Communication method, communication device, medium, and program product

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method, a communication device, a storage medium and a program product. In the communication method, a terminal device receives configuration information regarding application of an orthogonal cover code (OCC) in a random access procedure from a network device, and performs the random access procedure based on the configuration information. In this way, the terminal equipment can apply the OCC in the random access process, so that collision in the random access process is reduced, and the terminal equipment capacity of the system is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of communications, and more particularly to a method, a communication apparatus, a computer readable storage medium, and a computer program product for random access procedure. BACKGROUND

[0002] Random access is a necessary procedure for terminal device and network to establish wireless link, only after the random access is completed, the terminal device and the base station can normally carry out data interoperation. However, network resources are limited, and the base station can only handle a limited number of random access requests of terminal devices at the same random access occasion (RO). If the number of terminal devices requesting random access in the cell is too large, a large number of preamble collisions will occur, thereby reducing the success rate of random access. SUMMARY

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a communication apparatus, a computer readable storage medium and a computer program product, and in particular provide a technical solution for random access procedure.

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for communication is provided. The method can be applicable to a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a processor, module, chip, or chip system in the terminal device implementing the method, etc.). The method comprises: receiving configuration information about applying an orthogonal cover code (OCC) in a random access procedure; and performing the random access procedure based on the configuration information. In this way, the terminal device can apply the OCC in the random access procedure, thereby reducing collisions in the random access procedure, and further improving the terminal device capacity of the system.

[0005] In some embodiments, the configuration information comprises first indication information indicating a set of subcarriers supporting OCC for a message 1 (Msg1). Thereby, the corresponding subcarriers can be configured for the random access procedure applying the OCC, so that the terminal device supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC and the terminal device not supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC perform random access on different subcarriers, thereby reducing collisions in the random access procedure and increasing the success rate of the random access procedure.

[0006] In some embodiments, performing the random access procedure comprises: transmitting the Msg1 applying the OCC on a first subcarrier, the first subcarrier belonging to the set of subcarriers. Thereby, the terminal device supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC can transmit the Msg1 applying the OCC on a specific set of subcarriers, thereby reducing collisions in the random access procedure and increasing the success rate of the random access procedure.

[0007] In some embodiments, the configuration information further comprises second indication information, the second indication information indicating a first subset of subcarriers and a second subset of subcarriers in the set of subcarriers, the first subset of subcarriers corresponding to the message 3 Msg3 supporting the multi-tone transmission, and the second subset of subcarriers corresponding to the Msg3 supporting the single-tone transmission. In this way, the terminal device supporting the multi-tone transmission of the Msg3 and the terminal device supporting the single-tone transmission of the Msg3 can perform random access on different subcarriers, so that the network device can know whether the terminal device supports the multi-tone transmission of the Msg3 based on the subcarrier where the Msg1 is located, to facilitate the network device to allocate resources for the Msg3.

[0008] In some embodiments, the configuration information further comprises third indication information, the third indication information indicating a third subset of subcarriers and a fourth subset of subcarriers in the set of subcarriers, the subcarriers in the third subset of subcarriers being used for the contention-based random access procedure, and the subcarriers in the fourth subset of subcarriers being used for the non-contention-based random access procedure. In this way, the contention-based random access procedure and the non-contention-based random access procedure can be performed on different subcarriers, so that the collision in the random access procedure can be reduced.

[0009] In some embodiments, the configuration information comprises fourth indication information, the fourth indication information indicating whether the first type of terminal device is allowed to apply the OCC of all-one sequence to the Msg1. The first type of terminal device supports the random access procedure applying the OCC. In this way, the collision between the terminal device supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC and the terminal device not supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC can be reduced, and the success rate of the random access procedure can be increased.

[0010] In some embodiments, the configuration information comprises fifth indication information, the fifth indication information indicating a probability of the first type of terminal device applying the OCC of all-one sequence to the Msg1. The first type of terminal device supports the random access procedure applying the OCC. In this way, the collision between the terminal device supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC and the terminal device not supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC can be reduced, and the success rate of the random access procedure can be increased.

[0011] In some embodiments, the configuration information comprises at least one of sixth indication information or seventh indication information. The sixth indication information indicates a first OCC applied to the Msg1, and the seventh indication information indicates a second OCC applied to the Msg3 or early data transmission (EDT). If the OCC applied to the Msg1 by the terminal device is the same as the OCC in the sixth indication information, the terminal device can confirm that the configuration information corresponds to the terminal device. Based on the seventh indication information, the terminal device can be configured with the OCC to be applied to the Msg3 or the EDT, thereby increasing the capacity of the terminal devices in the system.

[0012] In some embodiments, the configuration information is carried in the Msg2, the Msg2 comprises a random access response (RAR) corresponding to the Msg1, and the sixth indication information corresponds to the RAR. In this way, the terminal device can determine the RAR for the terminal device.

[0013] In some embodiments, at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information is included in the RAR. In this way, an RAR for a random access procedure for applying an OCC is provided.

[0014] In some embodiments, the Msg2 comprises a media access control (MAC) header, the MAC header comprises a MAC subheader corresponding to the Msg1, and at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information included in the configuration information is included in the MAC header and is associated with the MAC subheader. In this way, a Msg2 for a random access procedure for applying an OCC is provided.

[0015] In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates a first OCC for the Msg1. In this way, the OCC for the Msg1 can be explicitly configured for the terminal device, thereby increasing the capacity of the terminal devices in the system.

[0016] In some embodiments, the configuration information is carried in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order. In this way, the OCC for the Msg1 can be configured for a random access procedure based on the PDCCH order, thereby increasing the capacity of the terminal devices in the system.

[0017] In some embodiments, performing the random access procedure comprises: transmitting Msg1 to which a first OCC is applied; receiving downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling a RAR corresponding to the Msg1; and receiving the RAR based on the DCI. At least one of the DCI and the RAR is scrambled using a random access radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI) based on the first OCC. In this way, the RA-RNTI is scrambled with the OCC to scramble the PDCCH scheduling the RAR or the RAR, so that the terminal device applying the OCC is able to descramble the DCI and the RAR for the terminal device.

[0018] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for communication is provided. The method can be applicable to a communication device (e.g., a network device or a processor, module, chip, or chip system, etc. implemented in the network device to perform the method). The method comprises: transmitting configuration information about applying an orthogonal cover code (OCC) in a random access procedure; and performing a random access procedure for at least one terminal device based on the configuration information. In this way, the terminal device can be supported to apply the OCC in the random access procedure, so as to reduce the collision in the random access procedure, and thus improve the terminal device capacity of the system.

[0019] In some embodiments, the configuration information comprises first indication information indicating a set of subcarriers supporting OCC for a message 1 (Msg1). In this way, the corresponding subcarriers can be configured for the random access procedure applying the OCC, so that the terminal device supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC and the terminal device not supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC perform random access on different subcarriers, and thus the collision in the random access procedure can be reduced and the success rate of the random access procedure can be increased.

[0020] In some embodiments, performing the random access procedure comprises: receiving Msg1 to which the OCC is applied on a first subcarrier, the first subcarrier belonging to the set of subcarriers. In this way, the Msg1 to which the OCC is applied can be received from the terminal device supporting the random access procedure applying the OCC on the specific set of subcarriers, so that the collision in the random access procedure can be reduced and the success rate of the random access procedure can be increased.

[0021] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes second indication information, the second indication information indicating a first subcarrier subset and a second subcarrier subset in the subcarrier set, the first subcarrier subset corresponding to a message 3 (Msg3) supporting multi-tone transmission, and the second subcarrier subset corresponding to a Msg3 supporting single-tone transmission. In this way, the terminal device supporting the Msg3 supporting multi-tone transmission and the terminal device supporting the Msg3 supporting single-tone transmission can perform random access on different subcarriers, so that the network device can know whether the terminal device supports the Msg3 supporting multi-tone transmission based on the subcarrier where the Msg1 is located, to facilitate the network device to allocate resources for the Msg3.

[0022] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes third indication information, the third indication information indicating a third subcarrier subset and a fourth subcarrier subset in the subcarrier set, subcarriers in the third subcarrier subset being used for a contention-based random access procedure, and subcarriers in the fourth subcarrier subset being used for a non-contention-based random access procedure. In this way, the contention-based random access procedure and the non-contention-based random access procedure can be performed on different subcarriers, so that the collision in the random access procedure can be reduced.

[0023] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes fourth indication information, the fourth indication information indicating whether the first type of terminal device is allowed to apply an OCC of an all-one sequence to the Msg1. The first type of terminal device supports a random access procedure applying an OCC. In this way, the collision between the terminal device supporting the random access procedure applying an OCC and the terminal device not supporting the random access procedure applying an OCC can be reduced, and the success rate of the random access procedure can be increased.

[0024] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes fifth indication information, the fifth indication information indicating a probability of the first type of terminal device applying an OCC of an all-one sequence to the Msg1. The first type of terminal device supports a random access procedure applying an OCC. In this way, the collision between the terminal device supporting the random access procedure applying an OCC and the terminal device not supporting the random access procedure applying an OCC can be reduced, and the success rate of the random access procedure can be increased.

[0025] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of sixth indication information or seventh indication information. The sixth indication information indicates a first OCC applied to the Msg1, and the seventh indication information indicates a second OCC applied to a message 3 (Msg3) or early data transmission (EDT). By indicating the OCC applied to the Msg1 in the sixth indication information, the configuration information can be corresponded to the terminal device. By configuring the OCC to be applied to the Msg3 or the EDT for the terminal device, the capacity of the terminal device in the system can be increased.

[0026] In some embodiments, the configuration information is carried in Msg2, the Msg2 includes a random access response RAR corresponding to the Msg1, and the sixth indication information corresponds to the RAR. In this way, the RAR corresponding to the Msg1 to which the OCC should be applied can be associated by the configuration information.

[0027] In some embodiments, at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information is included in the RAR. In this way, the RAR for the random access procedure for applying the OCC is provided.

[0028] In some embodiments, the Msg2 includes a medium access control, MAC, header, the MAC header includes a MAC subheader corresponding to the Msg1, and at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information included in the configuration information is included in the MAC header and is associated with the MAC subheader. In this way, the Msg2 for the random access procedure for applying the OCC is provided.

[0029] In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates the first OCC for the Msg1. In this way, the OCC for the Msg1 can be explicitly configured for the terminal device, thereby increasing the capacity of the terminal device in the system.

[0030] In some embodiments, the configuration information is carried in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, order. In this way, the OCC for the Msg1 can be configured for the random access procedure based on the PDCCH order, thereby increasing the capacity of the terminal device in the system.

[0031] In some embodiments, performing the random access procedure includes: receiving the Msg1 applying the first OCC; transmitting downlink control information, DCI, for scheduling a RAR corresponding to the Msg1; and transmitting the RAR based on the DCI. At least one of the DCI and the RAR is scrambled using a random access-radio network temporary identifier, RA-RNTI, based on the first OCC. In this way, the PDCCH scheduling the RAR or the RAR is scrambled by utilizing the OCC acting on the RA-RNTI, so that the terminal device applying the OCC can be distinguished.

[0032] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes means or modules for performing any of the methods according to the first aspect and its implementation forms, or means or modules for performing any of the methods according to the second aspect and its implementation forms.

[0033] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor configured to perform any of the methods according to the first aspect and its implementation forms, or configured to perform any of the methods according to the second aspect and its implementation forms.

[0034] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods according to the first aspect and its implementations, or cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods according to the second aspect and its implementations.

[0035] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods according to the first aspect and its implementations, or cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods according to the second aspect and its implementations.

[0036] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a chip is provided. The chip includes a processor and a communication interface, and the processor reads instructions stored on a memory through the communication interface to execute any of the methods according to the first aspect and its implementations, or any of the methods according to the second aspect and its implementations.

[0037] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes a communication apparatus for performing any of the methods according to the first aspect and its implementations, and a communication apparatus for performing any of the methods according to the second aspect and its implementations.

[0038] It should be understood that all the contents described in the present application are not intended to limit the key or important features of the present disclosure, nor to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown.

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic interaction signaling diagram of a communication procedure according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0041] Figure 3A And Figure 3B Schematic diagrams of a RAR MAC PDU of a random access procedure and a MAC header in the RAR MAC PDU according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown, respectively.

[0042] Figure 3C A schematic diagram of a MAC subheader corresponding to a MAC RAR in the RAR MAC PDU of Figure 3B is shown.

[0043] Figure 3D A schematic diagram of another MAC subheader in the RAR MAC PDU of Figure 3B is shown.

[0044] Figures 4A-4C A schematic diagram of a MAC RAR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0045] Figure 4D The illustration shows a schematic diagram of the OCC indication field in a RAR MAC PDU of a random access procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0047] Figure 6 A schematic flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0048] Figure 7 This is a block diagram of a device that can be used to implement some embodiments of this application.

[0049] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus according to some embodiments of this application.

[0050] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus according to some embodiments of this application.

[0051] Throughout all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are used to denote the same or similar components. Detailed Implementation

[0052] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0053] In the description of embodiments of this disclosure, the term "comprising" and similar terms should be understood as open-ended inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0054] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to, cellular communication protocols such as 3rd Generation (3G), 4th Generation (4G), 5th Generation (5G) and future communication protocols (e.g., 6th Generation (6G)), wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol that is presently known or that is developed in the future.

[0055] The technical solutions of embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to a communication system complying with any appropriate communication protocol, for example, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000) system, Time Division-Synchronization Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) system, Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, 5th Generation (5G) system (e.g., New Radio (NR)), and future communication systems (e.g., 6th Generation (6G) system), etc.

[0056] For illustrative purposes, embodiments of the disclosure are described below in the context of a 5G communication system in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). However, it should be understood that embodiments of the disclosure are not limited to this communication system, but can be applied to any communication system in which similar problems exist, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wired communication system, or other communication systems developed in the future, etc.

[0057] The term "terminal" or "terminal device" used in the present disclosure refers to any terminal device capable of performing wired or wireless communication with a network device or with each other. The terminal device can sometimes be referred to as a user equipment (UE). The terminal device can be any type of mobile terminal, fixed terminal, or portable terminal. The terminal device can be various wireless communication devices with wireless communication functions. With the rise of Internet of Things (IOT) technology, more and more devices that do not have communication functions before, such as but not limited to, household appliances, vehicles, tool devices, service devices, and service facilities, begin to obtain wireless communication functions by configuring wireless communication units, so that they can access wireless communication networks and accept remote control. Such devices have wireless communication functions because they are configured with wireless communication units, and therefore also belong to the category of wireless communication devices. As an example, the terminal device can include a mobile cellular phone, a cordless phone, a mobile terminal (MT), a mobile station, a mobile device, a wireless terminal, a handheld device, a client, a subscription station, a portable subscription station, an Internet node, a communicator, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a personal communication system device, a personal navigation device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless data card, a wireless Modulator demodulator (Modem), a positioning device, a radio broadcast receiver, an electronic book device, a game device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a vehicle-mounted device, an aircraft, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, etc.), a terminal device in a 5G network or in an evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), any terminal device that can be used for communication, or any combination of the above. Embodiments of the disclosure do not limit this.

[0058] As an example, in some embodiments of the disclosure, a "terminal" or "terminal device" can refer to a UE, an access terminal, a terminal unit, a terminal station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a terminal agent, or a terminal apparatus, etc. The access terminal can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network, etc.

[0059] The term "network node" or "network device" used in the present disclosure can be an entity or node that can be used to communicate with terminal devices, for example, can be an access network device. The access network device can be an apparatus deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication functions for mobile terminal devices, for example, can be a Radio Access Network (RAN) network device. The access network device can include various types of base stations. The base station is used to provide wireless access services for terminal devices. Specifically, each base station corresponds to a service coverage area, and terminal devices entering the area can communicate with the base station through wireless signals to accept the wireless access services provided by the base station. There can be overlaps between the service coverage areas of base stations, and terminal devices in the overlapping areas can receive wireless signals from multiple base stations, so the terminal devices can be simultaneously served by multiple base stations. According to the size of the provided service coverage area, the access network device can include a macro base station providing a macro cell, a micro base station for providing a pico cell, a micro base station for providing a micro cell, and a femto base station for providing a femto cell. In addition, the access network device can also include various forms of relay stations, access points, radio units (RUs), remote radio units (RRUs), radio heads (RHs), remote radio heads (RRHs), and the like. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of access network devices can be different, for example, in a long-term evolution system network, it is called an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB), in a 3G network, it is called a NodeB (NB), in a 5G network, it can be called a gNodeB (gNB) or NR NodeB (NR NB), and the like. In some scenarios, the access network device can contain a central unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU). The CU and the DU can be placed in different places, for example: the DU is remotely placed in areas with high traffic, and the CU is placed in the central machine room. Alternatively, the CU and the DU can be placed in the same machine room. The CU and the DU can also be different components under one rack. In different systems, the CU (or CU-control plane (CP) and CU-user plane (UP)), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings.For example, in an open radio access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, the CU-CP, the CU-UP, the DU and the RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or the CU-CP, the CU-UP), the DU and the RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of the software module and the hardware module. For the convenience of description, the apparatuses for providing wireless communication functions for mobile terminals described above are collectively referred to as network devices in subsequent embodiments of this disclosure, and embodiments of this disclosure do not make specific limitations.

[0060] By way of example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a "network device" or a "base station device" can refer to a device capable of communicating with a terminal device. The base station device can be a base station, a relay station or an access point. The base station can be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, or a 3G base station (NodeB, NB) in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or an eNB or eNodeB (Evolutional NodeB) in an LTE system. The base station device can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The base station device can also be a base station device in a future 5G network or a network device in a future evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. The base station device can also be a wearable device or a vehicle-mounted device.

[0061] Random access is a necessary process for terminal devices and networks to establish a wireless link. Only after the random access is completed, the terminal device and the base station can normally carry out data interoperation. However, network resources are limited, and the base station can only handle a limited number of random access requests of terminal devices at the same random access occasion (RO). The terminal device selects a random access preamble as its temporary identifier from a series of available random access preambles (RO preambles) and sends a random access request to the base station. Multiple terminal devices may select the same random access preamble to send a random access request at the same random access occasion, that is, there is a possibility of "preamble collision". Since the number of random access preambles and the number of random access occasions per unit time is limited, the random access capacity of the cell is limited. If the number of terminal devices requesting random access in the cell is too large, a large number of preamble collisions will occur, thereby reducing the success rate of random access. This is particularly significant in the Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN) system.

[0062] The Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network where humans generate and consume information, is now evolving to the Internet of Things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange and process information without human intervention. The Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of the IoT technology and the Big data processing technology, has emerged as an advanced form of the IoT technology. As technology elements, such as "sensing technology", "wired / wireless communication and network infrastructure", "service interface technology", and "security technology" have been demanded for IoT implementation, a sensor network, a Machine-to- Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), and so forth have been researched. Such an IoT environment can provide intelligent Internet technology services that create a new value through collection and analysis of data generated from connected things. The IoT can be applied to a variety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliances, and advanced medical services, through convergence and combination between the information technology (IT) and various industrial applications.

[0063] In line with this, various attempts have been made to apply 5G communication systems to IoT networks. For example, technologies such as a sensor network, MTC, and M2M communication can be implemented by beamforming, MIMO systems, and array antennas. Application of a cloud radio access network, which is the above-described big data processing technology, can also be considered as an example of convergence between the 5G technology and the IoT technology.

[0064] A 5G UE or a 4G UE can be connected to a terrestrial network (TN), an NTN, or both a TN and an NTN. Different types of NTN using different types of platforms have been developed. For example, one platform can be a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a high altitude platform station (HAPS). There are massive connections in an IoT NTN system, which puts higher requirements on random access capacity.

[0065] In view of the above analysis and research, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method. In the method, a terminal device receives configuration information about applying an orthogonal cover code (OCC) in a random access procedure, and performs a random access procedure based on the configuration information. In this way, the terminal device can apply the OCC in the random access procedure, thereby reducing collisions in the random access procedure, and further improving the terminal device capacity of the system.

[0066] Embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific operation methods, function descriptions, etc. in the method embodiments can also be applied to the device embodiments or system embodiments.

[0067] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. As shown, the system 100 can include terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 (collectively referred to as terminal devices 110) and base stations 120-1 and 120-2 (collectively referred to as base stations 120). The terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 are connected to the base stations 120-1 and 120-2, respectively, through an air interface to access a network. In the system 100, a plurality of base stations 120 can be connected to each other through a backhaul link and can be connected to one or more network entities through the backhaul link. The network entities can be, for example, a location server, a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), a radio access network (RAN) controller, an operation and maintenance (O&M) entity, or an operation and support (O&S) entity. The terminal devices 110 can be spread over a wide area. Figure 1 Figure 1 ​In the example of FIG. 1, the terminal devices 110 are located on the ground, and the base stations 120-1 and 120-2 are deployed on the satellites. The base stations 120-1 and 120-2 are connected to the core network on the ground through wireless links. Meanwhile, there can be wireless links between the satellites to complete the signaling interaction and user data transmission between base stations and base stations.

[0068] The terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 can be, for example, new radio enabled mobile devices, such as mobile phones, tablet devices, vehicle-mounted mobile devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the like. The terminal devices 110-1 and 110-2 can access the satellite network through the air interface and initiate calls, access the Internet, and the like. The base stations 120-1 and 120-2 can provide wireless access services, schedule wireless resources for access terminals, and can provide reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols, and the like.

[0069] The core network can perform user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, charging, and the like. The core network is composed of multiple functional units, and can be divided into control plane and data plane functional entities. As an example, Figure 1 Only some core network network elements are shown in FIG. 1, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) 131, a session management function (SMF) 132, and a user plane function (UPF) 133, and other core network network elements can also be included. The AMF 131 is mainly responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management, and the like. The SMF 132 is mainly used for session management, IP address allocation and management of terminal devices, selection of manageable user plane functions, termination of policy control and charging function interfaces, and downlink data notification, and the like. The SMF 132 can also be used to complete the establishment, release, update, and the like of the processes related to the protocol data unit (PDU) session. The UPF 133 is an interface with the data network 140, and is responsible for user plane data forwarding, session / IP-based charging statistics, bandwidth limitation, and the like. The UPF is responsible for substantially all user plane functions, including packet routing and forwarding, policy implementation, traffic reporting, and quality of service (QoS) processing of the user plane, and the like.

[0070] The ground station 150 is responsible for forwarding signaling and traffic data between the base stations 120-1 and 120-2 deployed on the satellite and the core network. The wireless link between the terminal device 110-1 (or 110-2) and the base station 120-1 (or 120-2) can be various types of air interfaces, such as a 5G air interface. The interface between the base stations is an Xn interface, mainly used for signaling interaction in processes such as handover. The interface between the base stations 120-1 and 120-2 and the core network is an NG interface, mainly interacting with the core network non-access stratum (NAS) signaling and user traffic data.

[0071] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to a communication system such as 5G, involving terminal devices, base stations, and ground stations, etc. wireless access network elements, performing uplink and downlink data communication based on wireless communication protocols. It should be understood that, Figure 1 The illustrated communication system 100 is only illustrative, and embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to other scenarios, for example, the base stations 120-1 and 120-2 can be deployed on the ground. In addition, it should be understood that the number of terminal devices and network devices shown in Figure 1 The number of terminal devices and network devices shown in the communication system 100 is only an example. There can be more or fewer terminal devices and network nodes, and the present disclosure does not make any limitation on this.

[0072] In addition, it should be understood that the communication system 100 can be applicable to various scenarios. For example, the communication system 100 can be a 3GPP related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The communication system 100 can also be an O-RAN, a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The communication system 100 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems. In addition, it should be understood that the above communication can comply with any appropriate communication technology and corresponding communication standard.

[0073] Figure 2 A schematic interaction signaling diagram of a communication process 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. For the purpose of clarity without any limitation, the process 200 will be described in conjunction with Figure 1 . Figure 2 The terminal device 110 and the base station 120 are involved in the process 200. It should be understood that the process 200 can also be applied to other communication systems.

[0074] As Figure 2As shown, the base station 120 transmits 202 configuration information 204 about applying orthogonal cover code (OCC) in the random access procedure to the terminal device 110. The terminal device 110 receives 206 the configuration information 204, and performs 208 the random access procedure based on the configuration information 204. In this way, the terminal device is able to apply OCC in the random access procedure, thereby reducing collision in the random access procedure, and further improving the terminal device capacity of the system.

[0075] In some embodiments, the configuration information 204 can comprise first indication information indicating a set of subcarriers supporting OCC for Msgl. When performing the random access procedure, the terminal device can transmit Msgl applying OCC on a first subcarrier, the first subcarrier belonging to the set of subcarriers indicated in the first indication information. In some implementations, the configuration information 204 can be carried in a broadcast message.

[0076] For example, the configuration information 204 can be carried in a system information block (SIB). The base station 120 can broadcast subcarriers supporting narrow-band physical random access channel (NPRACH) OCC function for the random access procedure through the SIB. If the terminal device 110 supports applying OCC in the random access procedure, the terminal device 110 is able to learn the subcarriers supporting OCC through the SIB, and thus perform random access on these subcarriers. In other words, the SIB broadcasts subcarriers allowing random access with OCC, and thus, the subcarriers allowing random access with OCC and the subcarriers not allowing random access with OCC can be separated, so as to reduce access collision between the terminal devices not supporting applying OCC in the random access procedure and the terminal devices supporting applying OCC in the random access procedure.

[0077] In one specific example, the NPRACH resource configuration information nprach-SubcarrierOffset indicates the start of the NPRACH frequency band, and nprach-SubcarrierOffset-OCC-r19 can be added in nprach-SubcarrierOffset to indicate. The value of nprach-SubcarrierOffset-r13 is greater than nprach-SubcarrierOffset-OCC-r19, nprach-SubcarrierOffset-r13 indicates the offset value of the NPRACH frequency band for terminal devices that do not support random access procedures that apply OCC, and terminal devices that support random access procedures that apply OCC consider the subcarriers from nprach-SubcarrierOffset-r13 to nprach-SubcarrierOffset-OCC-r19 as subcarriers that allow access through OCC.

[0078] In some embodiments, the configuration information 204 can also include second indication information indicating a first subcarrier subset and a second subcarrier subset in the subcarrier set, the first subcarrier subset corresponding to Msg3 supporting multi-tone transmission, and the second subcarrier subset corresponding to Msg3 supporting single-tone transmission. The network device 120 will determine whether the terminal device can send Msg3 supporting multi-tone transmission based on the subcarrier on which the Msg1 is transmitted. If the terminal device 110 transmits Msg1 on the subcarrier corresponding to Msg3 supporting multi-tone transmission, the network device 110 can allocate resources based on multi-tone transmission for the transmission of Msg3. If the terminal device 110 transmits Msg1 on the subcarrier corresponding to Msg3 supporting single-tone transmission, the network device 110 can allocate resources based on single-tone transmission for the transmission of Msg3. In this way, the subcarriers that allow random access with OCC can be divided into subcarriers corresponding to Msg3 supporting multi-tone transmission and subcarriers corresponding to Msg3 supporting single-tone transmission. For example, nprach-SubcarrierMSG3-RangeStart-OCC-r19 can be added in nprach-SubcarrierOffset, so that the terminal device 110 can calculate which subcarriers are used to transmit Msg1 corresponding to Msg3 supporting multi-tone transmission, and which subcarriers are used to transmit Msg1 corresponding to Msg3 supporting single-tone transmission.

[0079] In some embodiments, the configuration information 204 can further include third indication information indicating a third subset of subcarriers and a fourth subset of subcarriers in the set of subcarriers, the subcarriers in the third subset of subcarriers being used for contention-based random access procedure, and the subcarriers in the fourth subset of subcarriers being used for non-contention-based random access procedure. The terminal device can select the subcarriers for transmitting Msgl according to whether the random access procedure is contention-based random access procedure. For example, some indication can be added in the NPRACH resource configuration information to indicate that the subcarriers allocated to the terminal device supporting random access procedure with OCC are divided into subcarriers for contention-based random access and subcarriers for non-contention-based random access.

[0080] In some embodiments, the configuration information 204 can include fourth indication information indicating whether the first type of terminal device is allowed to apply OCC with all-one sequence to Msgl. The first type of terminal device supports random access procedure with OCC. For example, the base station 120 can add indication information in the SIB message to indicate whether the current network allows the terminal device supporting random access procedure with OCC to access the network using OCC with all-one sequence. The terminal device not supporting random access procedure with OCC can be considered to be able to access the network only using OCC with all-one sequence. When the number of terminal devices not supporting random access procedure with OCC in the network is large, the SIB indication can prohibit the terminal device supporting random access procedure with OCC to access the network using OCC with all-one sequence, and can only access the network using OCC with non-all-one sequence, thereby avoiding unnecessary access collision.

[0081] In some embodiments, the configuration information 204 can include fifth indication information indicating a probability that the first type of terminal device applies OCC with an all-one sequence for Msg1. The first type of terminal device supports a random access procedure with OCC. For example, the base station 120 can issue indication information in a SIB message to indicate a probability that a terminal device in the current network that supports a random access procedure with OCC selects an all-one sequence of OCC when selecting an OCC index on a certain resource in a random access procedure to access the network. For example, the base station 120 can determine the probability that a terminal device that supports a random access procedure with OCC selects an all-one sequence of OCC to access the network according to the number or proportion of terminal devices that do not support a random access procedure with OCC. If the number of terminal devices that do not support a random access procedure with OCC is small, the base station 120 can increase the probability that a terminal device that supports a random access procedure with OCC selects an all-one sequence of OCC to access the network, thereby increasing random access capacity. If the number of terminal devices that do not support a random access procedure with OCC is large, the base station 120 can decrease the probability that a terminal device that supports a random access procedure with OCC selects an all-one sequence of OCC to access the network, thereby reducing collisions in a random access procedure.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first indication information, the second indication information, the third indication information, the fourth indication information, and the fifth indication information can be included in the same configuration information. Alternatively or additionally, the first indication information, the second indication information, the third indication information, the fourth indication information, and the fifth indication information can be included in different configuration information. Configuration information including at least one of the first indication information, the second indication information, the third indication information, the fourth indication information, and the fifth indication information can be carried in a broadcast message.

[0083] In the above embodiments, the first indication information, the second indication information, the third indication information, the fourth indication information, or the fifth indication information can distinguish between terminal devices that support a random access procedure with OCC and terminal devices that do not support a random access procedure with OCC in the process of sending Msg1, thereby improving random access capacity.

[0084] In some embodiments, the configuration information 204 can comprise at least one of sixth indication information or seventh indication information, the sixth indication information being used to indicate the first OCC applied to the Msg1, the seventh indication information being used to indicate the second OCC applied to the Msg3 or early data transmission (EDT). It can be understood that various embodiments of the present disclosure can be performed individually or in combination. For example, the terminal device 110 can receive the first configuration information comprising at least one of the first indication information, the second indication information, the third indication information, the fourth indication information and the fifth indication information, and transmit the Msg1 to the base station 120 based on the first configuration information, and subsequently receive the second configuration information comprising the sixth indication information and the seventh indication information from the base station 120.

[0085] In some embodiments, the configuration information 204 is carried in the Msg2, the Msg2 can comprise a random access response (RAR) corresponding to the Msg1, and the sixth indication information corresponds to the RAR. Thus, after the terminal device 120 transmits the Msg1 to which the OCC is applied, the terminal device 120 can determine the RAR corresponding to the terminal device 120 based on the sixth indication information. For example, for the RAR MAC PDU, a subheader corresponding to the random access preamble needs to be created in the MAC header for all received preambles, which contains the random access preamble identifier (RAPID). If the base station 110 receives multiple Msg1s, the multiple Msg1s comprise the same preamble but apply different OCCs, then the corresponding subheader needs to be created in the MAC header for the different OCC indexes of the same preamble, and the corresponding MAC RAR also needs to be created in the MAC payload. The terminal device can detect the corresponding MAC RAR according to the RAPID detected in the subheader.

[0086] Figure 3A FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a RAR MAC PDU 300 of a random access procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3B FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a RAR MAC PDU 300 of a random access procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3AFigure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a MAC header 310 in a RAR MAC PDU. The RAR MAC PDU 300 comprises the MAC header 310 and a MAC payload 320, which comprises a MAC RAR#1 321, a MAC RAR#2 322,..., a MAC RAR#n 32n, each MAC RAR corresponding to one preamble included in the Msgl received by the base station 110 and one OCC applied thereto. Optionally, the MAC payload 320 further comprises padding bits 330. The MAC header 310 can comprise sub-headers corresponding to the MAC RARs in the MAC payload 320, e.g. a sub-header#1 351 corresponding to the MAC RAR#1 321, a sub-header#2 352 corresponding to the MAC RAR#2 322,..., a sub-header#n 35n corresponding to the MAC RAR#n 32n. Figure 3C Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a MAC sub-header 350 in the MAC header of Figure 3B Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a MAC sub-header 350 in the MAC header of Figure 3C As shown, the MAC sub-header 350 has an E / T / RAPID structure. The 1-bit field E is an extension flag indicating whether there are more fields in the MAC header. The 1-bit field T is a type flag indicating whether the MAC sub-header contains a RAPID (T=1) or a backoff indicator (BI) (T=0). In the MAC sub-header 350, T=1. The 6-bit field RAPID identifies the random access preamble transmitted by the terminal device.

[0087] Referring back to Figure 3B Optionally, the MAC header 310 can further comprise a MAC sub-header 340 containing a BI field. Figure 3D Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of the MAC sub-header 340 containing a BI field in the MAC header of Figure 3B Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of the MAC sub-header 340 containing a BI field in the MAC header of Figure 3D As shown, the MAC sub-header 340 has an E / T / R / R / BI structure. The 1-bit field E is an extension flag indicating whether there are more fields in the MAC header. The 1-bit field T is a type flag indicating whether the MAC sub-header contains a RAPID (T=1) or a BI (T=0). In the MAC sub-header 340, T=0. The 4-bit field BI gives an overload condition in the cell, which is used by the terminal device to backoff its timing for retransmitting the random access preamble in case its last random access attempt caused a collision. The remaining 2-bit R is reserved and not used at present (always R=0).

[0088] In some embodiments, at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information can be included in the RAR. For example, the RAR can include the sixth indication information, i.e., the indication of the first OCC applied to the Msg1. Thereby, the terminal device 110 can determine the RAR for the terminal device 110. Alternatively or additionally, the RAR can include the seventh indication information, i.e., the indication of the second OCC applied to the Msg3 or the early data transmission (EDT). Thereby, the terminal device 110 can apply the second OCC when transmitting the Msg3 or the EDT.

[0089] In some embodiments, the Msg1 can include a random access preamble of format 0, format 1 or format 2, and at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information included in the RAR can be included after the uplink grant field or before the temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) field of the RAR. Alternatively, the Msg1 is for a coverage enhancement scenario, and at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information included in the RAR can be included after the temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) field of the RAR.

[0090] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of a MAC RAR is illustrated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4A The illustrated MAC RAR can be Figure 3A The illustrated MAC payload 320 includes a specific example implementation of the MAC RAR. The terminal device can receive the MAC RAR with Figure 4A The illustrated structure of the MAC RAR, where the MAC RAR 411 is for a terminal device that does not support applying OCC in the random access procedure, and the MAC RAR 412 is for a terminal device that supports applying OCC in the random access procedure. As Figure 4A As illustrated, in the MAC RAR 411, the first bit in Oct1 and the last five bits in Oct4 are reserved. The terminal device that supports applying OCC in the random access procedure can use the first bit in Oct1 and the last five bits in Oct4 to carry the sixth indication information and the seventh indication information. For example, the OCC index can be indicated using one bit or two bits. In Figure 4A In the example of the MAC RAR 412, the first two bits in Oct4 after the uplink grant are used to indicate the first OCC applied to the Msg1, and the third and fourth bits are used to indicate the second OCC applied to the Msg3 or the EDT.

[0091] Figure 4B A schematic diagram of a MAC RAR is illustrated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4B The illustrated MAC RAR can beFigure 3A The MAC payload 320 shown includes a specific example implementation of the MAC RAR. The terminal device can receive the MAC RAR with Figure 4B The MAC RAR shown has the structure where the MAC RAR 421 is for terminal devices that do not support application of OCC in the random access procedure, and the MAC RAR 422 is for terminal devices that support application of OCC in the random access procedure. As shown, Figure 4B In the MAC RAR 421, the first bit in Oct1 and the fourth to sixth bits in Oct4 are reserved. The terminal devices that support application of OCC in the random access procedure can use the first bit in Oct1 and the fourth to sixth bits in Oct4 to carry the sixth indication information and the seventh indication information. For example, the OCC index can be indicated using one bit or two bits. In Figure 4B In the example of the MAC RAR 422, the first bit in Oct1 and the fourth bit in Oct4 are used to indicate the first OCC applied to Msg1, and the fifth and sixth bits in Oct4 are used to indicate the second OCC applied to Msg3 or EDT.

[0092] Figure 4C A schematic diagram of the MAC RAR is shown. Figure 4C The MAC RAR shown can be Figure 3A The MAC payload 320 shown includes a specific example implementation of the MAC RAR. The terminal device can receive the MAC RAR with Figure 4C The MAC RAR shown has the structure where the MAC RAR 431 is for terminal devices that do not support application of OCC in the random access procedure, and the MAC RAR 432 is for terminal devices that support application of OCC in the random access procedure. As shown, Figure 4C As shown, compared with the MAC RAR 431, the MAC RAR 432 has added Oct6, where the first and second bits in Oct6 are used to indicate the first OCC applied to Msg1, and the third and fourth bits in Oct6 are used to indicate the second OCC applied to Msg3 or EDT.

[0093] In some embodiments, Msg2 may include a Media Access Control (MAC) header, which may include a MAC subheader corresponding to Msg1. At least one of a sixth indication or a seventh indication may be included in the MAC header and associated with the MAC subheader. For example, another corresponding subheader may be inserted before or after the MAC subheader containing RAPID. The inserted subheader may include an indication of a first OCC, which is applied to the preamble corresponding to the MAC RAR corresponding to the MAC subheader containing RAPID. Alternatively or additionally, the inserted subheader may include an indication of a second OCC, which is applied to the Msg3 or EDT transmission corresponding to the MAC RAR corresponding to the MAC subheader containing RAPID.

[0094] Figure 4D The illustration shows a schematic diagram of the OCC indication field in a RAR MAC PDU of a random access procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4D The OCC indicator field shown can be inserted as a MAC subheader into Figure 3B The corresponding E / T / RAPID sub-header is shown before or after this header. For example... Figure 4D As shown, the MAC subheader 440 has an E / T / R / R / R / R / R / R structure. The 1-bit field E is an extension flag indicating whether there are more fields present in the MAC header. The 1-bit field T can take the same value as the type flag containing the backoff indicator BI in this MAC subheader, i.e., T = 0, to distinguish it from the E / T / RAPID subheader.

[0095] In some embodiments, the MAC subheading 440 may include an indication of a first OCC applied to a corresponding Msg1. For example, if the first OCC requires two bits to indicate, it can be indicated using two bits from the third to the eighth bit of the MAC subheading 440. In one example, the MAC subheading 440 may include multiple indications of first OCCs applied to corresponding Msg1s. For example, the third to the eighth bit of the MAC subheading 440 may be used to indicate three first OCCs, each applied to a Msg1 corresponding to one of the three E / T / RAPID subheadings preceding or following the MAC subheading 440.

[0096] In some embodiments, the MAC subheader 440 can include an indication of the second OCC to be applied to the corresponding Msg3 or EDT transmission. For example, the second OCC needs to be indicated with two bits, which can be indicated using two bits among the third to eighth bits in the MAC subheader 440. In one example, the MAC subheader 440 can include indications of multiple second OCCs to be applied to the corresponding Msg3 or EDT transmissions. For example, the third to eighth bits in the MAC subheader 440 can be used to indicate three second OCCs, which are to be applied to the Msg3 or EDT transmissions corresponding to the three E / T / RAPID subheaders before or after the MAC subheader 440, respectively.

[0097] In some embodiments, the MAC subheader 440 can include an indication of the first OCC applied to the corresponding Msgl and an indication of the second OCC to be applied to the corresponding Msg3 or EDT transmission. In other words, the MAC subheader 440 can include both the first OCC index for Msgl and the second OCC index for the subsequent Msg3 or EDT transmission. For example, the first and second OCCs need to be indicated with two bits respectively, which can be indicated using four bits among the third to eighth bits in the MAC subheader 440. In one example, the third bit in the MAC subheader 440 is used to indicate whether there is an indication of the first OCC applied to the corresponding Msgl, the fourth bit in the MAC subheader 440 is used to indicate whether the OCC is to be applied to the subsequent Msg3 or EDT transmission, the fifth and sixth bits in the MAC subheader 440 are used to indicate the first OCC applied to the corresponding Msgl, and the seventh and eighth bits in the MAC subheader 440 are used to indicate the second OCC to be applied to the subsequent Msg3 or EDT transmission.

[0098] Referring back to Figure 2In some embodiments, the configuration information 204 indicates a first OCC for Msgl. When performing the random access procedure, the terminal device 110 can transmit, to the base station 120, the Msgl applying the first OCC. For example, the configuration information 204 can be carried in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, order. For example, for a PDCCH order triggered random access procedure, the OCC index to be applied to the Msgl can be indicated by bits in the PDCCH order. For a terminal device that does not support random access procedure applying OCC, the PDCCH order is indicated by DCI format N1 with 29 bits, where the PDCCH order corresponding to the preamble of format 0 or format 1 has 14 reserved bits, and the PDCCH order corresponding to the preamble of format 2 has 12 reserved bits. For a terminal device that supports random access procedure applying OCC, the PDCCH order is indicated by DCI format N1 with 29 bits, where two bits are used to indicate the OCC index to be applied to the Msgl, and the PDCCH order corresponding to the preamble of format 0 or format 1 has 12 reserved bits, and the PDCCH order corresponding to the preamble of format 2 has 10 reserved bits.

[0099] In some embodiments, when performing the random access procedure, the terminal device 110 can transmit, to the base station 120, the Msgl applying the first OCC, receive, from the base station 120, a downlink control information, DCI, for scheduling a RAR corresponding to the Msgl, and receive the RAR based on the DCI. In some examples, the DCI for scheduling the RAR is scrambled using a random access-radio network temporary identifier, RA-RNTI, based on the first OCC. The terminal device 110 can descramble the DCI for scheduling the RAR using the RA-RNTI based on the first OCC. Alternatively or additionally, the RAR is scrambled using the RA-RNTI based on the first OCC. The terminal device 110 can descramble the RAR using the RA-RNTI based on the first OCC.

[0100] For a terminal device that does not support random access procedure applying OCC, the RA-RNTI associated with the PRACH where the random access preamble is transmitted can be calculated as RA-RNTI = 1 + floor(SFN_id / 4) + 256*carrier_id, where SFN_id is the index of the first radio frame where the PRACH is specified, and carrier_id is the index of the UL carrier associated with the PRACH where the PRACH is specified. The carrier_id of the anchor carrier is 0.

[0101] For terminal equipment that supports random access procedures using OCC, after applying OCC to Msg1, the OCC index can be applied to RA-RNTI to scramble the PDCCH and RAR used for scheduling RAR, thereby distinguishing UEs using different OCC indices. In one example, RA-RNTI = 1 + floor(SFN_id / 4) + 256 * carrier_id + 16384 * OCC index; or RA-RNTI = 1 + floor(SFN_id / 4) + 256 * carrier_id + 4096 * OCC index; where OCC index is the index of the OCC applied to Msg1.

[0102] In some embodiments of this disclosure, by superimposing multiple random access preambles on the same resource using OCC multiplexing technology, collisions during the random access process can be reduced, thereby increasing the terminal device capacity of the system. In some embodiments of this disclosure, by issuing OCC instructions to Msg3 or Early Data Transmission (EDT) applications, the terminal device capacity of the system can be increased.

[0103] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart illustrating a method 500 implemented at a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In one possible implementation, method 500 may be implemented by a terminal device 110 in communication system 100. In other possible implementations, method 500 may also be implemented by other communication devices independent of communication system 100. As an example, method 500 will be described below as being implemented by terminal device 110 in communication system 100.

[0104] In box 510, terminal device 110 receives configuration information regarding the application of orthogonal coverage codes (OCC) during the random access procedure. In box 520, terminal device 110 performs the random access procedure based on the configuration information.

[0105] Understandably, Method 500 may also include references in this article. Figures 1-4D Any other operations or actions performed by the terminal device 110 in some embodiments of this application, as described herein, will not be repeated here.

[0106] Figure 6 A schematic flowchart illustrating a method 600 implemented at a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In one possible implementation, method 600 may be implemented by a base station 120 in communication system 100. In other possible implementations, method 600 may also be implemented by other communication devices independent of communication system 100. As an example, method 600 will be described below as being implemented by base station 120 in communication system 100.

[0107] At block 610, the base station 120 transmits configuration information regarding application of orthogonal cover codes, OCCs, in a random access procedure. At block 620, the base station 120 performs a random access procedure for at least one terminal device based on the configuration information.

[0108] It is to be understood that the method 600 can further include any other operations or actions described herein with reference to Figures 1-4D described herein, which are not repeated herein.

[0109] Figure 7 is a block diagram that can be used to implement a device 700 in accordance with some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, the device 700 can be an element of a communication network infrastructure, such as a base station (e.g., a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a next generation NodeB (sometimes referred to as a gNodeB or gNB), a home subscriber server (HSS), a gateway (GW) such as a packet gateway (PGW) or a serving gateway (SGW), or various other nodes or functions within a core network (CN) or public land mobile network (PLMN). In other embodiments, the device 700 can be a device that connects to a network infrastructure through a wireless interface, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or other such device that can be classified as user equipment (UE). In some embodiments, the device 700 can be a machine type communication (MTC) device (also known as a machine-to-machine (M2M) device), or another such device that can be classified as a UE even though it does not provide direct service to a user. In some embodiments, the device 700 can be a road side unit (RSU), a vehicle UE (V-UE), a pedestrian UE (P-UE), or an infrastructure UE (I-UE). In some scenarios, the device 700 can also be referred to as a mobile device, a term intended to reflect a device that connects to a mobile network, regardless of whether the device itself is designed for or capable of mobility. Particular devices can utilize all or only a subset of the components shown, and the level of integration can vary from device to device. Furthermore, a device 700 can contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0110] The device 700 generally includes a processor 702, such as a central processing unit (CPU) and, in some embodiments, specialized processors such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or other such processors, a memory 704, a network interface 706, and a bus 708 to connect the components of the device 700. Optionally, the device 700 can also include components such as a mass storage device 710, a video adapter 712, and an I / O interface 716, shown in dashed lines.

[0111] The memory 704 can include any type of non-transitory system memory that is readable by the processor 702, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the memory 704 can include more than one type of memory, such as ROM for use at boot-up and DRAM for program and data storage while executing programs. The bus 708 can be one or more of several types of bus architectures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a video bus.

[0112] The device 700 can also include one or more network interfaces 706, which can include at least one of a wired network interface and a wireless network interface. As shown, the network interface 706 can include a wired network interface for connecting to a network 722, and can also include a wireless access network interface 720 for connecting to other devices through a wireless link. The wireless access network interface 720 can be omitted for nodes or functions that are elements of a PLMN, but not elements at the wireless edge (e.g., eNB) when the device 700 is a network infrastructure element. When the device 700 is infrastructure at the wireless edge of a network, both wired and wireless network interfaces can be included. When the device 700 is a wirelessly connected device, such as a user equipment, the wireless access network interface 720 can be present and can be supplemented by other wireless interfaces, such as a WiFi network interface. The network interface 706 allows the device 700 to communicate with remote entities such as those connected to the network 722. Figure 7

[0113] The mass storage 710 can include any type of non-transitory storage device configured to store data, programs, and other information and make the data, programs, and other information accessible via the bus 708. The mass storage 710 can include, for example, one or more of a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, or an optical disk drive. In some embodiments, the mass storage 710 can be remote from the device 700 and can be accessed through the use of a network interface such as the interface 706. In the illustrated embodiment, the mass storage 710 is distinct from the memory 704 that includes it, and the mass storage 710 can generally perform storage tasks that are compatible with higher latencies, but can generally provide less or no volatility. In some embodiments, the mass storage 710 can be integrated with the heterogeneous memory 704.

[0114] ​Optional video adapter 712 and I / O interface 716 (shown in dashed line) provide an interface to external input and output devices to device 700. Examples of input and output devices include a display 66 coupled to video adapter 712 and an I / O device 718, such as a keyboard, coupled to I / O interface 716. Other devices can be coupled to device 700 and additional or fewer interfaces can be utilized. For example, a serial interface such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) (not shown) can be used to provide an interface to external devices. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, in embodiments in which device 700 is part of a data center, I / O interface 716 and video adapter 712 can be virtualized and provided over network interface 706.

[0115] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of an apparatus 800 according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 8 apparatus 800 includes a receiving unit 802, and a performing unit 804. Apparatus 800 can be applied in a communication system as shown in Figure 1 and can implement any of the methods provided by the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, apparatus 800 can be in a physical form of a communication device, such as a UE. Alternatively, apparatus 800 can be another apparatus capable of implementing the functions of the communication device, such as a processor or a chip inside the communication device, etc. Specifically, apparatus 800 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC), etc.

[0116] In some embodiments, receiving unit 802 can be configured to receive configuration information about applying an orthogonal cover code (OCC) in a random access procedure. Performing unit 804 can be configured to perform the random access procedure based on the configuration information.

[0117] In some other embodiments, apparatus 800 can include various other units or modules, which can be configured to perform various operations or functions described with regard to the foregoing method embodiments. Specific details can be obtained by referring to the detailed description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0118] Figure 9 is a structural diagram of an apparatus 900 according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 9As shown, the device 900 includes a transmitting unit 902 and an executing unit 904. The device 900 can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 The communication system shown can implement any of the methods provided in the preceding embodiments. Optionally, the physical manifestation of device 900 can be a communication device, such as a base station. Alternatively, device 900 can be other devices capable of implementing the functions of a communication device, such as a processor or chip inside the communication device. Specifically, device 900 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC).

[0119] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 902 may be configured to send configuration information regarding the application of orthogonal coverage codes (OCC) during the random access procedure. The execution unit 904 may be configured to perform the random access procedure based on the configuration information.

[0120] In some other embodiments, the apparatus 900 may include various other units or modules that can be configured to perform the various operations or functions described with respect to the foregoing method embodiments. Specific details can be obtained by referring to the detailed description of the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0121] It should be noted that the module division in the above embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, exist as separate physical units, or be integrated into one unit by two or more units. The integrated units described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.

[0122] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product in essence or all or part of the technical solutions. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to perform all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0123] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0124] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a computer to cause the computer to perform any of the methods provided in the above embodiments. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, the computer readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0125] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory, implementing any of the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0126] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a computer device to implement the functions involved in the communication devices in the above embodiments. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for saving the necessary programs and data of the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0127] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present application can be devised for a variety of other systems which are currently developed or later developed. Therefore, the present application is intended to cover all such modifications and variations of this application that are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It is intended that each element of claim 1 is implemented independently of each other element. None of the elements of claim 1, singly or in combination, is intended to be a means-plus-function clause.

[0128] The present application is described in reference to the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 means for performing each of the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0129] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer- readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 means for performing each of the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0130] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. ​ means for performing each of the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0131] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising: receiving configuration information about applying an orthogonal cover code, OCC, in a random access procedure; and performing the random access procedure based on the configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information comprises first indication information indicating a set of subcarriers of a message 1, Msgl, for which OCC is supported.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein performing the random access procedure comprises: transmitting a Msgl to which the OCC is applied on a first subcarrier, the first subcarrier belonging to the set of subcarriers.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein the configuration information further comprises second indication information indicating a first subset of subcarriers and a second subset of subcarriers in the set of subcarriers, wherein the first subset of subcarriers corresponds to a message 3, Msg3, for which multi-tone transmission is supported, and the second subset of subcarriers corresponds to a Msg3 for which single-tone transmission is supported.

5. The method of any one of claims 2-4, wherein the configuration information further comprises third indication information indicating a third subset of subcarriers and a fourth subset of subcarriers in the set of subcarriers, wherein subcarriers in the third subset of subcarriers are used for a contention-based random access procedure, and subcarriers in the fourth subset of subcarriers are used for a non-contention-based random access procedure.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the configuration information comprises any one of: or a fourth indication information, the fourth indication information indicating whether the first type of terminal device is allowed to apply OCC of all-one sequence to Msg1; fifth indication information indicating a probability of a first type of terminal device applying an all-one sequence OCC to a Msgl; wherein the first type of terminal device supports a random access procedure for which OCC is applied.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: sixth indication information indicating a first OCC applied to a Msgl; or seventh indication information indicating a second OCC applied to a Msg3 or an early data transmission, EDT.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the configuration information is carried in a Msg2, the Msg2 comprising a random access response, RAR, corresponding to the Msgl, the sixth indication information corresponding to the RAR.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information is included in the RAR.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the Msg2 comprises a medium access control, MAC, header, the MAC header comprising a MAC subheader corresponding to the Msgl, the at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information being included in the MAC header and associated with the MAC subheader.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information indicates a first OCC for a Msgl. ​ ​ 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the configuration information is carried in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order. 13.The method of claim 1, wherein performing the random access procedure comprises: transmitting a Msg1 applying a first OCC; receiving a downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling a RAR corresponding to the Msg1; and receiving the RAR based on the DCI, wherein at least one of the DCI and the RAR is scrambled using a random access-radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI) based on the first OCC. 14.A method for communication, comprising: transmitting configuration information about applying an orthogonal cover code (OCC) in a random access procedure; and performing a random access procedure for at least one terminal device based on the configuration information. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration information comprises first indication information indicating a set of subcarriers supporting OCC for a message 1 (Msg1). 16.The method of claim 15, wherein performing the random access procedure comprises: receiving a Msg1 applying the OCC on a first subcarrier, the first subcarrier belonging to the set of subcarriers. 17.The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein the configuration information further comprises second indication information indicating a first subset of subcarriers and a second subset of subcarriers in the set of subcarriers, wherein the first subset of subcarriers corresponds to a message 3 (Msg3) supporting multi-tone transmission, and the second subset of subcarriers corresponds to a Msg3 supporting single-tone transmission. 18.The method of any one of claims 15-17, wherein the configuration information further comprises third indication information indicating a third subset of subcarriers and a fourth subset of subcarriers in the set of subcarriers, wherein subcarriers in the third subset of subcarriers are used for a contention-based random access procedure, and subcarriers in the fourth subset of subcarriers are used for a non-contention-based random access procedure. 19.The method of any one of claims 14-18, wherein the configuration information comprises any one of: or fifth indication information indicating a probability of a first type of terminal device applying an all-one sequence OCC for a Msg1; wherein the first type of terminal device supports a random access procedure applying an OCC. 20.The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: sixth indication information indicating a first OCC applied to a Msg1; or seventh indication information indicating a second OCC applied to a Msg3 or an early data transmission (EDT). 21.The method of claim 20, wherein the configuration information is carried in a Msg2, the Msg2 comprising a random access response (RAR) corresponding to the Msg1, the sixth indication information corresponding to the RAR. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The fourth indication information indicates whether the first type of terminal device is allowed to apply the OCC of the all-one sequence to the Msg1. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one of the sixth indication information or the seventh indication information is included in the RAR.

23. The method of any one of claims 14-22, wherein the configuration information indicates a first OCC for Msgl.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the configuration information is carried in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein performing the random access procedure further comprises: receiving a Msgl that applies a first OCC; transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling a RAR corresponding to the Msgl; and transmitting the RAR based on the DCI, wherein at least one of the DCI and the RAR is scrambled using a random access radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI) based on the first OCC.

26. A communication apparatus comprising: means or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 1-13, or means or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 14-25.

27. A communication apparatus comprising: a processor configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-13, or configured to perform the method of any one of claims 14-25.

28. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-13, or cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 14-25.

29. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-13, or cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 14-25.

30. A chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, the processor reading instructions stored on a memory through the communication interface to perform the method of any one of claims 1-13 or the method of any one of claims 14-25. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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