Communication method, terminal, network device and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method, a terminal, network equipment and a storage medium. The communication method comprises: a terminal receiving a first reference signal sent by a network device; and the terminal determines an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, the identifier being used for determining random access information. According to the invention, the random access information is flexibly determined, the method adapts to changeable conditions, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Description

Communication methods, terminals, network devices and storage media Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to communication methods, terminals, network devices and storage media. Background Technology

[0002] In communication scenarios, high-frequency bands and massive MIMO (Massively Multi-Sized Antenna Arrays) are introduced to improve spectral efficiency. Massive MIMO can provide greater beamforming gain, effectively compensating for the transmission losses caused by high-frequency bands.

[0003] For an antenna array, its electromagnetic field can be divided into near field and far field. If the terminal is located in the far field, the electromagnetic wave received by the terminal may be a plane wave, and the beam directed at the terminal is a two-dimensional (2D) directional beam pointing towards the terminal. If the terminal is located in the near field, then the electromagnetic wave received by the terminal may be a spherical wave, and the beam directed at the terminal is a three-dimensional (3D) beam surrounding the terminal.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] Since the terminal is located in the far field and near field, the receiving beams are different. Therefore, issues such as how the terminal performs downlink synchronization and random access based on downlink signals are urgent problems to be solved.

[0006] This disclosure presents a communication method, a terminal, a network device, and a storage medium.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, the method comprising: a terminal receiving a first reference signal sent by a network device; the terminal determining an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a network device sending a first reference signal to a terminal, the first reference signal being used to determine an identifier of the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0009] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a network device sending a first reference signal to a terminal, the first reference signal being used to determine an identifier of the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information; the terminal receiving the first reference signal sent by the network device; and the terminal determining an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: a transceiver module for receiving a first reference signal sent by a network device; and a processing module for determining an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: a transceiver module configured to send a first reference signal to a terminal, the first reference signal being configured to determine an identifier of the first reference signal, the identifier being configured to determine random access information.

[0012] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to execute the first aspect and any one of the communication methods in the first aspect.

[0013] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to perform the second aspect and any one of the communication methods in the second aspect.

[0014] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the first aspect and any one of the communication methods in the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the second aspect and any one of the communication methods in the second aspect.

[0015] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform a communication method as described in the first aspect and any one of the first aspects or the second aspect and any one of the second aspects.

[0016] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a program product is provided, including a computer program that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform a communication method as described in the first aspect and any one of the first aspects or the second aspect and any one of the second aspects.

[0017] This disclosure achieves flexible determination of random access information by receiving a first reference signal and determining an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal. The identifier can be used to determine random access information, adapting to changing situations and improving communication efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments are introduced below. The following drawings are only some embodiments of this disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 1a is a schematic diagram of the near and far fields illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 1b is a schematic diagram illustrating a far-field UE receiving electromagnetic waves according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 1c is a schematic diagram illustrating near-field UE receiving electromagnetic waves according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 1d is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication method interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3a is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 3b is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 4a is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 4b is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 6a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 6b is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 7a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0032] Figure 7b is a schematic diagram of a chip structure according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0033] This disclosure presents a communication method, a terminal, a network device, and a storage medium.

[0034] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose a communication method, the method comprising: a terminal receiving a first reference signal sent by a network device; the terminal determining an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0035] In the above embodiments, by receiving a first reference signal and determining the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, the identifier can be used to determine random access information, so as to flexibly determine random access information, adapt to changing situations, and improve communication efficiency.

[0036] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal determining a reference signal resource corresponding to at least one second reference signal; different reference signals among the at least one second reference signal correspond to different reference signal resources; or, different reference signals among the at least one second reference signal correspond to different port information of the same reference signal resource.

[0037] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine a reference signal resource corresponding to at least one second reference signal, so as to associate the first reference signal with at least one second reference signal. Different reference signals among the at least one second reference signal may correspond to different reference signal resources, i.e., different beams. Alternatively, different reference signals among the at least one second reference signal may correspond to different port information of the same reference signal resource, i.e., different beams.

[0038] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, at least two of the at least one second reference signal occupy the same symbol.

[0039] In the above embodiments, at least two of the at least one second reference signal occupy the same symbol, that is, at least two second reference signals are transmitted at the same time to reduce the beam scanning time.

[0040] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the reference signal resource is characterized in that the reference signal resource is determined based on the configuration of the network device; and / or the reference signal resource is determined based on a protocol.

[0041] In the above embodiments, the reference signal resources can be configured by the network device or specified by the protocol, so as to flexibly respond to different situations and improve communication efficiency.

[0042] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the first reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB); and / or, the second reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0043] In the above embodiments, the first reference signal can be SSB and the second reference signal can be CSI-RS to improve communication efficiency.

[0044] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the at least one second reference signal includes one or more second reference signals associated with the first reference signal.

[0045] In the above embodiments, at least one second reference signal includes one or more second reference signals associated with the first reference signal, for the terminal to accurately determine random access information based on the associated at least one second reference signal.

[0046] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal determining first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal based on a first mapping relationship and / or a terminal type; wherein the first mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal; and the terminal performing a random access process based on the first random access information.

[0047] In the above embodiments, the terminal may determine the second reference signal based on the first mapping relationship and / or the terminal type.

[0048] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal determining second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal based on a second mapping relationship; wherein the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal; the second random access information is used to determine first random access information, the first random access information being a subset of the second random access information.

[0049] In the above embodiments, the terminal can first determine the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal, and then determine the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal from the second random access information, thereby determining more accurate random access information and improving efficiency.

[0050] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the terminal type is a first type.

[0051] In the above embodiments, the terminal type can be a first type, that is, a first type of terminal can determine random access information based on the above method, which can improve communication efficiency.

[0052] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the difference between the measurement results corresponding to at least two second reference signals that occupy the same symbol but occupy different frequency domain resources is greater than or equal to a threshold, and the terminal type is a first type.

[0053] In the above embodiments, if the difference between the measurement results of at least two first reference signals that occupy the same symbol but occupy different frequency domain resources is greater than or equal to a threshold, the terminal is a first type terminal. That is, the terminal can determine whether it is a first type terminal based on the measurement results of the received first reference signal, thereby enabling flexible selection of different methods to determine random access information and improving communication efficiency.

[0054] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal determining second random access information corresponding to the identifier of the first reference signal based on a second mapping relationship and / or a terminal type; wherein the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal; and the terminal performing a random access process based on the second random access information.

[0055] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal and improve communication efficiency directly based on the second random access information.

[0056] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the terminal type is a second type.

[0057] In the above embodiments, the terminal type can be a second type. That is, when the terminal is a second type terminal, random access information can be determined based on the above method to improve communication efficiency.

[0058] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the difference between the measurement results corresponding to at least two second reference signals that occupy the same symbol but occupy different frequency domain resources is less than a threshold, and the terminal type is a second type.

[0059] In the above embodiments, if the difference between the measurement results of at least two first reference signals that occupy the same symbol but different frequency domain resources is less than a threshold, the terminal is a second type of terminal. That is, the terminal can determine whether it is a second type of terminal based on the measurement results of the received first reference signal, thereby flexibly selecting different methods to determine random access information and improving communication efficiency.

[0060] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the random access information includes at least one of random access channel timing (RO) and random access preamble; at least one of the random access information determined by the first type of terminal and the second type of terminal is different.

[0061] In the above embodiments, the random access information may include at least one of RO and random access preamble, and at least one of the random access information determined by the first type terminal and the second type terminal may be different to improve communication efficiency.

[0062] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal is determined in at least one of the following ways: based on the protocol; based on the physical broadcast channel PBCH sent by the network device; based on the control resource set; based on the downlink control information DCI; or based on the system message sent by the network device.

[0063] In the above embodiments, the time-domain location of the second reference signal resource can be determined using at least one of the above methods to flexibly determine the time-domain location.

[0064] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal includes at least one of the following: on at least one symbol occupied by the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the most recently available symbol of the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the Nth symbol before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where N is a positive integer; within M time slots before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where M is a positive integer.

[0065] In the above embodiments, the time-domain location of the second reference signal resource can be at least one of the above-mentioned features to improve communication efficiency.

[0066] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different symbols; and / or, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different frequency domain resources.

[0067] In the above embodiments, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different symbols; and / or, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different frequency domain resources. That is, at least one of the time domain resources and frequency domain resources of the first reference signal and the second reference signal is different, so as to improve communication efficiency.

[0068] In some alternative embodiments of the first aspect, the mapping relationship is determined based on the configuration of the network device; and / or, the mapping relationship is determined based on the protocol; the mapping relationship includes at least one of a first mapping relationship and a second mapping relationship.

[0069] In the above embodiments, the first mapping relationship and / or the second mapping relationship can be configured by the network device or specified by the protocol to determine random access information and improve communication efficiency.

[0070] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a network device sending a first reference signal to a terminal, the first reference signal being used to determine an identifier of the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0071] In some alternative embodiments of the second aspect, the method further includes: the network device configuring reference signal resources to the terminal, the reference signal resources corresponding to at least one second reference signal; different reference signals among the at least one second reference signals corresponding to different reference signal resources; or, different reference signals among the at least one second reference signals corresponding to different port information of the same reference signal resource.

[0072] In some alternative embodiments of the second aspect, at least two of the at least one second reference signal occupy the same symbol.

[0073] In some alternative embodiments of the second aspect, the first reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB); and / or, the second reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal.

[0074] In some alternative embodiments of the second aspect, the at least one second reference signal includes one or more second reference signals associated with the first reference signal.

[0075] In some alternative embodiments of the second aspect, the method further includes: the network device configuring a mapping relationship to the terminal, the mapping relationship including at least one of a first mapping relationship and a second mapping relationship, wherein the first mapping relationship is used to indicate random access information corresponding to the second reference signal, and the second mapping relationship is used to indicate random access information corresponding to the first reference signal.

[0076] In some alternative embodiments of the second aspect, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal is determined in at least one of the following ways: determined based on a protocol; determined by the network device.

[0077] In some optional embodiments of the second aspect, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal includes at least one of the following: on at least one symbol occupied by the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the most recently available symbol of the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the Nth symbol before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where N is a positive integer; within M time slots before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where M is a positive integer.

[0078] In some alternative embodiments of the second aspect, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different symbols; and / or, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different frequency domain resources.

[0079] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a network device sending a first reference signal to a terminal, the first reference signal being used to determine an identifier of the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information; the terminal receiving the first reference signal sent by the network device; and the terminal determining an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0080] Fourthly, a terminal is provided, comprising: a transceiver module for receiving a first reference signal sent by a network device; and a processing module for determining an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, wherein the identifier is used to determine random access information.

[0081] Fifthly, a network device is provided, comprising: a transceiver module, configured to send a first reference signal to a terminal, the first reference signal being used to determine an identifier of the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0082] A sixth aspect provides a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to execute the first aspect and any one of the communication methods in the first aspect.

[0083] A seventh aspect provides a network device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to perform the second aspect and any one of the communication methods in the second aspect.

[0084] Eighthly, a communication system is provided, including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the first aspect and any one of the communication methods in the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the second aspect and any one of the communication methods in the second aspect.

[0085] Ninth aspect, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform a communication method as described in the first aspect and any one thereof, or the second aspect and any one thereof.

[0086] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method as described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0087] In one aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0088] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the method described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect above.

[0089] It is understood that the terminals, access network devices, first network elements, other network elements, core network devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, computer programs, chips, or chip systems involved in the embodiments of this disclosure are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0090] This disclosure provides communication methods, terminals, network devices, and storage media. In some embodiments, the terms "communication method" and "information processing method" can be used interchangeably, as can the terms "communication device" and "information processing device" and "communication device," and the terms "information processing system" and "communication system."

[0091] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0092] In each of the disclosed embodiments, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical environments of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0093] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0094] In this embodiment of the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0095] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0096] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0097] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0098] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execution of A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execution of B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0099] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0100] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0101] In some embodiments, the terms “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0102] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0103] In some embodiments, the apparatus and device may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they may also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "body", etc.

[0104] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network devices, core network devices, etc.

[0105] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," or "fixed station." In some embodiments, it may also be understood as "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," or "bandwidth part (BWP)."

[0106] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)," "user terminal," "mobile station (MS)," "mobile terminal (MT)," "subscriber station," "mobile unit," "subscriber unit," "wireless unit," "remote unit," "mobile device," "wireless device," "wireless communication device," "remote device," "mobile subscriber station," "access terminal," "mobile terminal," "wireless terminal," "remote terminal," "handset," "user agent," "mobile client," "client," etc.

[0107] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0108] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0109] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0110] In communication scenarios, high-frequency bands and massive MIMO (Massively Multi-Sized Antenna Arrays) are introduced to improve spectral efficiency. Massive MIMO can provide greater beamforming gain, effectively compensating for the transmission losses caused by high-frequency bands.

[0111] For an antenna array (whose aperture is denoted as D), its electromagnetic (EM) field can be divided into a near field and a far field. As shown in Figure 1a, which is a schematic diagram of the near and far fields illustrating an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the boundary between the near and far fields is called the Rayleigh distance. Here, λ represents the wavelength. The size of the near field depends on both the antenna aperture (D) and the wavelength (λ). If the terminal is located in the far field, the electromagnetic wave received by the terminal may be a plane wave, and the beam directed towards the terminal is a two-dimensional (2-dimension, 2D) directional beam pointing towards the terminal. If the terminal is located in the near field, the electromagnetic wave received by the terminal may be a spherical wave, and the beam directed towards the terminal is a three-dimensional (3-dimension, 3D) beam surrounding the terminal. In Figure 1a, ∞ represents positive infinity.

[0112] Figure 1b is a schematic diagram illustrating far-field UE electromagnetic wave reception according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1b, for a UE in the far field, the electromagnetic waves arriving at the UE from its different antenna ports or elements are plane waves, and the beam targeting the UE is a two-dimensional (2D) directional beam pointing towards the target UE. For any path in multipath propagation, the time and phase of arrival at the UE receiving antenna array are equally spaced.

[0113] Figure 1c is a schematic diagram illustrating near-field UE electromagnetic wave reception according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1c, if the UE is located in the near field, the electromagnetic wave received by the UE is a spherical wave, and the beam targeting the UE is a three-dimensional (3D) beam surrounding the target UE. For any path in multipath propagation, the time and phase of arrival at the UE receiving antenna array will no longer be equally spaced.

[0114] In some embodiments, for far-field terminals, the directions of arrival at the terminal from multiple ports are the same. For far-field terminals, with multiple (e.g., 32) transmit beam directions, it is only necessary to transmit 32 reference signal resources based on the 32 beam directions at any one port to obtain the optimal transmit beam direction for each port. However, for near-field terminals, the distances to the terminal from the first beam direction transmitted by the network device (or base station) at the first port are different from the distances from the first beam direction transmitted by the network device at the second port. Therefore, the network device needs to transmit 32 beam directions separately at each port. If the network device still transmits the reference signals for beam measurement in the traditional single-port manner, the scanning time of the terminal will increase by a multiple of the number of ports. At the same time, since the beams arriving at the terminal in the near field are spherical waves, the number of beams covering the same range is further increased. Therefore, the base station can simultaneously transmit reference signals in multiple ports or multiple beam directions. The terminal can simultaneously measure the measurement results corresponding to different ports or different beams (e.g., Layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or Layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-SINR)), and report each reference signal resource identifier, or further report the information of each port / port group and the corresponding measurement results, thereby reducing the beam scanning time on the network side.

[0115] Since the optimal transmission beams on the network side differ depending on whether the terminal is located in the far field or near field, issues such as how the terminal performs downlink synchronization and random access based on downlink signals are urgent problems to be solved.

[0116] Therefore, this disclosure provides a communication method that receives a first reference signal and determines an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal. The identifier can be used to determine random access information, so as to flexibly determine random access information, adapt to changing situations, and improve communication efficiency.

[0117] Figure 1d is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0118] As shown in Figure 1d, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102.

[0119] In some embodiments, terminal 101 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home.

[0120] In some embodiments, network device 102 may include at least one of access network device and core network device.

[0121] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0122] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0123] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some of the protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0124] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a single device comprising one or more network elements, or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each comprising all or part of the aforementioned one or more network elements. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), or a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0125] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0126] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1 are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1, or may include other main bodies outside of FIG1. ​​The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0127] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0128] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication method interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, this embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method for a communication system 100, the method including:

[0129] In step S2101, network device 102 configures reference signal resources to terminal 101.

[0130] In some embodiments, terminal 101 receives reference signal resources configured by network device 102.

[0131] In some embodiments, the reference signal resource may be the reference signal resource of the first reference signal, that is, the network device may configure the reference signal resource of the first signal, and the terminal may receive the first reference signal on the reference signal resource of the first reference signal.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first reference signal may be a synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB).

[0133] In some embodiments, different SSBs correspond to different SSB indices. Each SSB index corresponds to a transmission time, and the terminal can obtain downlink synchronization based on the SSB index. The transmission times differ for different SSBs.

[0134] In some embodiments, each SSB can occupy four consecutive symbols, in the following order: Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), PBCH, Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) + PBCH (the middle 12 Resource Blocks (RBs) are the SSS, and the four RBs on each side are the PBCH; that is, the SSB occupies 20 RBs), and PBCH. Some subcarriers in the PBCH are DMRS. The subcarrier spacing of the synchronization signal blocks can be 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz. All synchronization signal blocks are transmitted within 5 milliseconds (ms). To support beam transmission, each beam needs to transmit an SSB when there is a beam. Therefore, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks that can be transmitted within 5 ms is 4 (below 3 GHz), 8 (3 GHz to 6 GHz), or 64 (above 6 GHz). These multiple SSBs within 5 ms are called an SSB Burst Set. The period of the SSB burst set can be 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, etc. Examples are as follows:

[0135] a) At 15kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal block is as follows: symbols 2-5 and 8-11 are occupied in every 14 symbols. At 15kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 4 or 8. That is, the starting symbol of each synchronization signal block is {2,8}+14*n, where n is 0,1 or 0,1,2,3. Here, {} represents a set, and {2,8} means it can be any value in the set, i.e., either 2 or 8.

[0136] b) At 30kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal block is as follows: symbols 2-5 and 8-11 are occupied in every 14 symbols. However, at 30kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 4 or 8. That is, the starting symbol of each synchronization signal block is {2,8}+14*n, where n is 0,1 or 0,1,2,3.

[0137] c) At 30kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal block is as follows: symbols 4-7, 8-11, 16-19, and 20-23 are occupied out of every 28 symbols. However, at 30kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 4 or 8. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {4,8,16,20}+28*n, where n is 0 or n=0 or 1.

[0138] d) At 120kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal blocks is as follows: symbols 4-7, 8-11, 16-19, and 20-23 are occupied out of every 28 symbols. At 120kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 64. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {4,8,16,20} + 28*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18.

[0139] e) At 240kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal blocks is as follows: symbols 8-11, 12-15, 16-19, 20-23, 32-35, 36-39, 40-43, and 44-47 are occupied out of every 56 symbols. At 240kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 64. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {8,12,16,20,32,36,40,44} + 56*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8.

[0140] Of course, the above examples are merely illustrative and this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0141] In some embodiments, to save beam scanning time, the network device can transmit multiple SSBs simultaneously, meaning different SSB indices correspond to the same transmission time. Therefore, the first reference signal can be associated with at least one second reference signal.

[0142] In some embodiments, the reference signal resource may also be the reference signal resource of the second reference signal, that is, the network device may configure the reference signal resource of the second reference signal, and the terminal may receive the second reference signal on the reference signal resource of the second reference signal.

[0143] In some embodiments, the second reference signal may be a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). The signal resource of the second reference signal may be, for example, a CSI-RS resource. Exemplarily, the SSB may be associated with at least one CSI-RS, but is not limited thereto.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first reference signal and / or the second reference signal can be used to determine random access information.

[0145] In some embodiments, the reference signal resource may also be protocol-defined, meaning it does not require configuration by the network device. In other words, step S2101 is optional.

[0146] In step S2102, network device 102 sends a first reference signal to terminal 101.

[0147] In some embodiments, terminal 101 receives a first reference signal sent by network device 102. For example, the terminal may receive the first reference signal on reference signal resources configured on the network device. Alternatively, the terminal may receive the first reference signal on reference signal resources specified in the protocol.

[0148] In some embodiments, the reference signal resources can be determined based on the network device configuration or based on a protocol. Wherein, determining the reference signal resources based on a protocol can be understood as either specifying the reference signal resources in the protocol or predefining them in the protocol. The terminal and / or network device can determine the specified reference signal resources or the predefined reference signal resources in the protocol.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first reference signal may be associated with at least one second reference signal. The second reference signal and the first reference signal may be in a quasi-colocation (QCL) relationship. That is, the terminal may not need to switch its receiving beam when receiving the reference signal resources of the second reference signal and when receiving the first reference signal.

[0150] In some embodiments, the second reference signal and the first reference signal may not be related by QCL. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0151] In step S2103, terminal 101 determines the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal.

[0152] In some embodiments, the terminal may determine the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal. For example, the first reference signal is an SSB, and the identifier of the SSB may be carried in the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence in the SSB and / or the payload in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The terminal can obtain the identifier of the SSB from the DMRS sequence of the SSB and / or the payload in the PBCH.

[0153] In some embodiments, the identifier of the first reference signal can be used to determine the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal. For example, the network device can configure a second mapping relationship to the terminal, which is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal. For example, the second mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the identifier of the first reference signal and the random access information. The terminal can determine the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal based on the identifier of the first reference signal and in the second mapping relationship.

[0154] In some embodiments, the terminal may perform random access based on the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal.

[0155] In step S2104, network device 102 sends a second reference signal to terminal 101.

[0156] In some embodiments, terminal 101 receives a second reference signal sent by network device 102. For example, the terminal may receive the second reference signal on a reference signal resource of the second reference signal. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal may be determined in at least one of the following ways: based on a protocol; based on a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) sent by the network device; based on a control resource set; based on downlink control information (DCI); or based on a system information block (SIB) sent by the network device. That is, the reference signal resource of the second reference signal may be specified in the protocol, and the terminal and network device receive or send the second reference signal based on the reference signal resource specified in the protocol. Alternatively, the reference signal resource of the second reference signal may be determined by the network device and configured by the network device for the terminal. For example, the network device may indicate the reference signal resource of the second reference signal through the PBCH. Another example is that the network device may implicitly or explicitly indicate the reference signal resource of the second reference signal through a control resource set. For instance, the participating signal resource of the second reference signal may have a first relationship with the resource in the control resource set, such as occupying the same symbols or occupying the same bandwidth. Therefore, the location of the reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be obtained by controlling the resource location of the resource set. For example, the DCI carried by the control resource set can indicate the time-frequency resource of the second reference signal. The control resource set (CORESET) could be, for example, CORESET#0, and its associated search space could be search space#0. Alternatively, the network device can indicate the reference signal resource of the second reference signal through system messages. These system messages can be sent by the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI carried in CORESET#0.

[0157] In some embodiments, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource of the second reference signal may include at least one of the following: on at least one symbol occupied by the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the most recently available symbol of the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the Nth symbol before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where N is a positive integer; or within M time slots before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where M is a positive integer.

[0158] Optionally, the reference signal resource of the second reference signal may be on at least one symbol occupied by the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal. For example, the first reference signal occupies 4 symbols, and the second reference signal occupies at least one of the 4 symbols of the first reference signal. It is understood that the specific examples above are merely illustrative, and this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0159] Optionally, the reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be on the nearest available symbol of the first reference signal to which the second reference signal is associated. For example, it can be on a symbol before the first reference signal or on a symbol after the first reference signal. That is, there may be no other symbols between the reference signal resource of the second reference signal and the first reference signal.

[0160] Optionally, the reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be located on the Nth symbol before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where N is a positive integer. For example, the reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be located on the second symbol before the first reference signal or on the second symbol after the first reference signal. For instance, if the first reference signal occupies symbols 2 to 5, and the second reference signal is located on the second symbol before the first reference signal (i.e., on symbol 0), or on the second symbol after the first reference signal (i.e., on symbol 7), then the second reference signal and the first reference signal can be in the same time slot or different time slots. It is understood that the above specific examples are merely illustrative, and this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0161] Optionally, the reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be in the Nth time slot before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal. For example, it can be in the second time slot before or after. Or, for example, it can be in the fourth time slot before or after. However, the above two time slots and four time slots are merely exemplary examples, and this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0162] In some embodiments, the reference signal resources of the second reference signal and the first reference signal can be in the same time slot as much as possible.

[0163] In some embodiments, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different symbols; and / or, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different frequency domain resources, that is, they occupy different frequency domain resources within the same symbol. Here, a symbol can be understood as a time domain resource, which may include, but is not limited to, radio subframes, time slots, micro-time slots, and symbols. Frequency domain resources may include, but are not limited to, subcarriers, resource blocks (RBs), physical resource blocks (PRBs), and bandwidth.

[0164] For example, with different subcarrier spacings, assuming a time-domain distribution of 15 kHz or 30 kHz, if the position of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #0) is symbol 2-5, then the position of the reference signal resource (e.g., CSI-RS resource) of the second reference signal associated with the first reference signal can be at least one of symbols 0, 1, 6, and 7, and of course, 12 and 13 are also possible. If the position of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #1) is symbol 8-11, then the position of the reference signal resource (e.g., CSI-RS resource) of the second reference signal associated with the first reference signal can be at least one of symbols 6, 7, 12, and 13, and of course, 0 and 1 are also possible. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal should ideally be within the same slot as the first reference signal. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) with CORESET #0 or with the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carried by CORESET #0 and scheduled by DCI. The PDSCH is used to send System Information Blocks (SIBs).

[0165] For example, in a time-domain distribution of 30kHz or 120kHz subcarrier spacing: symbols 4-7, 8-11, 16-19, and 20-23 are occupied in every 28 symbols. At 30kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 4 or 8. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {4,8,16,20} + 28*n, where n is 0 or n is 0 or 1. Here, {} represents a set, and {4,8,16,20} indicates that the elements in the set are 4, 8, 16, and 20. * represents a multiplication sign. At this point, if the position of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #0) is symbol 4-7, then the position of the reference signal resource (e.g., CSI-RS resource) of the second reference signal associated with the first reference signal can be at least one of symbols 0, 1, 2, and 3, and of course, 12 and 13 are also possible. If the position of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #1) is symbol 8-11, then the position of the reference signal resource (e.g., CSI-RS resource) of the second reference signal associated with the first reference signal can be at least one of symbols 12, 13, 14, and 15 (i.e., symbols 0 and 1 in the next slot), and of course, 0, 1, 2, and 3 in the current slot are also possible. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal should ideally be within the same slot as the first reference signal. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be FDM with CORESET #0 or with the PDSCH of the DCI scheduling carried by CORESET #0.

[0166] For example, when the subcarrier spacing is 240kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal blocks is as follows: symbols 8-11, 12-15, 16-19, 20-23, 32-35, 36-39, 40-43, and 44-47 are occupied in every 56 symbols. At 240kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 64. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {8,12,16,20,32,36,40,44} + 56*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8. At this point, there are 4 slots with 56 symbols. The positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #0) are symbols 8-11, while the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #1) are symbols 12-15, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #2) are symbols 16-19, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #3) are symbols 20-23, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #4) are symbols 32-35, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #5) are symbols 36-39, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #6) are symbols 40-43, and the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #7) are symbols 44-47. Therefore, the CSI-RS resource positions of SSB indices #0 and #1 can be at least one of symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and of course, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 are also possible; and the SSB... The CSI-RS resource positions for indices #2 and #3 can be at least one of the symbols 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, and 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are also possible. The CSI-RS resource positions for SSB indices #4 and #5 can be at least one of the symbols 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, and 48, 49, 50, and 51 are also possible. The CSI-RS resource positions for SSB indices #6 and #7 can be at least one of the symbols 48, 49, 50, and 51, and 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 are also possible. The reference signal resources of the second reference signal should ideally be within the same slot as the first reference signal. The reference signal resources of the second reference signal can be FDM with CORESET #0 or with the PDSCH of the DCI scheduler carried by CORESET #0.

[0167] In some embodiments, SSB index represents an SSB identifier or index.

[0168] It is understood that the above examples are merely exemplary and this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of this disclosure, the location of the SSB may be redesigned.

[0169] In some embodiments, a first reference signal may be associated with at least one second reference signal. Different reference signals among the at least one reference signal may correspond to different reference signal resources. Reference signal resources may correspond to beams; that is, different reference signals among the at least one reference signal may correspond to different beams or the same beam. Alternatively, different reference signals among the at least one reference signal may correspond to different port information of the same reference signal resource. Port information may correspond to beams; that is, different reference signals among the at least one reference signal may correspond to different beams or the same beam.

[0170] In some embodiments, port information may include at least one of a port, a port group, and an antenna subarray element. That is, different port information corresponding to different reference signal resources may be different ports corresponding to different reference signal resources, different port groups corresponding to different reference signal resources, or different antenna subarray elements corresponding to different reference signal resources.

[0171] In some embodiments, at least two of the at least one second reference signal occupy the same symbol. Here, a symbol can be understood as a time-domain location. Time-domain locations include, but are not limited to, radio subframes, time slots, micro-time slots, symbols, etc. At least two second reference signals occupying the same symbol means that at least two second reference signals overlap in their time-domain locations.

[0172] In step S2105, terminal 101 determines the identifier of the second reference signal based on the second reference signal.

[0173] In some embodiments, the terminal may determine the identifier of the second reference signal based on the second reference signal.

[0174] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second reference signal can be used to determine the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal. For example, the network device can configure a first mapping relationship to the terminal, which is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal. For example, the first mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the identifier of the second reference signal and the random access information. The terminal can determine the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal based on the identifier of the second reference signal and in the first mapping relationship.

[0175] In some embodiments, the terminal may perform random access based on the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal.

[0176] Step S2106, terminal 101 determines random access information.

[0177] In some embodiments, the terminal can determine the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal. For example, the terminal can determine the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal based on the identifier of the second reference signal in a second mapping relationship. The first mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal; for example, the first mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the identifier of the second reference signal and a first random access resource. For example, the terminal can determine the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal based on the first mapping relationship and / or the terminal type. The terminal type may include, for example, a first type and a second type. For example, the first type may be a near-field terminal, and the second type may be a far-field terminal, but is not limited thereto. For example, when the terminal type is the first type, the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal can be determined in the first mapping relationship. It is understood that, in order to cover near-field terminals, the network device can send multiple reference signals at the same time, and the multiple reference signals may include at least one second reference signal. The terminal can determine the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal. Therefore, for different reference signals sent at the same time, the determined random access information is different, and the determined random resource information is more targeted. Of course, in other instances where the terminal type is different, the first random access information of the second reference signal can also be determined based on the first mapping relationship; this disclosure does not limit this. The terminal can perform random access based on the determined first random access information. Furthermore, at least one second reference signal is associated with a first reference signal, such as an SSB, which can be used for downlink synchronization.

[0178] In some embodiments, the terminal can determine the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal. For example, the terminal can determine the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal from a second mapping relationship based on the identifier of the first reference signal. The second mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal. For example, the second mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the identifier of the first reference signal and the second random access resource. For example, the terminal can determine the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal based on the second mapping relationship and / or the terminal type. The terminal type may include, for example, a first type and a second type. For example, the first type may be a near-field terminal, and the second type may be a far-field terminal, but is not limited thereto. For example, when the terminal type is the second type, the terminal can determine the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal from the second mapping relationship. It is understood that, in order to cover far-field terminals, the network device can send a reference signal at the same time. For example, the first reference signal may not be associated with the second reference signal, or may only be associated with one second reference signal, in which case the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal can be directly determined from the second mapping relationship. Alternatively, network devices can transmit multiple reference signals simultaneously. For example, a first reference signal may be associated with multiple second reference signals, but the differences between the different second reference signals are small. Therefore, multiple reference signals transmitted at the same time can share random access information. That is, the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal can be directly determined.

[0179] In some embodiments, the terminal can determine the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal. Then, from the second random access information, it determines the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal. That is, the first random access information is a subset of the second random access information, and the second random access resource is used to determine the first random access resource. For example, when the terminal type is a first type, the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal can be determined. Then, from the second random access information, the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal can be determined, but this is not limited to this.

[0180] In some embodiments, the terminal can determine its own type. If the terminal type is a first type, then the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal can be determined. Alternatively, the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal can be determined. Then, the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal can be determined from the second random access information. If the terminal type is a second type, then the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal can be determined. This embodiment is merely exemplary, and this disclosure is not intended to limit the scope.

[0181] A terminal is classified as a Type I terminal if the difference between the measurement results of at least two first reference signals occupying the same symbol but different frequency domain resources is greater than or equal to a threshold. That is, a terminal can determine whether it is a Type I terminal based on the measurement results of at least two first reference signals occupying the same symbol but different frequency domain resources. The measurement results include Layer 1 reference signal received power (RSRP) and layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), where RSRP can be either Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 3 (L3), and SINR can be either L1 or L3.

[0182] In some embodiments, if the difference between the measurement results corresponding to at least two first reference signals occupying the same symbol but different frequency domain resources is less than a threshold, the terminal is a second type of terminal. That is, the terminal can determine whether it is a second type of terminal based on the measurement results corresponding to at least two first reference signals occupying the same symbol but different frequency domain resources. The measurement results include RSRP and SINR, where RSRP can be L1 or L3 RSRP, and SINR can be L1 or L3 SINR.

[0183] In some embodiments, if the terminal type is the second type, all random access resources corresponding to the SSB can be determined directly based on the SSB. That is, random access resources include those of near-field terminals corresponding to different second reference signals. Alternatively, all random access resources corresponding to the SSB can be divided into two parts: one part is allocated to the second type of terminal, and the other part is shared equally among the terminals corresponding to multiple second reference signals.

[0184] In some embodiments, random access information includes at least one of the following: Random Access Channel Occasion (RO); random access preamble.

[0185] In some embodiments, at least one of the random access information determined by the first type of terminal and the second type of terminal is different. For example, multiple second reference signals are transmitted at the same time, some to cover far-field terminals and some to cover near-field terminals, while both the first type of terminal and the second type of terminal determine the RO and preamble, thus determining different random access information. Alternatively, the first reference signal is to cover the second type of terminal, and the second reference signal is to cover the first type of terminal. The second type of terminal determines a portion of the random access resources corresponding to the first reference signal based on the first reference signal and the terminal type for random access, while the other portion of the random access resources corresponding to the first reference signal is used by the first type of terminal to determine the corresponding random access resources based on the second reference signal.

[0186] In some embodiments, the terminal can perform random access based on determined random access information. For example, a determined random access preamble can be sent on a determined RO. Of course, a determined random access preamble can also be sent on other ROs, or other random access preambles can be sent on determined ROs; this disclosure does not limit this.

[0187] In step S2107, terminal 101 sends a measurement report to network device 102.

[0188] In some embodiments, network device 102 receives a measurement report sent by terminal 101.

[0189] In some embodiments, the measurement report may also be referred to as a beam report, but is not limited thereto.

[0190] In some embodiments, the measurement report includes at least one of the following: a reference signal resource identifier corresponding to the first reference signal / second reference signal, a measurement result of the first reference signal / second reference signal, a port identifier corresponding to the first reference signal / second reference signal, and a port group identifier corresponding to the first reference signal / second reference signal.

[0191] In some embodiments, the measurement results may include L1-RSRP and / or L1-SINR.

[0192] In some embodiments, the measurement report includes at least one of the following: a group-based beam report; or a non-group-based beam report.

[0193] In some embodiments, the combined measurement report includes at least one set of reported content, and each set of reported content includes at least two sets of identifiers; wherein each set of identifiers includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a reference signal resource; a port identifier corresponding to the reference signal resource; and a port group identifier corresponding to the reference signal resource.

[0194] In some embodiments, in at least two sets of identifiers, the identifiers of the reference signal resources included in different sets of identifiers are different; or in at least two sets of identifiers, the identifiers of the reference signal resources included in different sets of identifiers are the same, but the port identifiers corresponding to the reference signal resources or the port group identifiers corresponding to the reference signal resources are different. It can be understood that the beam direction of the same port corresponding to different reference signal resources can be the same, while the same port points to different beam directions at the same time.

[0195] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2107. For example, steps S2102 and S2103 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0196] In some embodiments, steps S2101, S2104 to S2107 may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0197] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the specification corresponding to FIG2 may be referred to.

[0198] Figure 3a is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3a, this embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method executed by terminal 101, the method including:

[0199] Step S3101: Obtain reference signal resources.

[0200] The optional implementation of step S3101 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] In some embodiments, terminal 101 receives reference signal resources configured by network device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive first information sent by other entities.

[0202] In some embodiments, terminal 101 acquires reference signal resources as defined by a protocol.

[0203] In some embodiments, terminal 101 obtains reference signal resources from upper layer(s).

[0204] In some embodiments, terminal 101 performs processing to obtain reference signal resources.

[0205] In some embodiments, step S3101 is omitted, and terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the reference signal resource, or the above function is defaulted or set to default.

[0206] Step S3102: Obtain the first reference signal.

[0207] The optional implementation of step S3102 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0208] In some embodiments, terminal 101 receives a first reference signal configured by network device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive first information sent by other entities.

[0209] In some embodiments, terminal 101 acquires a first reference signal defined by a protocol.

[0210] In some embodiments, terminal 101 obtains a first reference signal from upper layer(s).

[0211] In some embodiments, terminal 101 performs processing to obtain a first reference signal.

[0212] In some embodiments, step S3102 is omitted, and the terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first reference signal, or the above function is defaulted or set to default.

[0213] Step S3103: Determine the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal.

[0214] The optional implementation of step S3103 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2103 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0215] In some embodiments, the identifier of the first reference signal is determined based on the first reference signal.

[0216] Step S3104: Obtain the second reference signal.

[0217] The optional implementation of step S3104 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2104 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0218] In some embodiments, terminal 101 receives a second reference signal configured by network device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive first information sent by other entities.

[0219] In some embodiments, terminal 101 acquires a second reference signal defined by a protocol.

[0220] In some embodiments, terminal 101 obtains a second reference signal from upper layer(s).

[0221] In some embodiments, terminal 101 performs processing to obtain a second reference signal.

[0222] In some embodiments, step S3104 is omitted, and the terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the second reference signal, or the above function is defaulted or set to default.

[0223] Step S3105: Determine the identifier of the second reference signal based on the second reference signal.

[0224] The optional implementation of step S3105 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2105 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0225] In some embodiments, the identifier of the second reference signal is determined based on the second reference signal.

[0226] Step S3106: Determine the random access information.

[0227] The optional implementation of step S3106 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2106 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0228] Step S3107: Send the measurement report.

[0229] The optional implementation of step S3107 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2107 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0230] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may send a measurement report to network device 102, but is not limited to that; it may also send a measurement report to other entities.

[0231] Figure 3b is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3b, this embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method executed by terminal 101, the method including:

[0232] Step S3201: Obtain the first reference signal.

[0233] The optional implementation of step S3201 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0234] In some embodiments, terminal 101 receives a first reference signal configured by network device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive first information sent by other entities.

[0235] In some embodiments, terminal 101 acquires a first reference signal defined by a protocol.

[0236] In some embodiments, terminal 101 obtains a first reference signal from upper layer(s).

[0237] In some embodiments, terminal 101 performs processing to obtain a first reference signal.

[0238] In some embodiments, step S3201 is omitted, and terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first reference signal, or the above function is defaulted or set to default.

[0239] Step S3202: Determine the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal.

[0240] The optional implementation of step S3202 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2103 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0241] Figure 4a is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4a, this embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method executed by a network device 102, the method including:

[0242] Step S4101: Send reference signal resources.

[0243] The optional implementation of step S4101 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0244] In some embodiments, network device 102 sends reference signal resources to terminal 101, but is not limited thereto; it may also send reference signal resources to other entities.

[0245] Step S4102: Send the first reference signal.

[0246] The optional implementation of step S4102 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0247] In some embodiments, network device 102 sends a first reference signal to terminal 101, but is not limited thereto; it may also send the first reference signal to other entities.

[0248] Step S4103: Send the second reference signal.

[0249] The optional implementation of step S4103 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2104 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0250] In some embodiments, network device 102 sends a second reference signal to terminal 101, but is not limited thereto; it may also send the second reference signal to other entities.

[0251] Step S4104: Obtain the measurement report.

[0252] The optional implementation of step S4104 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2107 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0253] In some embodiments, network device 102 receives measurement reports sent by terminal 101, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive measurement reports sent by other entities.

[0254] Figure 4b is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4b, this embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method executed by a network device 102, the method comprising:

[0255] Step S4201: Send the first reference signal.

[0256] The optional implementation of step S4201 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0257] In some embodiments, network device 102 sends a first reference signal to terminal 101, but is not limited thereto; it may also send the first reference signal to other entities.

[0258] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0259] In step S5101, network device 102 sends a first reference signal to terminal 101.

[0260] The optional implementation of step S5101 can be found in S2102 of Figure 2, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0261] In step S5102, terminal 101 receives the first reference signal sent by network device 102.

[0262] The optional implementation of step S5102 can be found in S2102 of Figure 2, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0263] In step S5103, terminal 101 determines the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal.

[0264] The optional implementation of step S5103 can be found in S2103 of Figure 2, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0265] This disclosure provides a communication method as follows:

[0266] In some embodiments, the terminal determines at least one reference signal resource and performs measurements on at least one reference signal on the at least one reference signal resource to obtain measurement results (L1-RSRP / L1-SINR) corresponding to each reference signal in the at least one reference signal.

[0267] In some embodiments, the reference signal resources corresponding to at least one reference signal overlap on at least one symbol, i.e., domain overlap.

[0268] In some embodiments, the terminal determines at least one reference signal resource location in the following manner:

[0269] a) Based on base station configuration. For example, base station configuration includes SSB or CSI-RS resource locations.

[0270] b) Based on protocol agreement. For example, the protocol specifies the location of SSB or CSI-RS resources.

[0271] In some embodiments, if the reference signal resource is a CSI-RS resource, then the reference signal is a CSI-RS, and at least one reference signal corresponds to different CSI-RS resources, or at least one reference signal corresponds to different ports / port groups or different subarray units of the base station for the same CSI-RS resource (hereinafter described by port).

[0272] In some embodiments, if the reference signal resource is an SSB resource, then the reference signal is an SSB, and different reference signals in at least one reference signal correspond to different SSB resources, or different reference signals in at least one reference signal correspond to different ports of the same SSB resource.

[0273] In some embodiments, the protocol specifies the location of SSB resources. Different SSBs correspond to different SSB resource locations; that is, different SSBs can use FDM (Frequency Directed Communication) to communicate, and different SSBs correspond to SSB resources in different frequency domains. Traditionally, each SSB corresponds to a different SSB index, and the SSB index corresponds to different transmission times. The terminal can obtain downlink synchronization based on the SSB index. For example, in a traditional configuration, each synchronization signal block (SSB) occupies four consecutive symbols, in the following order: PSS, PBCH, SSS+PBCH (the middle 12 RBs are SSS, and the four RBs on each side are PBCH, i.e., the SSB occupies 20 RBs), and PBCH. Some subcarriers in PBCH are DMRS (Digital Directed Communication). The subcarrier spacing of the synchronization signal block can be 15kHz, 30kHz, 120kHz, and 240kHz. All synchronization signal blocks are transmitted within a 5ms time interval. To support beam transmission, each beam needs to transmit an SSB when beams are present. Therefore, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks that can be transmitted within 5ms is 4 (below 3GHz), 8 (3GHz to 6GHz), or 64 (above 6GHz). These multiple SSBs within 5ms are called an SSB burst set. The period of the SSB burst set can be 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, etc. For example:

[0274] a) At 15kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal block is as follows: symbols 2-5 and 8-11 are occupied in every 14 symbols. At 15kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 4 or 8. That is, the starting symbol of each synchronization signal block is {2,8}+14*n, where n is 0,1 or 0,1,2,3. Here, {} represents a set, and {2,8} means it can be any value in the set, i.e., either 2 or 8.

[0275] b) At 30kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal block is as follows: symbols 2-5 and 8-11 are occupied in every 14 symbols. However, at 30kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 4 or 8. That is, the starting symbol of each synchronization signal block is {2,8}+14*n, where n is 0,1 or 0,1,2,3.

[0276] c) At 30kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal block is as follows: symbols 4-7, 8-11, 16-19, and 20-23 are occupied out of every 28 symbols. However, at 30kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 4 or 8. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {4,8,16,20}+28*n, where n is 0 or n=0 or 1.

[0277] d) At 120kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal blocks is as follows: symbols 4-7, 8-11, 16-19, and 20-23 are occupied out of every 28 symbols. At 120kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 64. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {4,8,16,20} + 28*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18.

[0278] e) At 240kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal blocks is as follows: symbols 8-11, 12-15, 16-19, 20-23, 32-35, 36-39, 40-43, and 44-47 are occupied out of every 56 symbols. At 240kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 64. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {8,12,16,20,32,36,40,44} + 56*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8.

[0279] In some embodiments, based on this conventional approach with a fixed SSB location, the terminal receives the SSB and obtains the SSB index from the DMRS sequence in the SSB or the payload in the DMRS sequence and PBCH. Then, it can determine which symbol in which slot within 5ms corresponds to the SSB, thus achieving downlink synchronization.

[0280] In some embodiments, an SSB is configured with at least one associated CSI-RS resource.

[0281] In some embodiments, at least one associated CSI-RS resource can be categorized into two cases:

[0282] Scenario 1: A CSI-RS resource is configured with one or more ports, with different ports corresponding to different beams.

[0283] Scenario 2: Multiple CSI-RS resources, each configured with one or two ports (the same number of ports as a traditional CSI-RS used for beam measurement). Each CSI-RS resource corresponds to a different beam.

[0284] In some embodiments, based on the aforementioned associated CSI-RS resource, the terminal can receive the reference signal on the SSB and the CSI-RS resource associated with the SSB without switching the receive beam; that is, the terminal can assume that the CSI-RS and the SSB have a QCL relationship.

[0285] In some embodiments, terminal behavior includes at least one of the following

[0286] a) Behavior 1: The terminal measures the RSRP (L1-RSRP or L3-RSRP) corresponding to the SSB.

[0287] b) Behavior 2: The terminal determines the RO and / or random access preamble corresponding to the SSB based on the first mapping relationship. For example, the base station configuration (based on system information) or the protocol specifies the first mapping relationship between the SSB and the RO / random access preamble.

[0288] c) Behavior 3: Terminal measurement of RSRP (L1-RSRP or L3-RSRP) corresponding to CSI-RS.

[0289] d) Action 4: The terminal determines the RO and / or random access preamble corresponding to the CSI-RS based on the second mapping relationship. This only requires determining the second mapping relationship between multiple CSI-RS resources or multiple ports of a single CSI-RS resource and the RO and / or random access preamble corresponding to the SSB. In other words, Action 2 has already determined the first RO / or first random access preamble subset corresponding to the SSB, while Action 4 determines which part of the first RO / or first random access preamble subset corresponds to different CSI-RS. The second mapping relationship is configured by the base station (based on system information) or specified by the protocol.

[0290] e) Action 5: The terminal sends the determined random access preamble on the determined RO.

[0291] In some embodiments, for near-field UEs, the terminal behavior includes the above five behaviors, that is, near-field UEs need to use the RO and random access preamble corresponding to CSI-RS; for far-field UEs, the above behavior four may not be included, that is, far-field UEs directly use the RO and random access preamble corresponding to SSB.

[0292] In some embodiments, the terminal determines whether it is a near-field UE or a far-field UE in the following way: if the difference between the L1-RSRP corresponding to different CSI-RS resources or different CSI-RS ports is greater than a threshold value, it is a near-field UE; otherwise, it is a far-field UE.

[0293] In some embodiments, the time-domain location of the CSI-RS resource associated with the SSB can be specified by protocol, indicated by PBCH (i.e., MIB master information block), indicated by CORESET#0, or indicated by system information (i.e., SIB, system information block) carried by the PDSCH scheduled by CORESET#0. Its possible locations are as follows:

[0294] a) The symbol can be placed on the nearest empty symbol to the SSB, either before or after the SSB. It can be adjacent to the SSB symbol (i.e., no other symbols in between) or separated by a gap (i.e., other symbols in between). Ideally, it should be within the same slot, two adjacent slots, or four adjacent slots as the SSB.

[0295] b) can be Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) and / or FDM with SSB.

[0296] In some embodiments, such as when there are different subcarrier spacings, assuming a time-domain distribution of 15 kHz or 30 kHz, if the position of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #0) is symbol 2-5, then the position of the reference signal resource (e.g., CSI-RS resource) of the second reference signal associated with the first reference signal can be at least one of symbols 0, 1, 6, and 7, and of course, 12 and 13 are also possible. If the position of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #1) is symbol 8-11, then the position of the reference signal resource (e.g., CSI-RS resource) of the second reference signal associated with the first reference signal can be at least one of symbols 6, 7, 12, and 13, and of course, 0 and 1 are also possible. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal should ideally be within the same slot as the first reference signal. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) with CORESET #0 or with the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carried by CORESET #0 and scheduled by DCI. The PDSCH is used to send System Information Blocks (SIBs).

[0297] For example, in a time-domain distribution of 30kHz or 120kHz subcarrier spacing: symbols 4-7, 8-11, 16-19, and 20-23 are occupied in every 28 symbols. At 30kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 4 or 8. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {4,8,16,20} + 28*n, where n is 0 or n is 0 or 1. Here, {} represents a set, and {4,8,16,20} indicates that the elements in the set are 4, 8, 16, and 20. * represents a multiplication sign. At this point, if the position of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #0) is symbol 4-7, then the position of the reference signal resource (e.g., CSI-RS resource) of the second reference signal associated with the first reference signal can be at least one of symbols 0, 1, 2, and 3, and of course, 12 and 13 are also possible. If the position of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #1) is symbol 8-11, then the position of the reference signal resource (e.g., CSI-RS resource) of the second reference signal associated with the first reference signal can be at least one of symbols 12, 13, 14, and 15 (i.e., symbols 0 and 1 in the next slot), and of course, 0, 1, 2, and 3 in the current slot are also possible. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal should ideally be within the same slot as the first reference signal. The reference signal resource of the second reference signal can be FDM with CORESET #0 or with the PDSCH of the DCI scheduling carried by CORESET #0.

[0298] For example, when the subcarrier spacing is 240kHz, the time-domain distribution of the synchronization signal blocks is as follows: symbols 8-11, 12-15, 16-19, 20-23, 32-35, 36-39, 40-43, and 44-47 are occupied in every 56 symbols. At 240kHz, the maximum number of synchronization signal blocks is 64. That is, the starting position of each synchronization signal block is {8,12,16,20,32,36,40,44} + 56*n, where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8. At this point, there are 4 slots with 56 symbols. The positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #0) are symbols 8-11, while the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #1) are symbols 12-15, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #2) are symbols 16-19, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #3) are symbols 20-23, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #4) are symbols 32-35, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #5) are symbols 36-39, the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #6) are symbols 40-43, and the positions of the first reference signal (e.g., SSB index #7) are symbols 44-47. Therefore, the CSI-RS resource positions of SSB indices #0 and #1 can be at least one of symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and of course, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 are also possible; and the SSB... The CSI-RS resource positions for indices #2 and #3 can be at least one of the symbols 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, and 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are also possible. The CSI-RS resource positions for SSB indices #4 and #5 can be at least one of the symbols 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, and 48, 49, 50, and 51 are also possible. The CSI-RS resource positions for SSB indices #6 and #7 can be at least one of the symbols 48, 49, 50, and 51, and 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 are also possible. The reference signal resources of the second reference signal should ideally be within the same slot as the first reference signal. The reference signal resources of the second reference signal can be FDM with CORESET #0 or with the PDSCH of the DCI scheduler carried by CORESET #0.

[0299] In some embodiments, the terminal sends a measurement report, which includes at least one of the following: a reference signal resource identifier, an L1-RSRP / L1-SINR, a port identifier, and a port group identifier.

[0300] In some embodiments, the measurement report includes a group-based beam report or a non-group-based beam report. The group-based beam report contains at least one group, and each group contains at least two different identity (ID) combinations.

[0301] In some embodiments, the ID combination includes a reference signal resource ID and a port / port group ID; if either one is different, the ID combination is different.

[0302] In some embodiments, the reference signal resource IDs corresponding to the ID combinations contained within a Group may be the same.

[0303] In some embodiments, the port / port group IDs corresponding to the ID combinations contained in a Group cannot be the same. This is because the beam direction of the same port corresponding to different reference signal resources is the same, and the same port cannot point to different beam directions at the same time.

[0304] Figure 6a is a schematic diagram of the terminal structure proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 6a, the terminal 6100 may include a transceiver module 6101 and a processing module 6102. The transceiver module 6101 is used to receive a first reference signal sent by a network device; the processing module 6102 is used to determine an identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, and the identifier is used to determine random access information.

[0305] In some embodiments, the processing module 6102 is further configured to: determine that the terminal determines a reference signal resource corresponding to at least one second reference signal; different reference signals in the at least one second reference signal correspond to different reference signal resources; or, different reference signals in the at least one second reference signal correspond to different port information of the same reference signal resource.

[0306] In some embodiments, at least two of the at least one second reference signal occupy the same symbol.

[0307] In some embodiments, the reference signal resources are determined based on the configuration of the network device; and / or, the reference signal resources are determined based on the protocol.

[0308] In some embodiments, the first reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB); and / or, the second reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0309] In some embodiments, at least one second reference signal includes one or more second reference signals associated with the first reference signal.

[0310] In some embodiments, the processing module 6102 is further configured to: determine the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal based on the first mapping relationship and / or the terminal type; wherein the first mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal; and the terminal performs a random access process based on the first random access information.

[0311] In some embodiments, the processing module 6102 is further configured to: determine the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal based on the second mapping relationship; wherein the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal; the second random access information is used to determine the first random access information, and the first random access information is a subset of the second random access information.

[0312] In some embodiments, the terminal type is a first type.

[0313] In some embodiments, if the difference between the measurement results corresponding to at least two second reference signals that occupy the same symbol but occupy different frequency domain resources is greater than or equal to a threshold, the terminal type is a first type.

[0314] In some embodiments, the processing module 6102 is further configured to: determine second random access information corresponding to the identifier of the first reference signal based on the second mapping relationship and / or the terminal type; wherein the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal; and the terminal performs a random access process based on the second random access information.

[0315] In some embodiments, the terminal type is a second type.

[0316] In some embodiments, if the difference between the measurement results of at least two second reference signals that occupy the same symbol but occupy different frequency domain resources is less than a threshold, the terminal type is the second type.

[0317] In some embodiments, the random access information includes at least one of random access channel timing (RO) and random access preamble; at least one of the random access information determined by the first type of terminal and the second type of terminal is different.

[0318] In some embodiments, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal is determined in at least one of the following ways: based on the protocol; based on the physical broadcast channel PBCH sent by the network device; based on the control resource set; based on the downlink control information DCI; or based on the system message sent by the network device.

[0319] In some embodiments, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal includes at least one of the following: on at least one symbol occupied by the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the most recently available symbol of the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the Nth symbol before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where N is a positive integer; or in the Mth time slot before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where M is a positive integer.

[0320] In some embodiments, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different symbols; and / or, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different frequency domain resources.

[0321] In some embodiments, the mapping relationship is determined based on the configuration of the network device; and / or, the mapping relationship is determined based on the protocol; the mapping relationship includes at least one of a first mapping relationship and a second mapping relationship.

[0322] Figure 6b is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 6b, the network device 6200 may include: a transceiver module 6201, used to send a first reference signal to a terminal, the first reference signal being used to determine an identifier of the first reference signal, and the identifier being used to determine random access information.

[0323] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 6201 is further configured to: configure reference signal resources to the terminal, wherein the reference signal resources correspond to at least one second reference signal; different reference signals among the at least one second reference signal correspond to different reference signal resources; or, different reference signals among the at least one second reference signal correspond to different port information of the same reference signal resource.

[0324] In some embodiments, at least two of the at least one second reference signal occupy the same symbol.

[0325] In some embodiments, the first reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB); and / or, the second reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal.

[0326] In some embodiments, at least one second reference signal includes one or more second reference signals associated with the first reference signal.

[0327] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 6201 is further configured to: configure a mapping relationship to the terminal, the mapping relationship including at least one of a first mapping relationship and a second mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship being used to indicate random access information corresponding to the second reference signal, and the second mapping relationship being used to indicate random access information corresponding to the first reference signal.

[0328] In some embodiments, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal is determined in at least one of the following ways: determined based on a protocol; determined by a network device.

[0329] In some embodiments, the time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal includes at least one of the following: on at least one symbol occupied by the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the most recently available symbol of the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; on the Nth symbol before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where N is a positive integer; or in the Mth time slot before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where M is a positive integer.

[0330] In some embodiments, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different symbols; and / or, the first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different frequency domain resources.

[0331] In some embodiments, the network device 6200 may further include a processing module 6202 for processing the steps involved in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0332] Figure 7a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 7100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 7100 can be a network device, a terminal, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods; alternatively, the network device can be an access network device, a core network device, etc. Optionally, the terminal can be a user equipment, etc. The communication device 7100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0333] As shown in Figure 7a, the communication device 7100 includes one or more processors 7101. The processor 7101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the communication device, execute programs, and process program data. The communication device 7100 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the communication device can be a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU (Distributed Unit), or a CU (Computer Integrated Circuit), etc.

[0334] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more memories 7102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 7102 may also be located outside the communication device 7100.

[0335] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more transceivers 7103. When the communication device 7100 includes one or more transceivers 7103, the transceivers 7103 perform communication steps S2101 such as sending and / or receiving in the above method, and the processor 7101 performs other steps.

[0336] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0337] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 may include one or more interface circuits 7104. Optionally, the interface circuit 7104 is connected to the memory 7102, and the interface circuit 7104 can be used to receive signals from the memory 7102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 7102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 7104 can read instructions stored in the memory 7102 and send the instructions to the processor 7101.

[0338] The communication device 7100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 7100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 7100 may not be limited by FIG. 7a. The communication device may be a standalone device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0339] Figure 7b is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 7200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 7100 can be a chip or a chip system, the schematic diagram of the chip 7200 shown in Figure 7b can be referred to, but is not limited thereto.

[0340] Chip 7200 includes one or more processors 7201, which are used to perform any of the above methods.

[0341] In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more interface circuits 7202. Optionally, the interface circuit 7202 is connected to memory 7203, and the interface circuit 7202 can be used to receive signals from memory 7203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 7202 can be used to send signals to memory 7203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 7202 can read instructions stored in memory 7203 and send the instructions to processor 7201.

[0342] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 7202 performs communication steps S2101 such as sending and / or receiving in the above method, and the processor 7201 performs other steps.

[0343] In some embodiments, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0344] In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more memories 7203 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 7203 may be located outside of chip 7200.

[0345] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on the communication device 7100, cause the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0346] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 7100, causes the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0347] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The terminal receives the first reference signal sent by the network device; The terminal determines the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, and the identifier is used to determine random access information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal determines at least one reference signal resource corresponding to a second reference signal; Different reference signals in the at least one second reference signal correspond to different reference signal resources; or, The different reference signals in the at least one second reference signal correspond to different port information of the same reference signal resource.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least two of the second reference signals occupy the same symbol.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The reference signal resources are determined based on the configuration of the network devices; and / or, The reference signal resources are determined based on a protocol.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB); and / or, The second reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one second reference signal includes one or more second reference signals associated with the first reference signal.

7. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal determines the first random access information corresponding to the second reference signal based on the first mapping relationship and / or the terminal type; The first mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal; The terminal performs a random access process based on the first random access information.

8. The method of claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal determines the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal based on the second mapping relationship; The second mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal; The second random access information is used to determine the first random access information, which is a subset of the second random access information.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The terminal type is the first type.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, If the difference between the measurement results of at least two second reference signals that occupy the same symbol but occupy different frequency domain resources is greater than or equal to a threshold, the terminal type is the first type.

11. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal determines the second random access information corresponding to the first reference signal based on the second mapping relationship and / or the terminal type; The second mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal; The terminal performs a random access process based on the second random access information.

12. The method according to claim 7 or 11, characterized in that, The terminal type is the second type.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, If the difference between the measurement results of at least two second reference signals that occupy the same symbol but different frequency domain resources is less than a threshold, the terminal type is the second type.

14. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Random access information includes at least one of random access channel timing (RO) and random access preamble; The random access information determined for the first type of terminal and the second type of terminal differs from at least one of them.

15. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal is determined using at least one of the following methods: Determined based on the agreement; Determined based on the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) sent by the network device; Determined based on the control resource set; Determined based on downlink control information (DCI); Determined based on system messages sent by network devices.

16. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal includes at least one of the following: On at least one symbol occupied by the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; At the nearest empty symbol of the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; at the Nth symbol before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where N is a positive integer; Within M time slots before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where M is a positive integer.

17. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different symbols; and / or, The first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different frequency domain resources.

18. The method according to any one of claims 7-13, characterized in that, The mapping relationship is determined based on the network device configuration; and / or, the mapping relationship is determined based on the protocol. The mapping relationship includes at least one of the first mapping relationship and the second mapping relationship.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. The first reference signal is used to determine the identifier of the first reference signal, and the identifier is used to determine random access information.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device configures reference signal resources for the terminal, and the reference signal resources correspond to at least one second reference signal; Different reference signals in the at least one second reference signal correspond to different reference signal resources; or, The different reference signals in the at least one second reference signal correspond to different port information of the same reference signal resource.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, At least two of the at least one second reference signal occupy the same symbol.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB); and / or, The second reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal.

23. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The at least one second reference signal includes one or more second reference signals associated with the first reference signal.

24. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device configures a mapping relationship to the terminal. The mapping relationship includes at least one of a first mapping relationship and a second mapping relationship. The first mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the second reference signal, and the second mapping relationship is used to indicate the random access information corresponding to the first reference signal.

25. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal is determined using at least one of the following methods: Determined based on the agreement; Determined by the network device.

26. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The time-domain location of the reference signal resource corresponding to the second reference signal includes at least one of the following: On at least one symbol occupied by the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; On the nearest empty symbol of the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal; At the Nth symbol before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where N is a positive integer; Within M time slots before or after the first reference signal associated with the second reference signal, where M is a positive integer.

27. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different symbols; and / or, The first reference signal and the second reference signal occupy different frequency domain resources.

28. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal, the first reference signal being used to determine the identifier of the first reference signal, and the identifier being used to determine random access information; The terminal receives a first reference signal sent by the network device; The terminal determines the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, and the identifier is used to determine random access information.

29. A terminal, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to receive the first reference signal sent by the network device; The processing module is configured to determine the identifier of the first reference signal based on the first reference signal, the identifier being used to determine random access information.

30. A network device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to send a first reference signal to the terminal. The first reference signal is used to determine the identifier of the first reference signal, and the identifier is used to determine random access information.

31. A terminal, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The processor is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-18.

32. A network device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The processor is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 19-28.

33. A communication system, characterized in that, include: A terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1-18, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 19-28.

34. A storage medium, characterized in that, include: The storage medium stores instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-18 or 19-28.

35. A program product, characterized in that, include: A computer program, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-18 or 19-28.

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