiving performance parameter includes the receiving gain or the receiving gain level. If the receiving gain is less than or equal to the receiving gain threshold, or the receiving gain level is less than or equal to the receiving gain level threshold, it indicates that the receiving performance of the terminal device is poor. In this case, the terminal device reports the first terminal capability to the network device or requests to send the first message multiple times. The specific implementation manner can refer to the previous embodiments. Among them, the possible value range of the receiving gain can be divided into at least two receiving gain levels in ascending order of the values. The lower the receiving gain level, the lower the corresponding receiving gain. When the receiving gain level corresponding to the receiving gain of the terminal device is less than or equal to the receiving gain level threshold, it indicates that the receiving performance of the terminal device is poor.

[0215] Optionally, the receiving gain threshold and the receiving gain level threshold can be set in advance or configured by the network device. For example, the network device can configure the receiving gain threshold and the receiving gain level threshold for the terminal device through system messages or scheduling signaling (such as DCI) to improve the system flexibility.

[0216] The receiving gain of the terminal device is related to the receiving antenna gain, noise, temperature, etc. The magnitude of the receiving gain can be characterized by the receiving performance index G / T. G / T is an index for measuring the receiving performance. The calculation formula of G / T can be: G / T = G - 10lgT (dB / K). Where G is the receiving gain of the antenna; Te is the equivalent noise of the receiving system. It can be seen from this formula that the larger the G / T value, the better the receiving performance. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the calculation method of the receiving gain.

[0217] Optionally, the receiving performance parameter includes the received signal strength or the received signal strength level. If the terminal device detects a downlink signal, such as a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (Synchronization Signal and PBCH block, SSB), and the received signal strength is less than or equal to the received signal strength threshold, or the received signal strength level is less than or equal to the received signal strength level threshold, it indicates that the receiving performance of the terminal device is poor. In this case, the terminal device reports the first terminal capability to the network device or requests to send the first message multiple times. The specific implementation method can refer to the previous embodiments. Among them, the possible value range of the received signal strength can be divided into at least two received signal strength levels in ascending order of values. The lower the received signal strength level, the lower the corresponding received signal strength. When the received signal strength level corresponding to the received signal strength of the terminal device is less than or equal to the received signal strength level threshold, it indicates that the receiving performance of the terminal device is poor.

[0218] Optionally, the received signal strength may be the RSRP.

[0219] Optionally, the RSRP threshold can be indicated by the offset of the Msg3 repetition RSRP threshold, that is, the RSRP threshold for triggering the multiple transmission of Msg4 is obtained based on the Msg3 repetition RSRP threshold and this offset. Among them, the Msg3 repetition RSRP threshold is used to trigger the multiple transmission of Msg3, that is, when the terminal device detects that the RSRP is less than or equal to the Msg3 repetition RSRP threshold, Msg3 is transmitted multiple times.

[0220] Optionally, the RSRP threshold can be indicated by the offset of the Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition RSRP threshold, that is, the RSRP threshold for triggering the multiple transmission of Msg4 is obtained based on the Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition RSRP threshold and this offset. Among them, the Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition RSRP threshold is used to trigger the multiple transmission of Msg4 HARQ-ACK, that is, when the terminal device detects that the RSRP is less than or equal to the Msg4 HARQ-ACK repetition RSRP threshold, Msg4 HARQ-ACK is transmitted multiple times.

[0221] Optionally, the received signal strength threshold and the received signal strength level threshold can be pre-set or configured by the network device. For example, the network device can configure the received signal strength threshold and the received signal strength level threshold for the terminal device through system messages or scheduling signaling (such as DCI) to improve the system flexibility.

[0222] In a possible implementation, the reception performance parameter includes at least two of the following three parameters: 1) the communication elevation angle or the value range where the communication elevation angle is located; 2) the reception gain or the reception gain level; 3) the received signal strength or the received signal strength level. Correspondingly, when the terminal device determines that the conditions corresponding to the corresponding parameters are met, it reports the first terminal capability to the network device or requests to send the first message multiple times. For example, when the reception performance parameter includes the communication elevation angle and the received signal strength, if the terminal device determines that the communication elevation angle is less than or equal to the communication elevation angle threshold and the received signal strength is less than or equal to the received signal strength threshold, it reports the first terminal capability to the network device or requests to send the first message multiple times.

[0223] In a possible implementation, there is a corresponding relationship between the reception performance parameter and the number of transmissions of the first message. The terminal device can send the reception performance parameter to the network device, and the network device determines the number of transmissions corresponding to the received reception performance parameter according to this corresponding relationship and indicates the number of transmissions to the terminal device.

[0224] Exemplarily, the terminal device can send the reception performance parameter to the network device through Msg1. The network device can send the number of transmissions of Msg4 corresponding to this reception performance parameter to the terminal device through Msg2 and send Msg4 to the terminal device according to this number of transmissions. For example, the terminal device can send the value of the communication elevation angle, or the index value corresponding to the communication elevation angle, or the indication information of the value range where the communication elevation angle is located, etc. to the network device.

[0225] Another example is that the terminal device can send the reception performance parameter to the network device through Msg1. The network device can determine the number of transmissions of Msg2 corresponding to this reception performance parameter according to this reception performance parameter and send Msg2 to the terminal device according to this number of transmissions. The terminal device can also determine the corresponding number of transmissions according to this reception performance parameter and receive Msg2 sent by the network device according to this number of transmissions. Similarly, the terminal device can send the reception performance parameter to the network device through Msg1. The network device can determine the number of transmissions of Msg4 corresponding to this reception performance parameter according to this reception performance parameter and send Msg4 to the terminal device according to this number of transmissions. The terminal device can also determine the corresponding number of transmissions according to this reception performance parameter and receive Msg4 sent by the network device according to this number of transmissions.

[0226] In a possible implementation manner, in this embodiment, for downlink data channel transmission, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling may also be enabled, and the window length of DMRS bundling is indicated to the terminal device, so that the terminal device performs joint channel decoding according to the window length of DMRS bundling, that is, joint channel estimation is performed on the DMRSs transmitted in multiple time slots corresponding to the window length of DMRS bundling. Among them, the window length of DMRS bundling may be multiple consecutive time slots.

[0227] In a possible implementation manner, the network device may enable DMRS bundling through configuration signaling. Exemplarily, the network device may send third configuration information, and the third configuration information is used to enable DMRS bundling for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message. Optionally, the third configuration information may be sent through a system message. For example, the network device configures the parameter DMRS_bundling_Msg2PDSCH in the SIB message to indicate to the terminal device that downlink joint channel estimation is enabled for Msg2 (this Msg2 has already enabled multiple transmissions). For another example, the network device configures the parameter DMRS_bundling_Msg4PDSCH in the SIB message to indicate to the terminal device that downlink joint channel estimation is enabled for Msg4 (this Msg4 has already enabled multiple transmissions).

[0228] In a possible implementation manner, the network device may enable DMRS bundling and enable multiple transmissions of the first message through the scheduling signaling of the first message. For example, the network device may enable multiple transmissions of the first message through this scheduling signaling, and may use a 1-bit indication in this scheduling signaling to enable DMRS bundling.

[0229] In a possible implementation manner, the window length of DMRS bundling is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message. For example, the number of time slots corresponding to the window length of DMRS bundling may be the same as the number of transmissions of the first message, or the window length of DMRS bundling is greater than the number of transmissions of the first message, or there is a corresponding relationship between the window length of DMRS bundling and the number of transmissions of the first message. Optionally, this corresponding relationship may be pre-agreed or configured by the network device, and this application does not limit it.

[0230] In a possible implementation, the window length of DMRS bundling is notified to the terminal device through configuration signaling. Exemplarily, the network device may send fourth configuration information, and the fourth configuration information indicates the window length of DMRS bundling. Optionally, the fourth configuration information may be sent through an SIB message.

[0231] In a possible implementation, the network device may notify the terminal device of the window length of DMRS bundling through scheduling signaling. Exemplarily, the network device may indicate the window length of DMRS bundling to the terminal device through the scheduling signaling for scheduling the first message.

[0232] In a possible implementation, for other downlink data channels, such as PDSCH, the network device may set indication information in the SIB. For example, the indication information is DMRS_bundling_PHY_PDSCH_WindowLength, which is used to indicate to the terminal device the window length of DMRS bundling configured by the network side.

[0233] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and the terminal device include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combining the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraint conditions of the technical solution.

[0234] Figure 5 and Figure 6 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a possible communication device provided by the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device may be a terminal device as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 2A , Figure 2B or Figure 2C , or may be a base station as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 2A , Figure 2B or Figure 2C , and may also be a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal or the base station.

[0235] As shown in Figure 5 , the communication device 500 includes a processing unit 510 and a transceiver unit 520. The communication device 500 is used to implement the above Figure 3The functions of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiments therein.

[0236] When the communication device 500 is used to implement Figure 3 the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown: The processing unit 510 is used to determine the number of times of sending the first message, where the number of times of sending is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4; the processing unit 510 is further used to receive the first message from the network device through the transceiver unit 520 according to the number of times of sending the first message.

[0237] When the communication device 500 is used to implement Figure 3 the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown: The processing unit 510 is used to determine to send the first message multiple times, where the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4; the processing unit 510 is further used to send the first message to the terminal device through the transceiver unit 520 according to the number of times of sending the first message, and the number of times of sending is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0238] For a more detailed description of the above processing unit 510 and transceiver unit 520, reference can be directly made to Figure 3 the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown, and no further elaboration will be provided here.

[0239] As Figure 6 shown, the communication device 600 includes a processor 610 and an interface circuit 620. The processor 610 and the interface circuit 620 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 620 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 600 may further include a memory 630 for storing instructions executed by the processor 610 or storing input data required for the processor 610 to run instructions or storing data generated after the processor 610 runs instructions.

[0240] When the communication device 600 is used to implement Figure 3 the method shown, the processor 610 is used to implement the functions of the above processing unit 510, and the interface circuit 620 is used to implement the functions of the above transceiver unit 520.

[0241] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and this information is sent by the network device to the terminal; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and this information is sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0242] When the above communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device module receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and this information is sent by the terminal to the network device; or, the network device module sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and this information is sent by the network device to the terminal. Here, the network device module can be the baseband chip of the network device, or a DU or other module. Here, the DU can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0243] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0244] In the present application, another example of a communication device is provided. The communication device includes at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one processor and the at least one memory are coupled. The at least one memory is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device executes the method in the above embodiments. Taking the communication device including one processor and one memory as an example, as Figure 6 shown, the communication device 600 includes one processor 610 and one memory 630. The processor 610 and the memory 630 are coupled. Instructions are stored in the memory 630. When the instructions stored in the memory 630 are executed by the processor 610, the communication device 600 executes the method executed by the terminal device or the network device in the above embodiments.

[0245] It should be understood that the processor 610 and the memory 630 can also be integrated together, for example, integrated in one chip.

[0246] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. 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 removable hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well 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. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a network device or a terminal.

[0247] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using 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 instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable devices. The computer program or instructions can 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 instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired or wireless manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or a data center integrating one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0248] In various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special indication and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be cross-referenced, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0249] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between associated objects and indicates that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates that the associated objects before and after are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can represent: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0250] It can be understood that the various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of this application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The magnitudes of the serial numbers of the above processes do not mean the sequence of execution, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Determine the number of transmissions of the first message, where the number of transmissions is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4; Receive the first message from the network device according to the number of transmissions of the first message.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also including: Report the first terminal capability to the network device or request multiple transmissions of the first message, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive the first message transmitted multiple times.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reporting the terminal capability to the network device or requesting multiple transmissions of the first message includes: Send Msg1 to the network device based on the first physical random access channel (PRACH) resource. The first PRACH resource belongs to the first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission mode of the first message or corresponds to the first terminal capability. The first transmission mode is multiple transmissions.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein Also including: Receive the first configuration information of the first PRACH resource group from the network device. The first configuration information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission mode of the first message or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first configuration information includes the first indication information, or includes the second indication information, or includes the first indication information and the second indication information; The first indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission mode of Msg2 or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg2 transmitted multiple times; The second indication information indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first transmission mode of Msg4 or indicates that the first PRACH resource group corresponds to the first terminal capability, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive Msg4 transmitted multiple times.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that Also including: Receive the second configuration information of the first PRACH resource group from the network device. The second configuration information indicates the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource is included in the PRACH resources included in the first PRACH resource group.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein The reporting the first terminal capability to the network device or requesting multiple transmissions of the first message includes: Send Msg3 to the network device. The Msg3 includes the third indication information, where the third indication information indicates that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 transmitted multiple times, or the third indication information is used to request multiple transmissions of Msg4.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The third indication information is located in the message payload of Msg3; or, the third indication information is located in the media access control (MAC) sub-header of Msg3.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The third indication information is carried in the R field, or the logical channel identification field, or the extended logical channel identification field of the MAC sub-header.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2-9, characterized in that, The reporting the first terminal capability to the network device or requesting multiple transmissions of the first message includes: If the receiving performance parameter of the terminal device is lower than the set requirement, report the first terminal capability to the network device or request to send the first message multiple times.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The receiving performance parameter includes one or more of the following: communication elevation angle or the value range where the communication elevation angle is located, receiving gain or receiving gain level, received signal strength or received signal strength level; The receiving performance parameter of the terminal device being lower than the set requirement includes one or more of the following: The communication elevation angle of the terminal device is less than or equal to the communication elevation angle threshold; or, The receiving gain of the terminal device is less than or equal to the receiving gain threshold, or the receiving gain level of the terminal device is less than or equal to the receiving gain level threshold; or, The received signal strength of the terminal device is less than or equal to the received signal strength threshold, or the received signal strength level of the terminal device is less than or equal to the received signal strength level threshold.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, It further includes: Send the receiving performance parameter of the terminal device to the network device; The number of times of sending the first message corresponds to the receiving performance parameter of the terminal device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, Determining the number of times of sending the first message includes: Receiving a second message from the network device, where the second message indicates the number of times of sending the first message; Determining the number of times of sending the first message according to the second message.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein Before receiving the second message from the network device, it further includes: receiving a system message from the network device, where the system message indicates M times of sending the first message, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The second message includes scheduling signaling, and the scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending the first message, and the number of times of sending the first message indicated by the scheduling signaling is one of the M times of sending.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The second message includes a first scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg2, and / or a second scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg4. The first scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending Msg2 or indicates the number of times of sending Msg2 and Msg4, and the second scheduling signaling indicates the number of times of sending Msg4.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Among a group of resource information corresponding to the row index indicated by the time domain resource allocation TDRA field in the first scheduling signaling, it includes the number of times of sending Msg2; and / or, Among a group of resource information corresponding to the row index indicated by the TDRA field in the second scheduling signaling, it includes the number of times of sending Msg4.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein N bits of the modulation and coding strategy MCS field in the first scheduling signaling indicate the number of times of sending Msg2, and the N bits are the N bits starting from the highest bit of the MCS field, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and / or, N bits of the MCS field in the second scheduling signaling indicate the number of times of sending Msg4, and the N bits are the N bits starting from the highest bit of the MCS field.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein The first value of the transmission block scaling factor in the first scheduling signaling is associated with one of the M times of sending Msg2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein The second message is a system message.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein The second message is Msg2, and Msg2 is used to indicate the number of times of sending Msg4.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The transmission times of the first message are associated with the transmission times of Msg4 HARQ-ACK or Msg3.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1-21, characterized in that, It further includes: Receiving third configuration information from the network device, where the third configuration information is used to enable demodulation reference signal DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the transmission times of the first message; Or, Receiving third configuration information and fourth configuration information from the network device, where the third configuration information is used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the fourth configuration information indicates the window length of the DMRS binding; or, Receiving scheduling signaling from the network device for enabling DMRS binding, where the scheduling signaling is also used to schedule the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the transmission times of the first message.

23. A communication method, characterized in that, It includes: Determining to transmit the first message multiple times, where the first message includes Msg2 and / or Msg4; Transmitting the first message to the terminal device according to the transmission times of the first message, where the transmission times are integers greater than or equal to 2.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The determining to transmit the first message multiple times includes: Receiving a first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or a request to transmit the first message multiple times, where the first terminal capability is the ability to receive the first message transmitted multiple times; Determining to transmit the first message to the terminal device multiple times according to the first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or the request to transmit the first message multiple times.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The receiving a first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or a request to transmit the first message multiple times includes: Receiving Msg1 sent by the terminal device to the network device based on a first physical random access channel PRACH resource, where the first PRACH resource belongs to a first PRACH resource group, and the first PRACH resource group corresponds to a first transmission mode of the first message or corresponds to the first terminal capability, and the first transmission mode is multiple transmissions.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein The receiving a first terminal capability reported by the terminal device to the network device or a request to transmit the first message multiple times includes: Receiving Msg3 from the terminal device, where Msg3 includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that the terminal device has the ability to receive Msg4 transmitted multiple times, or the third indication information is used to request to transmit Msg4 multiple times.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein The third indication information is located in the message payload of Msg3; or, the third indication information is located in the media access control MAC sub-header of Msg3.

28. The method according to any one of claims 23-27, characterized in that, It further includes: Receiving reception performance information from the terminal device; Determining the corresponding transmission times of the first message according to the reception performance information.

29. The method according to any one of claims 23-28, characterized in that, It further includes: Transmitting a second message, where the second message indicates the transmission times of the first message.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that, Before transmitting the second message, it further includes: transmitting a system message, where the system message indicates M transmission times of the first message, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The second message includes scheduling signaling, and the scheduling signaling indicates the number of transmissions of the first message, and the number of transmissions of the first message indicated by the scheduling signaling is one of the M numbers of transmissions.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, wherein The second message includes first scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg2, and / or second scheduling signaling for scheduling Msg4. The first scheduling signaling indicates the number of transmissions of Msg2, and the second scheduling signaling indicates the number of transmissions of Msg4.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein The second message is a system message.

33. The method according to claim 29, wherein The second message is Msg2, and Msg2 is used to indicate the number of transmissions of Msg4.

34. The method according to any one of claims 23-28, characterized in that, The number of transmissions of the first message is associated with the number of transmissions of Msg4 HARQ-ACK or Msg3.

35. The method according to any one of claims 23-34, characterized in that, Further included: Transmitting third configuration information, where the third configuration information is used to enable demodulation reference signal DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message; Or, Transmitting third configuration information and fourth configuration information, where the third configuration information is used to enable DMRS binding for the downlink channel corresponding to the first message, and the fourth configuration information indicates the window length of the DMRS binding; or, Transmitting scheduling signaling for enabling DMRS binding, where the scheduling signaling is further used to schedule the first message, and the window length of the DMRS binding is associated with the number of transmissions of the first message.

36. A communication system, characterized in that, Including a network device and a terminal device, where the terminal device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-22, and the network device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 23-35.

37. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-22, or including a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 23-35.

38. A communication device, characterized in that, Including: One or more processors are configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-22, or execute the method according to any one of claims 23-35.

39. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, A program is stored in the readable storage medium, and when the program is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1-22 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 23-35 is implemented.

40. A chip system, characterized in that, Including: A memory for storing a computer program; a processor; After the processor calls and runs the computer program from the memory, the communication device equipped with the chip system is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-22, or execute the method according to any one of claims 23-35.

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