Communication method and device, readable storage medium and computer program product

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, a readable storage medium and a computer program product, relates to the field of communication, and is used for more reasonably configuring resources for random access. In the scheme, a terminal device receives first configuration information, and the first configuration information comprises information used for indicating a first resource. The terminal device transmits a first signal on the first resource. The received power value corresponding to the first resource can be used for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. For example, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements may be used to configure resources (e.g., may be used to determine the number of allocated resources for random access). In this way, the number of allocated resources is more reasonable, and the purpose of saving resources can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method, apparatus, readable storage medium, and computer program product. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR) technology is evolving from Release 18 to Release 19. At the same time, NR technology has also entered the commercial deployment stage from the standardization stage. The NR standard protocol is a wireless communication technology designed for terrestrial cellular network scenarios and can provide users with wireless communication services with ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, ultra-high speed, and ultra-large connection. Compared with terrestrial communication, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) communication has the characteristics of a large coverage area and flexible networking, and can achieve seamless global network coverage. NTN communication includes using devices such as drones, high-altitude platforms, and satellites to form a network and provide services such as data transmission and voice communication for user equipment (UE).

[0003] With the development of NTN, the coverage range of the beam of an NTN device can reach dozens of kilometers or even hundreds of kilometers. There are a large number of terminal devices with access requirements within this coverage range, and a large amount of resources for random access are required. How to more reasonably allocate the resources for random access has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, readable storage medium, and computer program product for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements based on the received power value corresponding to the first resource, and this number can be used to more reasonably allocate the resources for random access.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device. The terminal device in the embodiment of this application can be a network device (or NTN device), or a chip (or chip system) inside a network device (or NTN device). For example, the terminal device can be a terminal device or a chip (or chip system) inside the terminal device.

[0006] In this solution, the terminal device receives first configuration information, which includes information for indicating a first resource. The terminal device transmits a first signal on the first resource. The first resource can be used by at least one terminal device to transmit a signal, that is, the first NTN device can receive signals transmitted by one or more terminal devices on the first resource, and then determine the received power value corresponding to the first resource. The received power value corresponding to the first resource has various uses. For example, it can be used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

[0007] The number of terminal devices with random access requirements has various uses. For example, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be used to configure resources (for example, it can be used to determine the number of resources allocated for random access). In this way, the number of allocated resources can be made more reasonable, thereby achieving the purpose of saving resources.

[0008] In another possible implementation, the coverage area of the first NTN device is divided into multiple regions based on some parameters. The population numbers of two regions may be different, or it can be understood that the numbers of terminal devices with random access requirements are different. If the number of resources (such as resources for random access) allocated to each region is the same, it will result in too many resources corresponding to some regions, causing resource waste; while the number of resources allocated to some regions is too small, resulting in a relatively high probability of conflicts between terminal devices, making it more difficult for terminal devices to access the network. In a possible implementation provided by the embodiments of the present application, the first NTN device can separately estimate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in each region, and then allocate resources (such as resources for random access) to the region based on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the region.

[0009] For example, the coverage area of the first NTN device can be divided into regions based on synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB). For example, one SSB of the first NTN device is associated with one region. For example, the first resource is associated with the first SSB, and the first resource is used by at least one terminal device in the region associated with the first SSB to transmit a signal, that is, the first NTN device can receive signals transmitted by one or more terminal devices in the region associated with the first SSB on the first resource, and then determine the received power value corresponding to the first resource. In this case, the received power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine: the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the region associated with the first SSB. This solution can configure resources separately for smaller-grained regions divided within the coverage area of the first NTN device, thereby achieving the purpose of saving resources.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the first signal is a first preamble sequence, and the first configuration information further includes information for indicating the first preamble sequence. For example, the information for indicating the first preamble sequence includes at least one of the following: the type of the first preamble sequence, the length of the first preamble sequence, the root sequence of the first preamble sequence, the number of repetitions of the first preamble sequence, and the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence. It can be seen that this solution can reuse the preamble sequence originally used for random access (it can also be understood that the preamble sequence was originally used for random access, but in this application, the preamble sequence is used as the first signal). In this case, the information for indicating the first signal can be the same as the existing parameter items for indicating the preamble sequence, and the specific parameter values can be set separately. It can be seen that this solution is relatively compatible with the prior art.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is cyclic shift 0. It can also be understood that the preamble sequences sent by multiple terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB are the same. Since the signals sent by multiple terminal devices on the first resource do not need to be identified by the first NTN device for each signal sender, the signals sent by the terminal devices do not need to distinguish the terminal devices. Therefore, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence sent by the terminal device can be cyclic shift 0. This solution can reduce the processing complexity of the sending end.

[0012] In another possible implementation, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a random cyclic shift. It can also be understood that the preamble sequences sent by multiple terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB may be different or the same, and the situation is relatively random. This solution can increase the randomness of the phase, so that the distribution of the received power values of the first NTN device is more concentrated, and thus the number of terminal devices with access requirements can be determined more accurately.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the terminal device receives second configuration information. The second configuration information is used to indicate a second resource, and the second resource is used for the terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB to perform random access. The second resource is determined according to the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB. The terminal device sends a second preamble sequence in the resource of the second resource, and the second preamble sequence is used for random access.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, the first NTN device may allocate resources for random access to terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB based on the number of terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB. The number of resources allocated for random access to the areas associated with two SSBs may be different (or may be the same). That is, the first NTN device may allocate resources for random access at the granularity of the area associated with the SSB (or beam granularity). The same random access resources are not allocated to the areas associated with each SSB of a cell. Subsequently, this solution can allocate random access resources more reasonably, meet the random access requirements in different areas, save resources, and improve resource utilization.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first resource satisfies one of the following: the first resource belongs to the resource corresponding to the random access occasion RO associated with the first SSB; in this solution, the information used to indicate the first resource may be the index information of a resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB. This solution can reduce the number of bits occupied by the information used to indicate the first resource, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the first resource does not belong to the resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB, and the time domain of the first resource completely or partially overlaps with the resources corresponding to at least one random access occasion associated with the first SSB. When the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps with the resources corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB, the information used to indicate the first resource may not include the indication information of more time domain resources, thereby saving signaling overhead. Moreover, in this solution, the first NTN device can receive the signals on the first resource and the signals on the resources corresponding to the RO at the same time, thereby reducing the scheduling complexity of the first NTN device.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further includes information for indicating a power value. The terminal device determines the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value. For example, the power value is the expected received power value. The terminal device transmits the first signal on the first resource with the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal. Since there may be multiple terminal devices transmitting signals on the first resource, and the first NTN device needs to estimate the number of terminal devices based on the received power value corresponding to the first resource, the power values of the signals received by the first NTN device when reaching the first NTN device need to be relatively close or the same. In this way, the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device can be improved. In the embodiment of the present application, the first configuration information can indicate the power value, and thus the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device can be improved.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the terminal device determines the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value and the position of the terminal device in the area associated with the first SSB. This solution can make the power values of the signals sent by the terminal devices at various positions closer or the same when they arrive at the first NTN device, thereby improving the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first NTN device. The first NTN device in the embodiment of the present application can be a network device (or NTN device), or a chip (or chip system) inside the network device (or NTN device). For example, the first NTN device can be a satellite or a chip (or chip system) inside a satellite. For another example, the first NTN device can be a gateway (or ground station, earth station, gateway station, gateway station) or a chip (or chip system) inside a gateway. For another example, the first NTN device can be an access network device (access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or a chip (or chip system) inside an access network device.

[0020] In this solution, the first NTN device sends first configuration information, the first configuration information includes information for indicating a first resource. The first NTN device receives a first signal at the first resource. The first NTN device determines the number of terminal devices with random access requirements according to a received power value corresponding to the first resource.

[0021] The number of terminal devices with random access requirements has multiple uses, for example, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be used to configure resources (for example, can be used to determine the number of resources allocated for random access). This can make the number of allocated resources more reasonable, thereby achieving the purpose of saving resources.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first resource is associated with the first SSB. The first NTN device determines, based on the received power value corresponding to the first resource, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB. For related contents and beneficial effects, refer to the related description of possible implementations of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the first NTN device sends second configuration information, the second configuration information is used to indicate a second resource, the second resource is used for random access by terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB, and the second resource is determined according to the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB. The first NTN device receives a second preamble sequence in the second resource, and the second preamble sequence is used for random access. For related contents and beneficial effects, refer to the related description of possible implementations of the first aspect, and no further description is given.

[0024] For the relevant contents and beneficial effects of the first resource, the first signal, and the first configuration information, please refer to the relevant description of possible implementation methods of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0025] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first NTN device. The first NTN device in the embodiment of the present application can be a network device (or NTN device), or a chip (or chip system) inside the network device (or NTN device). For example, the first NTN device can be a satellite or a chip (or chip system) inside a satellite. For another example, the first NTN device can be a gateway (or ground station, earth station, gateway station, gateway station) or a chip (or chip system) inside a gateway. For another example, the first NTN device can be an access network device (access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or a chip (or chip system) inside an access network device.

[0026] In this solution, the first NTN device obtains the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. The first NTN device sends first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. For the same area, such as the area associated with the first SSB, when the area sends an intersatellite handover, for example, the first NTN device originally provided services for the area, and now the second NTN device provides services for the area. In this case, the first NTN device can send information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area to the second NTN device, thereby avoiding the second NTN device from repeatedly executing the solution for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, thereby saving power consumption of the second NTN device.

[0027] The manner in which the first NTN device obtains the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can refer to the relevant description of the aforementioned second aspect and possible implementation methods of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the first indication information further includes: information about the coverage of the first SSB associated area, and the first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB. In this way, the first NTN device can determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in a certain area based on the first indication information, and then allocate resources (such as random access resources) at the regional granularity.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the first indication information further includes: validity period information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. When the information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements indicated by the first indication information is within the validity period, the second NTN device can use the information to allocate resources for random access. When the information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements indicated by the first indication information becomes invalid (or after the validity period has expired), in this way, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be kept relatively consistent with the actual situation.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a second NTN device. The second NTN device in the embodiment of the present application can be a network device (or NTN device), or a chip (or chip system) inside the network device (or NTN device). For example, the second NTN device can be a satellite or a chip (or chip system) inside a satellite. For another example, the second NTN device can be a gateway (or ground station, earth station, gateway station, gateway station) or a chip (or chip system) inside a gateway. For another example, the second NTN device can be an access network device (access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or a chip (or chip system) inside an access network device.

[0031] The second NTN device receives the first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the first SSB association area. The second NTN device configures resources for random access of the terminal devices according to the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the first SSB association area.

[0032] For the same area, such as the area associated with the first SSB, when the area sends an inter-satellite handover, for example, the first NTN device originally provided services for the area, and now the second NTN device provides services for the area. In this case, the first NTN device can send information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area to the second NTN device, thereby avoiding the second NTN device from repeatedly executing the solution for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, thereby saving power consumption of the second NTN device.

[0033] For the relevant content and beneficial effects of the first indication information, please refer to the relevant description of possible implementation methods of the third aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0034] Fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device, the first NTN device or the second NTN device. The communication device may include a communication unit and a processing unit to execute any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect above, or execute any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. The communication unit is used to execute functions related to sending and receiving. The communication unit may be referred to as a transceiver unit. Optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be the input-output circuit, input-output interface or antenna port of the communication chip.

[0035] In another design, the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit is a transmitter and a receiver.

[0036] Optionally, the communication device further includes various modules that can be used to execute any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect above, or execute any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0037] Sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device, the first NTN device or the second NTN device. The communication device may include a processor and a memory to execute any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect above, or execute any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. Optionally, a transceiver is further included. The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to call and run the computer programs or instructions from the memory. When the processor executes the computer programs or instructions in the memory, the communication device executes any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect above, or executes any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0038] Optionally, there is one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0039] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory is separately arranged from the processor.

[0040] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (emitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0041] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device. The communication device may include a processor to execute any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or execute any possible implementation manner of the first to fourth aspects. For example, the processor executes any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or executes any possible implementation manner of the first to fourth aspects by means of a logic circuit or by executing a computer program or instruction in a memory. The processor is coupled to the memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0042] In one implementation manner, when the communication device is a terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0043] In yet another implementation manner, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or a related circuit, etc. on the chip or the chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0044] In an eighth aspect, a system is provided, and the system includes the aforementioned terminal device.

[0045] In a possible implementation manner, the system may further include a first NTN device. In a possible implementation manner, the system may further include a second NTN device.

[0046] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product includes: a computer program (which may also be referred to as code or instruction), when the computer program is run, it causes the computer to execute any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or execute any possible implementation manner of the first to fourth aspects.

[0047] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, and the computer-readable medium stores a computer program (which may also be referred to as code or instruction), when it runs on a computer, it causes the computer to execute any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or execute any possible implementation manner of the first to fourth aspects.

[0048] In an eleventh aspect, a processing device is provided, including: an interface circuit and a processing circuit. The interface circuit may include an input circuit and an output circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0049] In a specific implementation process, the above-mentioned processing device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit may be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be output to, for example but not limited to, a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which serves as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times respectively. The present application does not limit the specific implementation manners of the processor and various circuits.

[0050] In one implementation manner, when the communication device is a terminal device, a first NTN device, or a second NTN device. The interface circuit may be a radio frequency processing chip in the terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device, and the processing circuit may be a baseband processing chip in the terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device.

[0051] In yet another implementation manner, the communication device may be some components in the terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device, such as an integrated circuit product like a system-on-chip or a communication chip, etc. The interface circuit may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or a related circuit, etc. on the chip or chip system. The processing circuit may be a logic circuit on the chip. Description of the Drawings

[0052] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the beam coverage area of a network device;

[0053] Figure 2A It is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of a possible communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application;

[0054] Figure 2B It is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of another possible communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application;

[0055] Figure 3 It is a possible flowchart of a possible communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0056] Figure 4 It is a possible schematic diagram of the association relationship between SSB and resources provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0057] Figure 5A A possible simulation diagram of the received power value corresponding to the first resource under different numbers of terminal devices provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0058] Figure 5B Another possible simulation diagram of the received power value corresponding to the first resource under different numbers of terminal devices provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0059] Figure 6 A possible flow diagram of a possible communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0060] Figure 7 A possible structural diagram of a communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0061] Figure 8 Another possible structural diagram of a communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0062] The following introduces the terms and nouns related to the embodiments of the present application.

[0063] (1) Resource.

[0064] The resources in the embodiments of the present application (such as the first resource or the second resource involved later) may include at least one of time domain resources or frequency domain resources, etc.

[0065] The time domain resources may include at least one of radio frames, subframes, slots, mini slots, or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. Among them, one radio frame may include multiple subframes, one subframe may include one or more slots, and one slot may include at least one symbol. Alternatively, one radio frame may include multiple slots, and one slot may include at least one symbol. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, one OFDM symbol may also be simply referred to as one symbol.

[0066] Frequency domain resources may include at least one of resource elements (REs), resource blocks (RBs), channels, sub-channels, carriers, or bandwidth parts (BWPs). In the embodiments of the present application, a channel may also be equivalently replaced by a resource block set (RBset), and the frequency domain bandwidth of an RBset may be 20 megahertz (MHz).

[0067] (2) SSB.

[0068] A synchronization signal block (SS) is generally transmitted together with a main information block (MIB) on a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to form an SS / PBCH block. The SSB described in the embodiments of the present application may refer to an SS / PBCH block. Among them, the synchronization signal can be used by a terminal for downlink synchronization and obtaining the identity (ID) of a cell, and the downlink synchronization may include frequency synchronization and time synchronization. The PBCH can be used by a terminal to obtain information about the accessed cell.

[0069] (3) The relationship between SSB and beams.

[0070] A network device (such as a first NTN device or a second NTN device) may use multiple antennas to enhance coverage. However, using multiple antennas results in very narrow beams of antenna radiation, and it is difficult for a single narrow beam to cover the entire cell. At the same time, due to hardware limitations, a network device often cannot simultaneously send signals through multiple beams to cover the entire cell. Therefore, a beam scanning technique is introduced into the communication system, that is, an access network device can send signals through different beams at different times. Therefore, a method of covering the entire cell by beam scanning is introduced into the communication system, that is, a network device can cover a partial area of the cell through partial beams at a certain moment, and then cover another partial area of the cell through another part of the beams at another moment.

[0071] See Figure 1, a network device (such as a first NTN device or a second NTN device) sends a beam in a certain direction at a certain moment, and covers the entire cell by sending beams in different directions at multiple moments. Specifically, the network device (such as the first NTN device) covers the entire cell through beam 0 (used to send SSB#0), beam 1 (used to send SSB#1), ……, beam N-1 (used to send SSB#N-1), and beam N (used to send SSB#N). It can be seen that the directions of any two beams can be different, and the SSB indices corresponding to the two SSBs sent through any two beams are also different.

[0072] (4) Beam.

[0073] The embodiment of the beam in the new radio (NR) protocol can be a spatial domain filter, or a spatial filter, or a spatial domain parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial domain setting, a spatial setting, or quasi-colocation (QCL) information, a QCL hypothesis, a QCL indication, etc. The beam can be indicated by a transmission configuration indicator state (TCI-state) parameter, or by a spatial relationship parameter.

[0074] Therefore, in this application, the beam can be replaced by a spatial domain filter, a spatial filter, a spatial domain parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial domain setting, a spatial setting, QCL information, a QCL hypothesis, a QCL indication, a TCI-state (downlink TCI-state, uplink TCI-state), a spatial relationship, etc. The above terms are also equivalent to each other. The beam can also be replaced by other terms representing the beam, which is not limited in this application.

[0075] The beam used for transmitting signals can be called a transmission beam (Tx beam), or can also be called a spatial domain transmission filter, a spatial transmission filter, a spatial domain transmission parameter, or a spatial transmission parameter, a spatial domain transmission setting, or a spatial transmission setting. The downlink transmission beam can be indicated by the TCI-state.

[0076] The beam used for receiving signals can be called a reception beam (Rx beam), or can also be called a spatial domain reception filter, a spatial reception filter, a spatial domain reception parameter, or a spatial reception parameter, a spatial domain reception setting, or a spatial reception setting. The uplink transmission beam can be indicated by the spatial relationship, or the uplink TCI-state, or the SRS resource (indicating the transmission beam using this SRS). Therefore, the uplink beam can also be replaced by the SRS resource.

[0077] The transmission beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength formed in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted by the antenna, and the reception beam can refer to the signal strength distribution of the wireless signal received by the antenna in different directions in space.

[0078] In addition, the beam can be a wide beam, or a narrow beam, or other types of beams. The technology for forming the beam can be beamforming technology or other technologies. The beamforming technology can specifically be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, or hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology, etc.

[0079] A beam generally corresponds to a resource. For example, when performing beam measurement, the network device measures different beams through different resources, and the terminal device feeds back the measured resource quality, so that the network device knows the quality of the corresponding beam. During data transmission, the beam information is also indicated through its corresponding resource. For example, the network device uses the transmission configuration indicator (TCI) field in the downlink control information (DCI) to indicate the beam information of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the terminal device.

[0080] Optionally, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics are regarded as one beam. One beam may include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, sounding signals, etc. The one or more antenna ports forming one beam can also be regarded as an antenna port set.

[0081] In the embodiments of this application, if not otherwise specified, the beam refers to the transmission beam of the network device. In beam measurement, each beam of the network device corresponds to a resource, so the beam corresponding to the resource can be uniquely identified by the index of the resource.

[0082] (4.1) TCI-state (used to indicate the downlink beam).

[0083] The network device can generate different beams pointing to different transmission directions. During downlink data transmission, when the network device sends data to the terminal device using a specific beam, it needs to inform the terminal device of the transmitted beam information it uses, so that the terminal device can use the receiving beam corresponding to the transmitted beam to receive the data sent by the network device.

[0084] In the 3GPP R15 / R16 protocol, the network device uses the TCI field in DCI to indicate the relevant information of the transmission beam it adopts to the terminal device. Specifically, the TCI field size is 3 bits, which can specifically represent 8 different field values (codepoints). Each value of the TCI field corresponds to an index of a TCI-state, and this TCI-state index can uniquely identify a TCI-state. The TCI-state in the embodiments of this application can also be written as TCI state. The TCI-state includes several parameters, and the relevant information of the transmission beam can be determined through these parameters. The TCI-state is configured by the network device for each terminal device. Each TCI-state includes an index TCI-state identifier of its own, and two QCL information (QCL information, QCL-Info). Each QCL-Info includes a cell field and a bwp-Id, which respectively indicate which cell (cell) and which bwp (Bandwidth part) of the cell this TCI-state is applied to, that is, different cells or different bwps of the same cell can be configured with different QCL-Info. The QCL-Info also includes a referenceSignal (reference signal), which is used to indicate which reference signal resource forms a QCL (quasi-co-location, quasi-same position) relationship.

[0085] In the R15 / R16 protocol, the term "beam" generally does not directly appear, and the beam is generally replaced by other terms. For example, in data transmission and channel measurement, the beam corresponds to the reference signal resource, and one beam corresponds to one reference signal resource. Therefore, when it is said here which reference signal resource forms a QCL relationship, it actually means which beam forms a QCL relationship. The QCL relationship means that two reference signal resources (or two antenna ports, and the antenna port and the reference signal resource also correspond one by one) have some same spatial parameters. Which specific spatial parameters are the same depends on the type of this QCL-Info, that is, another field qcl-Type of the QCL-Info. The qcl-Type can have four values {typeA, typeB, typeC, typeD}. Taking typeD as an example, typeD means that two reference signal resources have the same spatial reception parameter information, that is, two beams have the same reception beam. At most one of the two QCL-Info included in the TCI-state can be of TypeD.

[0086] (4.2) Spatial relation (used to indicate the uplink beam).

[0087] In the current protocol, the transmission beam for uplink transmission is indicated by a spatial relationship, whose function is similar to that of the TCI-state, and is used to inform the terminal device which transmission beam to use for uplink transmission.

[0088] The spatial relationship also needs to be configured first through radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The RRC signaling can include the id of the spatial relationship, cell id, target reference signal resource, path loss measurement reference signal, power control parameters, etc. Among them, the target reference signal resource (which can be one of the sounding reference signal (SRS) / SSB / channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS)) is used to indicate the corresponding uplink beam. If the uplink transmission uses spatial relationship #1, and this spatial relationship #1 includes a target reference signal resource #2, it means that the transmission beam for this uplink transmission is the transmission / reception beam of this target reference signal. For example, when the target reference signal resource is the uplink resource SRS, it means that the transmission beam used for uplink transmission is the transmission beam of this SRS (the transmission beam of this SRS is known). Another example is that when the target reference signal resource is a downlink resource such as SSB / CSI-RS, it means that the transmission beam used for uplink transmission is the reception beam of this SSB / CSI-RS (the reception beam of this SSB / CSI-RS is known).

[0089] The network device can configure multiple spatial relationships for the terminal device. Then, one of them is activated through the media access control control element (MAC CE) for corresponding data transmission. Uplink transmission includes the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), SRS, physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), etc., all of which require corresponding spatial relationships. The spatial relationship of the PUCCH is indicated by MAC CE signaling. The spatial relationship of the SRS is also indicated by MAC CE signaling. When the PUSCH is transmitted, it is associated with a specific SRS and is transmitted using the spatial relationship of this SRS.

[0090] (5) Area.

[0091] Region: Unless otherwise specified, the "region" in the following embodiments of this application refers to a geographical region. The region is fixed relative to the Earth, or it can be understood that the region refers to a geographical region that is fixed relative to the Earth. Exemplarily, the region can have at least one of the following attributes: shape, contour, size, radius, area, geographical location, etc.

[0092] The "region" can also have a height attribute, that is, the region can be understood as a geographical region at a given height or height range. By default, the region can refer to a geographical region with an altitude of 0 kilometers (km) above the ground or an altitude of about 0 km (such as within the range of [-2, 2] km), or a geographical region with a certain average altitude. In addition, it can also refer to other specific heights or specific height ranges of geographical regions, such as a geographical region with an altitude of 10 km, or a geographical region with an altitude of about 10 km (such as within the range of [7, 13] km).

[0093] In a possible implementation manner, the above-mentioned region fixed relative to the Earth can also be referred to as a "beam position", a "geographical region", etc. Of course, there can be other names, and this application does not specifically limit the name of the region fixed relative to the Earth.

[0094] The shapes, contours, sizes, radii, and areas of different regions can be the same or different. The geographical locations of different regions are different. There can be overlap or no overlap between different regions.

[0095] In a possible implementation manner, the region being fixed relative to the Earth can be understood as: the contour, size, or geographical location of the region remains unchanged, for example, the contour, size, or geographical location of the region does not change over time. Or, the region being fixed relative to the Earth can be understood as: the contour of the region and the points in the region can be described by an Earth-fixed coordinate system, or the coordinates of each point on the contour of the region are fixed and unchanged in the Earth-fixed coordinate system.

[0096] In a possible implementation manner, the shape of the region can be a regular hexagon, or other shapes such as a regular pentagon, a circle, an ellipse, etc. Or, the shape of the region can also be an irregular shape, without limitation.

[0097] Exemplarily, the shape of the region can be defined by a protocol, or can be defined by a network device. The shapes of regions defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple region shapes. Similarly, the size, radius, and area of the region can also be defined by a protocol, or can be defined by a network device. The sizes, radii, and areas of regions defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple region sizes, multiple region radii, or multiple region areas.

[0098] In a possible implementation, the Earth's surface can be divided into multiple regions, and the multiple regions can be indexed (e.g., numbered). The terminal device and the network device can agree on the numbering method for these regions (e.g., starting from 1 or starting from 0) and the correspondence between the regions and the indexes. Or the protocol can define the numbering method for these regions and the correspondence between the regions and the indexes. Based on the index of the region, information such as the geographical location of the region can be determined.

[0099] Optionally, the multiple divided regions can completely cover the Earth's surface. For example, any location on the Earth's surface belongs to a certain region. Or, the multiple divided regions can also cover some geographical locations on the Earth. For example, the multiple regions may not cover the South Pole and / or the North Pole of the Earth, that is, the South Pole and / or the North Pole may not have such a region.

[0100] Optionally, the method of dividing the multiple regions can be defined by the protocol or can be defined by the network device. The dividing methods defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple dividing methods.

[0101] As a first possible dividing method, the Earth's surface can be divided using a certain granularity of longitude and latitude grid. For example, the Earth's surface can be divided using a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 1 degree. If only this discrete method is adopted, the globe can be divided into 360×360 = 129,600 regions. The terminal device and the network device can agree that the indexes of these 129,600 regions are 0, 1,..., 129,599, or they can also agree to be 1, 2,..., 129,600.

[0102] Optionally, when the height attribute of the geographical region is introduced, multiple grids can be defined to divide the Earth's surface. For example, the grid at an altitude of 0 km or within the range of [-2, 2] km in altitude can divide the Earth's surface using a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 1 degree, generating 129,600 regions. At an altitude of 10 km or within the range of [7, 13] km in altitude, and then divided using a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 1 degree, another 129,600 regions are generated. When indexing these regions, the index range needs to be extended. For example, the total index is 0, 1,..., 129,599, 129,600, 129,601,..., 259,199, where the first 129,600 serial numbers represent the region indexes at an altitude of 0 km or within the range of [-2, 2] km in altitude, and the last 129,600 serial numbers represent the region indexes at an altitude of 10 km or within the range of [7, 13] km in altitude.

[0103] Exemplarily, the granularity of the longitude and latitude grid can be determined according to the type of network device. For example, in the case where the network device is a LEO satellite, relatively small granularity can be used for discretization; in the case where the network device is a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, relatively large granularity can be used for discretization.

[0104] As a second possible partitioning method, the earth's surface can be partitioned using longitude and latitude grids of multiple granularities. For example, on a part of the earth's surface or part of an administrative region, the longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 1 degree is used for partitioning, and on another part of the surface or administrative region, the longitude and latitude network with a granularity of 2 degrees is used for partitioning.

[0105] Alternatively, after introducing the altitude attribute of the geographical region, at an altitude of 0 km, the earth's surface can be partitioned using a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 1 degree, and at an altitude of 10 km, the earth's surface can be partitioned using a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 2 degrees.

[0106] As a third possible partitioning method, the earth's surface can be partitioned by administrative region. For example, a township-level administrative region can be used as a region.

[0107] As a fourth possible partitioning method, for a GEO satellite, the projection of a beam of the GEO satellite on the ground can be used as a region. Since the GEO satellite is stationary relative to the earth, it can be considered that the projection of the beam of the GEO satellite on the ground is fixed relative to the earth.

[0108] In practical applications, multiple partitioning methods can be combined to partition the earth's surface. For example, on a part of the earth's surface or part of an administrative region, the longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 1 is used for partitioning, and on another part of the surface or administrative region, partitioning is performed according to the administrative region.

[0109] In a possible implementation manner, in the case of partitioning the earth's surface into multiple regions, different-level region partitioning can be performed on the same surface range. Exemplarily, for a certain surface range, the first-level region partitioning can be performed using a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 10 degrees, the second-level region partitioning can be performed using a longitude and latitude network with a granularity of 6, and the third-level region partitioning can be performed using a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 1. At this time, within this surface range, the number of regions at the first level is greater than the number of regions at the second level, and the number of regions at the second level is greater than the number of regions at the third level. In addition, in this scenario, the regions at each level can be numbered separately.

[0110] (6) Random access.

[0111] Before the terminal device accesses the network, it needs to perform cell search. For example, when the terminal is powered off and then powered on, cell search can be performed. The purpose of cell search is to enable the terminal to obtain system time synchronization and frequency synchronization, so that the terminal can read system information (such as information of the cell to be accessed, system bandwidth, and other cell broadcast information, etc.), and perform subsequent data transmission.

[0112] After that, the terminal device can perform random access. Random access is a process in which the terminal initiates to obtain uplink synchronization between the terminal and the access network device after the terminal and the access network device achieve downlink synchronization. Random access can be divided into contention-based random access (also known as 4-step random access) and contention-free random access (also known as 2-step random access).

[0113] (7) Resources for random access.

[0114] The random access request is transmitted on the physical random access channel occasion (RO). An RO is understood as a random access resource. The terminal device can send a random access preamble sequence on a specific RO (i.e., on specific time-frequency resources). The random access preamble sequence can also be referred to as a preamble, random access preamble, or preamble sequence, etc. The format of the RO can correspond to the format of the preamble sequence.

[0115] In the existing standard (3GPP TS38.331), the configuration information of the RO and the preamble sequence for random access is indicated by system messages. For example, it can be configured through the random access channel (RACH)-ConfigCommon. For example, the parameter rach-ConfigGeneric in RACH-ConfigCommon indicates information related to the generation of the physical random access channel (PRACH) sequence. The information related to the generation of the PRACH sequence can include, for example, root indication, FDM quantity (quantity of frequency-domain ROs), and frequency-domain position, etc. RACH-ConfigCommon can also include information such as the association relationship between the SSB and the RO.

[0116] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: terrestrial communication systems, NTN communication systems, such as satellite communication systems. Among them, the satellite communication system can be integrated with the mobile communication system. For example: the mobile communication system can be a fourth-generation (4th Generation, 4G) communication system (for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth-generation (5th Generation, 5G) communication system (for example, a new radio (NR) system), and future mobile communication systems, etc. The mobile communication system can also be a vehicle to everything (V2X) system, an internet of things (IoT) system.

[0117] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the network architecture of several communication systems applicable to the embodiments of the present application. The communication system may include a network device and a terminal device, etc. The network device may include one or more of a satellite, a gateway, an access network device, and a core network (CN) device. Figure 2A and Figure 2B Exemplarily shows the integrated network architecture of NTN and the terrestrial network. It will be introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0118] (1) Satellite.

[0119] The satellite can be a highly elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellite, a GEO satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, and a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the working mode of the satellite. For example, the working mode of the satellite can be a transparent mode or a regenerative mode. Figure 2A It is schematically shown with the working mode of the satellite being the transparent mode as an example. Figure 2B It is schematically shown with the working mode of the satellite being the regenerative mode as an example.

[0120] When the satellite works in transparent mode, the satellite has the function of relaying. The gateway has the functions of a network device (such as a base station) or part of the functions of a network device (such as a base station). In this case, the gateway can be regarded as a network device (such as a base station). Alternatively, the network device (such as a base station) can be deployed separately from the gateway, then the delay of the feeder link includes the delay from the satellite to the gateway and the delay from the gateway to the gNB. The transparent mode discussed later takes the case where the gateway and the gNB are together or close to each other as an example. For the case where the gateway and the gNB are far apart, the delay of the feeder link is the sum of the delay from the satellite to the gateway and the delay from the gateway to the gNB.

[0121] When the satellite operates in regenerative mode, it has data processing capabilities, the functions of a network device (such as a base station) or partial functions of a network device (such as a base station). At this time, the satellite can be regarded as a network device (such as a base station).

[0122] Satellites can communicate wirelessly with terminals by broadcasting communication signals and navigation signals. Optionally, each satellite can provide communication services, navigation services, and positioning services to terminal devices through multiple beams. For example, each satellite uses multiple beams to cover the service area, and the relationship between different beams can be one or more of time division, frequency division, and space division. Satellites can also operate in quasi earth-fixed mode or satellite-fixed mode.

[0123] Among them, the quasi-earth fixed mode can also be called the staring mode, which means that the satellite's beam pointing is dynamically adjusted so that it can continuously serve a certain physical area for a period of time. For example, within a period of time (such as time t0, time t1, and time t2), the satellite dynamically adjusts the beam pointing so that the beam approximately covers the same area on the ground. In practice, due to the accuracy of the beam pointing and the distortion of the beam projection on the ground at different incident angles, the coverage area of the staring beam may have a certain degree of jitter with respect to time.

[0124] Satellite fixed mode means that the satellite's beam moves with the satellite, and the physical area it serves also changes continuously. For example, within a period of time (such as time t0, time t1, and time t2), the satellite beam coverage moves with the satellite.

[0125] (2) Gateway.

[0126] A gateway (also called a ground station, earth station, gateway station, or gateway station) can be used to connect satellites and ground network devices (such as ground base stations). One or more satellites can be connected to one or more ground network devices (such as ground base stations) through one or more gateways, without limitation.

[0127] The link between the satellite and the terminal is called the service link, and the link between the satellite and the gateway is called the feeder link. The network device can be deployed separately from the gateway. Then, the latency of the feeder link can include two parts: the latency from the satellite to the gateway and the latency from the gateway to the network device.

[0128] (3) Access network device.

[0129] The access network device in the embodiments of this application can be deployed on the satellite or on the ground (such as a ground base station or a ground station).

[0130] The access network device involved in the embodiments of this application can be a radio access network (RAN) node. The RAN can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, an NR system, and a future radio access system defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The RAN can also include two or more different radio access systems mentioned above. The RAN can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0131] The RAN node, also known as a radio access network device, a RAN entity, or an access node, is used to help the terminal access the communication system wirelessly. In one application scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in the 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation NodeB in the 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. The RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station, or an indoor station, and can also be a relay node or a donor node.

[0132] In another application scenario, the cooperation of multiple RAN nodes can be used to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement partial functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete partial or all of the functions of the physical layer. For the specific descriptions of the above various protocol layers, reference can be made to the relevant technical specifications of 3GPP. The RU can be used to implement the functions of transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals. The CU and the DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or can be integrated in the same RAN node, for example, integrated in the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in the radio frequency device, for example, included in the remote radio unit (RRU) or the active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0133] In different systems, the RAN node may have different names. For example, in the O-RAN system, the CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), the DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and the RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by means of a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the RAN node. For the convenience of description, in the following text, the base station is used as an example of the RAN node for description.

[0134] (4) Core network equipment (core network, CN).

[0135] The core network device is a device installed on the ground and capable of communicating with NTN devices in the NTN system. The CN device is a network element included in the CN part of the mobile communication system. The CN device can connect the terminal device to different data networks and perform services such as authentication, charging, mobility management, session management, policy control, and user plane forwarding. The CN device can be a CN device in the current mobile communication system (such as the 5th generation (5 th generation, 5G) mobile communication system) or a CN device in a future mobile communication system. In mobile communication systems with different standards, the names of CN devices with the same functions may vary. However, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific names of CN devices with each function.

[0136] For example, in the 4th generation (4 th generation, 4G) mobile communication system (i.e., Long Term Evolution (LTE)), the network element responsible for functions such as access control, security control, and signaling coordination is the Mobility Management Entity (MME); the network element serving as the local mobility management anchor is the Serving Gateway (S-GW); the network element serving as the anchor for handover to an external data network and responsible for Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation is the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW); the network element storing user-related data and subscription data is the Home Subscriber Server (HSS); the network element responsible for policy and charging functions is called the Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF) network element.

[0137] For another example, in a 5G mobile communication system, according to specific logical function divisions, the core network can be divided into a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP). Among them, the network elements responsible for the control plane functions in the CN can be collectively referred to as control plane network elements, and the network elements responsible for the user plane functions can be collectively referred to as user plane network elements. Specifically, in the user plane, the network element that serves as the interface to the data network and is responsible for functions such as user plane data forwarding is the user plane function (UPF) network element. In the control plane, the network element responsible for access control and mobility management functions is called the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element; the network element responsible for session management and the execution of control policies is called the session management function (SMF) network element; the network element responsible for functions such as managing subscription data and user access authorization is called the unified data management (UDM) network element; the network element responsible for charging and policy control functions is called the policy and charging function (PCF) network element; the application function (AF) network element responsible for transmitting the requirements of the application side to the network side.

[0138] (5) Terminal.

[0139] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver functions that can send signals to a base station or receive signals from a base station. A terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver functions, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal.

[0140] The base station and the terminal can be fixed in position or movable. The base station and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the base station and the terminal.

[0141] The roles of the base station and the terminal can be relative. For example, a helicopter (or a drone) can be configured as a mobile base station. For those terminals accessing the radio access network through the helicopter (or the drone), the helicopter (or the drone) is the base station; but for the base station, the helicopter (or the drone) is the terminal, that is, the communication between the base station and the helicopter (or the drone) is carried out through the radio air interface protocol. Of course, the communication between the base station and the helicopter (or the drone) can also be carried out through the interface protocol between base stations. At this time, relative to the base station, the helicopter (or the drone) is also a base station. Therefore, both the base station and the terminal can be uniformly referred to as communication devices. The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be referred to as a communication device with base station functions, and the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be referred to as a communication device with terminal functions.

[0142] The embodiments of the present application can also be applicable to other communication system architectures, such as the air-to-ground (ATG) communication system, which includes at least one network device and at least one high-altitude terminal. The high-altitude terminal includes, for example, high-altitude airplanes and on-board terminals, etc. The above Figure 2A and Figure 2B The satellite in can also be replaced by other relay devices, such as other NTN devices like high altitude platform station (HAPS), etc. Figure 2A or Figure 2B The communication system shown as an example does not limit the communication systems to which the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is applicable.

[0143] Based on Figure 1 、 Figure 2A and Figure 2B The content shown and the above other content, Figure 3 An exemplary possible flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown. For ease of understanding, Figure 3 The interaction between the first NTN device and the terminal device is taken as an example for introduction. For example, the first NTN device can be Figure 2A or Figure 2B The satellite or the chip (or chip system) inside the satellite in, and for another example, the first NTN device can be Figure 2A or Figure 2BThe gateway (or ground station, earth station, gateway station, border gateway) in it or the chip (or chip system) in the gateway. For another example, the first NTN device may be Figure 2A or Figure 2B The one in it may be an access network device (an access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or the chip (or chip system) in the access network device. The first NTN device refers to a network device in a communication architecture including NTN. The first NTN device may also be replaced by a network device. Or when the solution provided in the embodiments of the present application is applicable to other communication architectures, the first NTN device may also be replaced by the name of a device under other communication architectures. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may be Figure 2A or Figure 2B The terminal in it or the chip system inside the terminal.

[0144] The following is introduced in conjunction with Figure 3 for explanation.

[0145] Step 301, the first NTN device sends the first configuration information.

[0146] The terminal device receives the first configuration information.

[0147] In the embodiments of the present application, the first configuration information may include one or more of: information for indicating the first resource (information A1), information for indicating the power value (information A2), and information for indicating the first signal (information A3). The following are introduced separately.

[0148] Information A1, information for indicating the first resource.

[0149] The information for indicating the first resource may include, for example, the resource identifier of the first resource and / or the resource set identifier.

[0150] There may be at least one terminal device within the coverage range of the first NTN device. The first NTN device may configure resources (such as the first resource) for the at least one terminal device. The at least one terminal device may transmit signals on the resource (such as the first resource). The received power value of the signals from the at least one terminal device transmitted on the resource (such as the first resource) may have various uses. For example, the received power value may be used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. The resource may also have some other names. For example, it may be called the RO_forCollect resource. The number of terminal devices with random access requirements may be used to configure resources (such as to determine the number of resources allocated for random access). In this way, the number of allocated resources can be made more reasonable, so as to achieve the purpose of saving resources.

[0151] In another possible implementation, the coverage area of the first NTN device can be divided into multiple regions. For example, the coverage area of the first NTN device is divided into multiple regions based on some parameters. For example, the coverage area of the first NTN device can be divided into regions based on the SSB. For example, one SSB of the first NTN device is associated with one region. In a possible implementation, one SSB is associated with one beam. Thus, it can also be understood that the coverage area of the first NTN device can be divided into regions based on the beam. For example, the coverage area of one beam of the first NTN device is divided into one region (or multiple SSBs are associated with one region, that is, the coverage areas of the beams associated with multiple SSBs are divided into one region). For example, the first NTN device is configured with multiple beams, such as beam #1 and beam #2. Then, the coverage area of the first NTN device can be divided into two regions, namely region #1 and region #2, where region #1 is the coverage area of beam #1 and region #2 is the coverage area of beam #2. The coverage area of the first NTN device can also be divided into regions based on other parameters. For example, in a scenario where the SSB broadcast beam is separated from the data beam, it can also be divided into regions based on the data beam. For example, the coverage area of one (or multiple) data beams is divided into one region. In this case, one SSB broadcast beam can correspond to the coverage areas of one or multiple data beams, and it can also be understood that one SSB (SSB broadcast beam) is associated with multiple regions (one region is the coverage area of one or multiple data beams). For the relevant definitions of the regions, reference can be made to the foregoing description. For the convenience of understanding, the subsequent introduction will take the division of regions based on the SSB as an example.

[0152] In the embodiments of the present application, the first configuration information may further include information for indicating the region associated with the first resource. The information for indicating the region associated with the first resource may include at least one of the wave position identifier of the region, the coverage area of the region, the position information of one or more reference points in the region, and the radius of the region range of the region.

[0153] Taking a region as an example of the region associated with an SSB, an introduction is given. In one possible implementation, the first NTN device may configure a resource for each SSB (or each region). The two resources configured for two SSBs (or two regions) may have no overlap or partial overlap. For example, Resource #1 of SSB #1 has no time-domain overlap but frequency-domain overlap (or partial frequency-domain overlap) with Resource #2 of SSB #2, or Resource #1 of SSB #1 has no frequency-domain overlap but time-domain overlap (or partial time-domain overlap) with Resource #2 of SSB #2, or Resource #1 of SSB #1 has no frequency-domain overlap and no time-domain overlap with Resource #2 of SSB #2. In the embodiments of the present application, taking the first resource associated with the first SSB as an example for introduction, the first resource can be understood as the resource configured by the first NTN device for the region associated with the first SSB. The first resource can be used for at least one terminal device in the region associated with the first SSB to send signals. The received power value of the signals from at least one terminal device received by the first NTN device on the first resource can be used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the region associated with the first SSB.

[0154] In another possible implementation, multiple SSBs (or multiple regions) may be associated with the same resource. For example, two SSBs are both associated with the first resource. In this case, the first NTN device needs to distinguish which SSB the signal received on the first resource is from, and then can determine the number of terminal devices with access requirements in the region corresponding to the SSB based on the received power value of the signal corresponding to one SSB. For example, terminal devices of different SSBs may correspond to different root sequences. Then, the signals (or preamble sequences) that can be generated by the terminal devices in different SSB regions according to their respective root sequences are also different. Then, the signals (or preamble sequences) sent by different SSBs on the first resource are also different. The first NTN device can distinguish the SSB corresponding to each preamble sequence according to the received preamble sequence.

[0155] In another possible implementation, one SSB may be associated with multiple resources. For example, the first SSB is associated with Resource #1 (Resource #1 is, for example, within the range of the first resource) and Resource #2. In this solution, some terminal devices in the region associated with the first SSB may send signals on Resource #1, and another part of the terminal devices in the region associated with the first SSB may send signals on Resource #2. The first NTN device can separately estimate the number of terminal devices with access requirements corresponding to Resource #1 and the number of terminal devices with access requirements corresponding to Resource #2, and then take the sum of the two numbers as the number of terminal devices with access requirements in the region associated with the first SSB.

[0156] As can be seen from the above examples, the coverage area of the first NTN device can be regarded as a region, or the coverage area of the first NTN device can also be divided into at least two regions. For the two regions in the first NTN device, the population numbers may be different, or it can be understood that the numbers of terminal devices with random access requirements are different. If the amounts of resources (such as resources for random access) allocated to each of the multiple regions are the same, it will result in excessive amounts of resources corresponding to some regions, causing resource waste. In a possible implementation manner provided by the embodiments of the present application, the first NTN device can separately estimate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in each region (the coverage area of the first NTN device may include one region or multiple regions), and then allocate resources (such as resources for random access) to the region based on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the region. For example, if the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in a region is small, the amount of resources (such as resources for random access) configured for the region can also be small, thereby reducing resource overhead. For another example, if the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in a region is large, the amount of resources (such as resources for random access) configured for the region can also be large, thereby meeting the requirements of the region. It can be seen that this solution can configure resources separately for smaller-grained regions divided within the coverage area of the first NTN device, so as to achieve the purpose of saving resources.

[0157] In the embodiments of the present application, the coverage area of the first NTN device can be regarded as a region, or divided into at least two regions. A region can also be referred to as a beam position, etc. For the related introduction of the region, refer to the foregoing content and will not be elaborated here. The first region belongs to the region within the coverage area of the first NTN device. The first region can be regarded as the region associated with the first SSB, and the first resource is associated with the first SSB (or understood that the first resource belongs to the resources configured by the first NTN device for the first SSB). The following takes the first region as an example for introduction. If the first NTN device includes other regions, the solutions for the other regions are similar and will not be elaborated here.

[0158] The first NTN device can configure corresponding resources for the RO associated with the first SSB. The first resource may or may not belong to the resources corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB. The following are respectively introduced through Example A1.1 and Example A1.2.

[0159] Example A1.1, the first resource may belong to the resources corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB.

[0160] In Example A1.1, the first NTN device can reuse the resources corresponding to the RO to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, so that new resources do not need to be additionally configured, thereby saving resource overhead and reducing the complexity of the solution.

[0161] For example, each RO associated with an SSB corresponds to multiple resources (such as FDM). The numbering of the FDM associated with each SSB starts from FDM#0. In one possible implementation, the first configuration information may indicate that the FDM#0 associated with each SSB is the resource corresponding to the SSB for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, or in other words, the FDM#0 associated with each SSB is the RO_forCollect resource of the SSB. The resources associated with two SSBs may also be different. For example, the FDM#0 associated with SSB#1 is the RO_forCollect resource of this SSB, and the FDM#1 associated with SSB#2 is the RO_forCollect resource of this SSB.

[0162] For ease of understanding, Figure 4 An example of the resources associated with an SSB is exemplarily shown as Figure 4 shown. The first NTN device includes SSB#0, SSB#1, and SSB#2. Each RO associated with an SSB is configured with resources. For example, Figure 4 as shown in, the RO associated with SSB#0 is RO0, and the four resources corresponding to this RO0 are respectively identified as RO0-FCM#0, RO0-FCM#1, RO0-FCM#2, and RO0-FCM#3 in Figure 4 . The RO associated with SSB#1 is RO1, and the two resources corresponding to this RO1 are respectively identified as RO1-FCM#0 and RO1-FCM#1 in Figure 4 . The RO associated with SSB#2 is RO2, and the four resources corresponding to this RO2 are respectively identified as RO2-FCM#0, RO2-FCM#1, RO2-FCM#2, and RO2-FCM#3 in Figure 4 . As Figure 4 shown, the FDM#0 associated with each SSB is the resource corresponding to the SSB for determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements, and this resource may also be referred to as the RO_forCollect resource. As Figure 4As shown, RO0-FCM#0 is a resource corresponding to SSB#0 for determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements. Terminal devices within the area associated with this SSB#0 can transmit signals on RO0-FCM#0. The first NTN device can determine the received power value of the signal corresponding to RO0-FCM#0 and determine the number of terminal devices with access requirements within the area associated with SSB#0 based on this received power value. Similarly, RO1-FCM#0 is a resource corresponding to SSB#1 for determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements, and RO2-FCM#0 is a resource corresponding to SSB#2 for determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements. It can be seen that in this solution, the information for indicating the first resource can be the index information of a resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB. This solution can reduce the number of bits occupied by the information for indicating the first resource, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0163] Example A1.2, the first resource may not belong to the resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB.

[0164] In Example A1.2, the first NTN device can reconfigure a resource (this resource is the first resource), which is used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, so that it is not necessary to use the resource corresponding to the RO, thereby improving the flexibility of the solution.

[0165] In another possible implementation, the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with the resources corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB. The frequency domain of the first resource can partially overlap or not overlap with the resources corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB. For example, the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with resource #1 corresponding to RO#1 associated with the first SSB, and the frequency domain of the first resource can partially overlap or not overlap with resource #1.

[0166] When the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps with the resources corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB, the information for indicating the first resource may not include the indication information of more time domain resources. It can also be understood that the first NTN device does not have to indicate the time domain resources of the first resource through more bits. For example, it can be determined through the protocol definition or through negotiation that the time domain resources of the first resource completely overlap with the time domain resources of resource #1 corresponding to RO#1. In this way, the number of bits occupied by the information for indicating the first resource can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead. Moreover, in this solution, the first NTN device can receive the signals on the first resource and the signals on the resources corresponding to the RO at the same time, thereby reducing the scheduling complexity of the first NTN device.

[0167] In another possible implementation, the frequency domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB. The time domain of the first resource may partially overlap or not overlap with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB. For example, the frequency domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with resource #2 corresponding to RO#2 associated with the first SSB, and the time domain of the first resource may partially overlap or not overlap with resource #2. When the frequency domain of the first resource completely overlaps with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB, the information used to indicate the first resource may not include more indication information of time-frequency domain resources, and it can also be understood that the first NTN device may not need to indicate the frequency domain resource of the first resource through more bits. For example, it can be determined by protocol definition or negotiation that the time domain resource of the first resource completely overlaps with the frequency domain resource of resource #2 corresponding to RO#2, so that the number of bits occupied by the information used to indicate the first resource can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0168] Information A2 is used to indicate the power value.

[0169] In the embodiment of the present application, the information used to indicate the power value may include, for example, one or more power values. The terminal device may determine the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal based on the power value, and transmit the first signal on the first resource with the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal. Since there may be multiple terminal devices transmitting signals on the first resource, and the first NTN device needs to estimate the number of terminal devices with access requirements by the receiving power value corresponding to the first resource, the power values of the signals transmitted by each terminal device when they arrive at the first NTN device need to be relatively close or the same, so as to improve the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device. In the embodiment of the present application, the first configuration information may indicate the power value, thereby improving the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device.

[0170] The power value indicated by the information for indicating the power value may be, for example, a received power value or a transmitted power value of the terminal device. The received power value may be an expected received power value, and the expected received power value may also have other names, for example, the expected received power value may be written as preamble received target power for collection in English. When the power value indicated by the information of the power value is the expected received power value, the terminal device may calculate the transmitted power value of the terminal device based on the expected received power value and information such as path loss. For example, the transmitted power value is the sum of the expected received power value and the power value corresponding to the path loss.

[0171] In another possible implementation, the power value indicated by the information for indicating the power value has an associated relationship with the positions of one or more reference points. For example, the information for indicating the power value may indicate the power values of one or more reference points (for example, the power value is the transmission power value). The first configuration information may further include information for indicating the reference points associated with the power value. These reference points may include, for example, positions within the coverage area of the first NTN device, or positions within the area corresponding to the first SSB. For example, it may be the position of the center point of the area corresponding to the first SSB. The area corresponding to the first SSB can be understood as the coverage area of the beam associated with the first SSB. This coverage area may be, for example, a circle. There may be a difference between the power value corresponding to the edge of the circle and the power value corresponding to the center of the area. This difference can be defined by itself. For example, it can be 3 decibels (dB). This solution can make the power values of the signals sent by the terminal devices at various positions relatively close or the same when reaching the first NTN device, thereby improving the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device.

[0172] For example, suppose the information for indicating the power value indicates that the power value corresponding to the center position within the area corresponding to the first SSB (for example, the transmission power value) is P1, and the power value corresponding to the edge area of the area corresponding to the first SSB (for example, the transmission power value) can be (P1 + 3dB). The terminal device can interpolate the positions and transmission power values of multiple reference points based on its own position, as well as P1 and (P1 + 3dB), so as to calculate the power value corresponding to this terminal device (for example, the transmission power value).

[0173] Information A3, for indicating the first signal.

[0174] In one possible implementation, the first signal may be a signal defined by the protocol or pre-negotiated. In another possible implementation, the first signal may be indicated by the first NTN device through the first configuration information.

[0175] In one possible implementation, the first signal is the first preamble sequence, and the information for indicating the first signal can be replaced with the information for indicating the first preamble sequence. It can be seen that this solution can reuse the preamble sequence. In this case, the information for indicating the first signal can be the same as the existing parameter items for indicating the preamble sequence, and the specific parameter values can be set separately. It can be seen that this solution is relatively compatible with the existing technology.

[0176] The information used to indicate the first preamble sequence may include, for example, at least one of the following: the type of the first preamble sequence, the length of the first preamble sequence, the root sequence of the first preamble sequence, the number of repetitions of the first preamble sequence, and the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence. For example, the cyclic shift may be defined by a parameter Ncs, and Ncs = 0 indicates a cyclic shift of 0. When the cyclic shift is a random cyclic shift, the random cyclic shift may be defined by a protocol or indicated by the first NTN device.

[0177] In a possible implementation, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a cyclic shift of 0. It can also be understood that the preamble sequences sent by multiple terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB are the same. Since the signals sent by multiple terminal devices on the first resource do not require the first NTN device to identify the sending end of each signal, the signals sent by the terminal devices do not need to distinguish the terminal devices. Therefore, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence sent by the terminal device can be a cyclic shift of 0. This solution can reduce the processing complexity of the sending end's solution.

[0178] In another possible implementation, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a random cyclic shift. It can also be understood that the preamble sequences sent by multiple terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB may be different or the same, and the situation is relatively random. This solution can increase the randomness of the phase, so that the distribution of the received power values of the first NTN device is more concentrated (specifically, see the subsequent Figure 5B related description), so that the number of terminal devices with access requirements can be determined more accurately.

[0179] In a possible implementation, the information used to indicate the first preamble sequence may also reuse the parameters of the configuration information of the existing random access preamble sequence. For example, the information used to indicate the first preamble sequence may also be indicated by a root indication parameter (such as the parameter prach_RootSequenceIndex). In the embodiments of the present application, the manner of cyclic shift (such as random cyclic shift or cyclic shift of 0) may be determined by an agreed manner or indicated by the first NTN device. It can be seen from this implementation that the configuration manner of the information used to indicate the first preamble sequence in the embodiments of the present application can also reuse the configuration manner of the existing random access preamble sequence. The specific parameter values can be set separately, and the parameter items can reuse the existing protocol definitions. Therefore, this solution can be more compatible with the prior art.

[0180] When the coverage area of the first NTN device is divided into multiple regions, information for indicating the preamble sequence can be configured separately for each region. The root sequences of the preamble sequences configured for the two regions can be the same or different. For the relevant content of the sequence of the preamble configured for each region, reference can be made to the relevant description of the first preamble sequence, which will not be elaborated here.

[0181] The above information A1, information A2, and information A3 can be carried by one piece of information or by multiple messages. In the embodiments of this application, it is exemplified that these three pieces of information are carried in the same message.

[0182] The first configuration information can be carried in a broadcast message at the cell level. In this way, the first NTN device can be maintained at the cell granularity. For example, a set of configuration information can be maintained for one cell (for example, one cell corresponds to the first configuration information, and the terminal devices in this cell can all perform subsequent operations based on this first configuration information). This solution can reduce the working complexity on the side of the first NTN device. In another possible implementation, the first configuration information can be carried in a broadcast message at the beam level. In this way, the first NTN device can be maintained at the beam granularity. For example, a set of configuration information can be maintained for one beam (for example, one beam (or the cell associated with the first SSB) corresponds to the first configuration information, and the terminal devices within the coverage range of this beam can all perform subsequent operations based on this first configuration information). The two sets of configuration information corresponding to the two beams can be different. This solution improves the flexibility of the solution.

[0183] Step 302, the terminal device sends a first signal on the first resource.

[0184] Correspondingly, the first NTN device receives the first signal on the first resource.

[0185] The first resource can be associated with a region within the coverage area of the first NTN device. For example, the first resource can be associated with the first SSB. In this way, the first resource can be used for at least one terminal device within the region associated with the first SSB to send a signal. Step 302 can also be replaced with: One or more terminal devices within the region associated with the first SSB send signals on the first resource (the first signal belongs to these signals). Correspondingly, the first NTN device receives signals from one or more terminal devices on the first resource.

[0186] Taking one terminal device as an example for introduction, in one possible implementation, the first signal sent by the terminal device on the first resource can be the first preamble sequence. When the first configuration information indicates a power value, the terminal device can determine the power value corresponding to the first signal and send the first signal with this power value. The solution for the terminal device to determine the first preamble sequence and the power value can refer to the relevant example description in the foregoing step 301, which will not be elaborated here.

[0187] Step 303, the first NTN device determines the received power value corresponding to the first resource.

[0188] The received power value corresponding to the first resource has multiple uses. In the embodiments of the present application, an example is given where the received power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

[0189] Step 304, the first NTN device determines the number of terminal devices with random access requirements according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource.

[0190] For example, the larger the received power value on the first resource, the more terminal devices may have random access requirements. For another example, the smaller the received power value on the first resource, the fewer terminal devices may have random access requirements. In a possible implementation, the correlation between the received power value and the number of terminal devices can be determined based on historical experience or some historical values. Then, after the first NTN device obtains the received power value corresponding to the first resource, it can look up this correlation and find the number of terminal devices corresponding to this received power value from this correlation, and this number can be regarded as the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

[0191] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Exemplarily shows a simulation diagram of the received power value corresponding to the first resource under different numbers of terminal devices. Figure 5A and Figure 5B The curve shown can also be understood as: a cumulative distribution function (CDF) curve. Figure 5A and Figure 5B In, the curve of 50UE represents the situation where there are 50 terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB, the curve of 200UE represents the situation where there are 200 terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB, the curve of 500UE represents the situation where there are 500 terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB, and the curve of 1000UE represents the situation where there are 1000 terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB. Please refer to Figure 5A , taking the curve corresponding to 500UE as an example for introduction. From Figure 5AIt can be seen that when there are 500 terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB, the received power values of the first NTN device on the first resource are basically distributed between 200 and 1000. Taking point A on the curve corresponding to 500 UEs as an example, the abscissa corresponding to point A is 500 and the ordinate is 0.5. This means that when there are 500 terminal devices (500 UEs) with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB, the probability that the received power value of the first NTN device on the first resource is less than or equal to 500 (abscissa is 500) is 50% (ordinate is 0.5), and the received power is mostly distributed in the range near 500. Through Figure 5A It can be seen that there are obvious differences in the distributions of the received power values of the first NTN device under different numbers of terminal devices. Based on this, in the solution provided in the embodiments of the present application, it is relatively accurate to determine the number of terminal devices based on the received power value.

[0192] Please refer to Figure 5B , and Figure 5A compared with Figure 5B , the difference is that the random cyclic shifts corresponding to the preamble sequences sent by the terminal devices are different. Figure 5A In Figure 5B , it is exemplified by the random cyclic shift corresponding to the preamble sequence sent by the terminal device being 0, and Figure 5A it is exemplified by the cyclic shift corresponding to the preamble sequence sent by the terminal device being the random cyclic shift. The remaining content is similar to Figure 5A and Figure 5B and can be referred to each other. Through the comparison between Figure 5B and Figure 5B , it can be seen that when using random cyclic shifts, the distributions of the received power values for different UE numbers are more concentrated. For example, in Figure 5B , when there are 500 terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB, the received power values of the first NTN device on the first resource are basically distributed between 400 and 600. Subsequently, the number of terminal devices estimated based on the Figure 5B scheme is more accurate.

[0193] Step 305, the first NTN device sends the second configuration information.

[0194] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second configuration information.

[0195] The second configuration information is used to indicate the second resource. The second resource is used for the terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB to perform random access. The second resource is determined according to the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB.

[0196] Step 306, the terminal device sends a second preamble sequence in the resources of the second resource.

[0197] Correspondingly, the first NTN device receives the second preamble sequence in the resources of the second resource. The second preamble sequence is used for random access.

[0198] The message for sending the second preamble sequence can be a random access message, such as message A for two-step random access, or the first message for four-step random access.

[0199] In the embodiments of the present application, the first NTN device can allocate resources for random access to the terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB based on the number of terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB. The number of resources for random access allocated to the areas associated with two SSBs can be different (or the same). The number of resources for random access can be understood as the number of ROs. For example, the number of ROs allocated to SSB#0 is 4, the number of ROs allocated to SSB#1 is 2, and the number of ROs allocated to SSB#3 is 4. That is to say, the first NTN device can allocate resources for random access at the granularity of the area associated with the SSB (or beam granularity). It does not allocate the same random access resources to each area associated with the SSB of a cell. Subsequently, this solution can allocate random access resources more reasonably, meet the random access requirements in different areas, save resources, and improve resource utilization.

[0200] In another possible implementation, since under the granularity of the area associated with the SSB (or beam granularity), the configuration information (such as the second configuration information) for configuring random access resources in an area associated with an SSB changes with the number of access requirements, compared with other system messages, the update frequency of this configuration information (such as the second configuration information) for configuring random access resources may be higher. Based on this, in a possible implementation, the configuration information (such as the second configuration information) for configuring random access resources can be configured as a separate system message, and this system message is configured with an independent update period, and this system message does not need to be updated at the same frequency as other system messages, so as to avoid the terminal device from repeatedly parsing other system messages too much, thereby saving resource overhead.

[0201] In a possible implementation, the first NTN device can periodically determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, and the duration of the period can be, for example, in milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc. In this way, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be kept relatively matched with the actual situation.

[0202] In another possible implementation, the signal received by the first NTN device on the first resource can also have multiple uses. The solutions provided in step 303 and step 304 are examples, which are not necessary steps and may not be performed. In a possible implementation, the number of terminal devices with access requirements determined by the first NTN device can have multiple uses, for example, resources can be allocated based on the number. The solutions provided in step 305 and step 306 are examples, which are not necessary steps and may not be performed.

[0203] based on Figure 1 , Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5A and Figure 5B The content shown and the other content mentioned above, Figure 6 The following is a possible flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 The interaction between the first NTN device and the second NTN device is taken as an example for introduction. Figure 6 Can also be considered Figure 3 For example, the second NTN device can be Figure 2A or Figure 2B A satellite or a chip (or chip system) in a satellite, and for example, the second NTN device can be Figure 2A or Figure 2B The gateway (or ground station, earth station, gateway station, gateway station) in the gateway or the chip (or chip system) in the gateway, and the second NTN device can be Figure 2A or Figure 2B The second NTN device refers to a network device in a communication architecture that includes NTN. The second NTN device can also be replaced by a network device. Or when the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is applicable to other communication architectures, the second NTN device can also be replaced by the name of the device under the other communication architecture. For relevant examples of the first NTN device, please refer to the aforementioned Figure 3 The relevant description will not be repeated here.

[0204] Combine the following Figure 6 Make an introduction.

[0205] Step 601: The first NTN device determines the number of terminal devices having random access requirements.

[0206] In step 601, the first NTN device can Figure 3(For example, the solutions provided in the foregoing steps 301, 302, 303, and 304) determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, and the relevant content will not be repeated.

[0207] Step 602, the first NTN device sends first indication information.

[0208] Correspondingly, the second NTN device receives the first indication information.

[0209] The first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area. In this way, the second NTN device can determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area without using the solution provided by the foregoing Figure 3 (For example, the solutions provided in the foregoing steps 301, 302, 303, and 304), but determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area according to the first indication information, thereby saving the workload of the second NTN device.

[0210] In another possible implementation manner, the first indication information further indicates information about the area associated with the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, and this area can be the first SSB association area. The first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB. The first indication information may further include information for indicating the area associated with the first SSB. For example, it may include the beam identifier of this area. In this way, the second NTN device can determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within a certain area according to the first indication information, and then allocate resources (such as random access resources) at the area granularity.

[0211] In another possible implementation manner, the first indication information further includes: validity period information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. The validity period information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements may include, for example, information about the remaining validity period of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. In another possible implementation manner, determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be performed periodically, and the duration of the period can be, for example, in milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc. The validity period information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements may include the remaining duration within the current period.

[0212] When the information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements indicated by the first indication information is within the validity period, the second NTN device can use this information to allocate resources for random access. After the information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements indicated by the first indication information becomes invalid (or after the expiration of the validity period), the second NTN device can use the foregoing Figure 3Re-determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the first SSB associated area according to the solution provided in (for example, the aforementioned steps 301, 302, 303, and 304). In this way, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be kept relatively matched with the actual situation.

[0213] Step 603: The second NTN device configures resources for the terminal device to perform random access according to the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the first SSB associated area.

[0214] After obtaining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the first SSB associated area, the second NTN device configures resources for random access for the terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB according to this number. Further, the second NTN device can also send configuration information for instructing the terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB to configure resources for random access. The terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB can initiate random access to the second NTN device on these resources, for example, send a preamble sequence for random access on these resources. For related solutions, reference can be made to the aforementioned steps 305 and 306, which are similar and will not be elaborated here.

[0215] For the same area, for example, the area associated with the first SSB, when inter-satellite handover is performed in this area, for example, the original first NTN device provides services for this area, and now the second NTN device provides services for this area. In this case, the first NTN device can send information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in this area to the second NTN device, so as to avoid the second NTN device from repeatedly executing the solution for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, thereby saving the power consumption of the second NTN device.

[0216] It can be understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the first NTN device, the second NTN device, and the terminal device may include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combined with 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 form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0217] Figure 7 and Figure 8Schematic diagram of a possible communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the NTN device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be, for example, Figure 2A or Figure 2B as shown in the terminal device, or can be, for example, Figure 2A or Figure 2B as shown in the NTN device (such as a satellite, a gateway or an access network device), and can also be a chip system applied to Figure 2A or Figure 2B as shown in the terminal device or the network device.

[0218] As Figure 7 shown, the communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device, the first NTN device or the second NTN device in the method embodiments shown in the above Figure 3 or Figure 6 . The transceiver unit 1320 can also be referred to as a communication unit. The transceiver unit 1320 can include a sending unit and a receiving unit.

[0219] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 , in a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to receive first configuration information. The processing unit 1310 is used to: send a first signal in a first resource, and the received power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

[0220] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 , in a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to receive second configuration information and send a second preamble sequence in the resources in the second resource.

[0221] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 , in a possible implementation manner, the processing unit 1310 is used to determine the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value. The transceiver unit 1320 is used to: send the first signal in the first resource with the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal.

[0222] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 , in a possible implementation manner, the processing unit 1310 is used to: determine the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value and the position of the terminal device in the area associated with the first SSB.

[0223] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement Figure 3 the functions of the first NTN device in the method embodiments shown, in a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to send first configuration information and receive a first signal on a first resource. The processing unit 1310 is used to: determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource.

[0224] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement Figure 3 the functions of the first NTN device in the method embodiments shown, in a possible implementation, the processing unit 1310 is used to: determine according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource: the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB.

[0225] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement Figure 3 the functions of the first NTN device in the method embodiments shown, in a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to: send second configuration information and receive a second preamble sequence on a resource in a second resource.

[0226] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement Figure 6 the functions of the first NTN device in the method embodiments shown, in a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to: send first indication information.

[0227] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement Figure 6 the functions of the second NTN device in the method embodiments shown, in a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to: receive first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB. The processing unit 1310 is used to: configure resources for the terminal devices to perform random access according to the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB.

[0228] For a more detailed description of the above processing unit 1310 and transceiver unit 1320, reference can be made to Figure 3 or Figure 6 the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown.

[0229] Such as Figure 8As shown, the communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. The processor 1410 and the interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Among them, the transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter can be used to send information or signals, and the receiver can be used to receive information. Other functions can be implemented by the processor. The input / output interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information. Output can be understood as sending, and input can be understood as receiving. Other functions can be implemented by the processor. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a memory 1430, which is used to store instructions executed by the processor 1410 or input data required for the processor 1410 to run instructions or data generated after the processor 1410 runs instructions.

[0230] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement Figure 3 or Figure 6 the method shown, the processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 1310, and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1320.

[0231] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiment. The terminal chip receives information from the base station. It can be understood that the information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sends information or signals to the base station. It can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0232] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the NTN device in the above method embodiment. The base station chip receives information from the terminal. It can be understood that the information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. The base station chip sends information or signals to the terminal. It can be understood that the information is sent to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0233] In this application, when entity A sends information or signals to entity B, it can be directly sent from A to B, or A can indirectly send to B through other entities. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, entity B can directly receive the information sent by entity A, or entity B can indirectly receive the information sent by entity A through other entities. Here, entity A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. The sending and receiving of information can be the information interaction between a RAN node and a terminal, for example, the information interaction between a base station and a terminal; the sending and receiving of information can also be the information interaction between two RAN nodes, for example, the information interaction between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be the information interaction between different modules within a device, for example, the information interaction between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or the information interaction between a base station chip and other modules in the base station.

[0234] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this 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.

[0235] The method steps in the embodiments of this 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, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, removable hard disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), 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 base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a base station or a terminal.

[0236] 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 the form of a computer program product in whole or in part. 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 of 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 data center that integrates 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.

[0237] In various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0238] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the written description of the present application, the character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after; in the formula of the present application, the character " / " represents a "division" relationship between the associated objects before and after. "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.

[0239] It can be understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application (such as numerical numbers "first", "second", and letter numbers "A1, A2", "B1, B2", "C1, C2", etc.) are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The magnitudes of the serial numbers of the above processes do not imply 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, The method is applicable to a terminal device, and the method includes: Receiving first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes information for indicating a first resource; Sending a first signal on the first resource, and a received power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first resource is associated with a first synchronization signal and a synchronization signal and broadcast channel block SSB; The received power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine: the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement within the area associated with the first SSB.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first signal is a first preamble sequence, and the first configuration information further includes information for indicating the first preamble sequence.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The information for indicating the first preamble sequence includes information for indicating at least one of the following: The type of the first preamble sequence, the length of the first preamble sequence, the root sequence of the first preamble sequence, the number of repetitions of the first preamble sequence, and the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is cyclic shift 0; or, The cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a random cyclic shift.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to indicate a second resource, and the second resource is used for terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB to perform random access, and the second resource is determined according to the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement within the area associated with the first SSB; Sending a second preamble sequence on a resource in the second resource, where the second preamble sequence is used for random access.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The first resource satisfies one of the following: The first resource belongs to the resource corresponding to a random access opportunity RO associated with the first SSB; The first resource does not belong to the resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB, and the time domain of the first resource completely or partially overlaps with the resource corresponding to at least one random access opportunity associated with the first SSB.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first configuration information further includes: information for indicating a power value; The method further includes: Determining a transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value; The sending the first signal on the first resource includes: Sending the first signal on the first resource with the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The determining the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value includes: Determining the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value and the position of the terminal device within the area associated with the first SSB.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applicable to a first non-terrestrial network NTN device, and the method includes: Sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes information for indicating a first resource; Receiving a first signal on the first resource; Determining the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first resource is associated with a first synchronization signal and a synchronization signal and broadcast channel block SSB; The determining the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource includes: Determine, according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein The first signal is a first preamble sequence, and the first configuration information further includes information for indicating the first preamble sequence.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein The information for indicating the first preamble sequence includes at least one of the following: The type of the first preamble sequence, the length of the first preamble sequence, the root sequence of the first preamble sequence, the number of repetitions of the first preamble sequence, and the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is cyclic shift 0; or, The cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a random cyclic shift.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10-14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to indicate a second resource, and the second resource is used for terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB to perform random access, and the second resource is determined according to the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB; Receiving a second preamble sequence in the second resource, where the second preamble sequence is used for random access.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that, The first resource satisfies one of the following: The first resource belongs to the resource corresponding to the random access occasion RO associated with the first SSB; The first resource does not belong to the resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB, and the time domain of the first resource completely or partially overlaps with the resources corresponding to at least one random access occasion associated with the first SSB.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10-16, characterized in that, The first configuration information further includes: information for indicating a power value, and the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal is determined according to the power value.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The transmission power value corresponding to the first signal is determined according to the power value and the position of the terminal device in the area associated with the first SSB.

19. The method according to any one of claims 10-18, characterized in that, The method is applicable to a first NTN device, and the method includes: Sending first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The first indication information further includes: Information about the coverage range of the area associated with the first SSB, and the first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB; and / or, Information about the validity period of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or including a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a processor, where the processor realizes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or realizes the method according to any one of claims 10 to 20 through logic circuits or by executing computer programs or instructions.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program or instruction is stored in the storage medium, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is realized, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 20 is realized.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product stores a computer program, the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 20.

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