Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and a communication device, and the method relates to the field of communication. The method can be applied to a random access scene. In the method, a terminal device measures the quality of N synchronization signal block (SSB) beams, the N SSB beams include a first SSB beam, a second SSB beam and a third SSB beam, the first SSB beam is the SSB beam with the best quality in the N SSB beams, and the second SSB beam and the third SSB beam are adjacent to the first SSB beam in space; and Msg1 is sent to a network device according to the repetition numbers of M transmission beams, the repetition numbers of the M transmission beams are determined according to the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam and first information, and the first information is used for indicating the target repetition number of the terminal device for repeatedly sending Msg1. The method can improve the success rate of random access and reduce wireless resource waste.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] During random access, the terminal device initiates its initial connection with the network device by sending Msg1. The transmission of Msg1 is fundamental to the normal progress of subsequent communication processes; therefore, the success rate of Msg1 transmission is crucial and directly affects the success rate of random access.

[0003] In related technologies, to improve the transmission success rate of Msg1, terminal devices are allowed to repeatedly transmit Msg1 using the same or different transmit beams during multiple consecutive random access opportunities. Network devices improve the decoding success rate of Msg1 by combining the signal energy received multiple times, thereby enhancing uplink coverage. However, when terminal devices repeatedly transmit Msg1 using different transmit beams, the indiscriminate allocation of resources to all transmit beams can easily lead to a waste of wireless resources. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and a communication device, which can reduce the waste of wireless resources while improving the success rate of random access.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This application does not limit this approach. The following description uses a terminal device as an example.

[0006] The method includes: measuring the quality of N synchronization signal block (SSB) beams, wherein the N SSB beams include a first SSB beam, a second SSB beam, and a third SSB beam, the first SSB beam being the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams, and the second and third SSB beams being spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam; and sending a random access preamble message to a network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to M transmission beams, wherein the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams are determined based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam, and first information, the first information being used to indicate the target repetition count for the terminal device to repeatedly send the random access preamble message.

[0007] The above technical solution delineates high-value beam ranges for terminal devices. When allocating the repetition counts for M transmit beams, it focuses on the beam directions corresponding to the three types of SSB beams: the optimal beam (first SSB beam), the second-best beam (second SSB beam), and the next-best beam (third SSB beam). Instead of focusing solely on the optimal SSB beam, it uses the three types of SSB beams, which reflect the spatial location of the terminal device, to jointly determine the repetition counts for each of the M transmit beams. By analyzing the relative quality relationships among the first, second, and third SSB beams, the terminal device can infer their spatial location. This helps to concentrate transmit energy in a limited number of spatial directions with the highest success probability, improving the success rate of random access while reducing the waste of wireless resources.

[0008] Combining the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is obtained by non-uniformly distributing the number of repetitions of the target.

[0009] The above technical solution distributes the target repetition count unevenly among the M transmission beams and allocates resources differently to the M transmission beams. This helps to allocate more repetition counts to the transmission beams with a higher probability of successfully transmitting Msg1 and fewer repetition counts to the transmission beams with a lower probability of successfully transmitting Msg1, thereby tilting resources toward the transmission beams with a high probability of successfully transmitting Msg1.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect and the above implementation, in some possible implementations, the first information is further used to indicate the first threshold and the second threshold. The method further includes: determining a first deviation between the quality of the first SSB beam and the quality of the second SSB beam; determining a second deviation between the quality of the second SSB beam and the quality of the third SSB beam; and determining the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmission beams respectively based on the first deviation, the first threshold, the second deviation, and the second threshold.

[0011] The relationship between the first deviation and the first threshold in the above technical solution can reflect whether the first SSB beam (i.e., the optimal SSB beam) has a dominant advantage over the second SSB beam (i.e., the suboptimal SSB beam) (i.e., whether the quality of the first SSB beam is significantly superior to that of the second SSB beam). The relationship between the second deviation and the second threshold can reflect whether the terminal device is biased towards the direction of the second SSB beam within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam. Thus, based on the relationship between the first deviation and the first threshold and the relationship between the second deviation and the second threshold, the spatial location of the terminal device can be reasonably inferred, which facilitates the reasonable allocation of repetition times based on the spatial location.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, determining the repetition number corresponding to each of the M transmission beams based on the first deviation and the first threshold, the second deviation and the second threshold, includes: when the first deviation is greater than the first threshold, and / or the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, determining the repetition number corresponding to each of the M transmission beams is based on a non-uniform distribution of the target repetition number; when the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, determining the repetition number corresponding to each of the M transmission beams is based on a uniform distribution of the target repetition number.

[0013] In the above technical solution, if the first deviation is greater than a first threshold and / or the second deviation is greater than a second threshold, it can be assumed that the spatial location of the terminal device is not within the overlapping range of the coverage areas of the first, second, and third SSB beams, but rather within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam with a certain bias, such as biased towards the coverage area of ​​the second SSB beam or biased towards the center direction of the first SSB beam. This bias means that the probability of the terminal device's Msg1 being successfully received by the network device is non-uniform in different spatial directions. Therefore, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmission beams is obtained based on the non-uniform distribution of the target repetition number to maximize the probability of the network device successfully receiving Msg1 and avoid unnecessary resource consumption. If the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, the spatial location of the terminal device can be considered to be within the overlapping range of the coverage areas of the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, and the third SSB beam, without any bias. This means that the probability of the terminal device's Msg1 being successfully received by the network device is uniform in different spatial directions. Therefore, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmission beams is obtained based on the uniform distribution of the target number of repetitions. This ensures that, under the premise that the target number of repetitions is certain, the repetition resources are evenly distributed to the M transmission beams with the same success rate for transmitting Msg1, thereby effectively improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission.

[0014] Combining the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, the M transmission beams include a first transmission beam and a second transmission beam. The first transmission beam corresponds to a first narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the second transmission beam corresponds to a second narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the first narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the second narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam. When the first deviation is greater than a first threshold and the second deviation is greater than a second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the first transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the second transmission beam.

[0015] The above technical solution, when the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, can be considered that the spatial position of the terminal device is within the coverage range of the first SSB beam and biased towards the coverage range of the second SSB beam. For the first transmit beam corresponding to the first narrow beam (whose direction is closer to the direction of the second SSB beam), more repetitions are allocated, and for the second transmit beam corresponding to the second narrow beam (whose direction is away from the direction of the second SSB beam), fewer repetitions are allocated. This realizes that the repetition resources are tilted towards the first transmit beam that can transmit Msg1 with a high success rate. While improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission, it reduces the resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0016] Combining the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, the M transmission beams include a third transmission beam and a fourth transmission beam. The third transmission beam corresponds to the third narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the fourth transmission beam corresponds to the fourth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the third narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the fourth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam. When the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the third transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the fourth transmission beam.

[0017] The above technical solution, when the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, can be considered that the spatial position of the terminal device is within the coverage range of the first SSB beam, but not biased towards the coverage range of the second or third SSB beam. For the third narrow beam (whose direction is close to the center direction of the first SSB beam), more repetitions are allocated to the third transmission beam, and for the fourth narrow beam (whose direction is far from the center direction of the first SSB beam), fewer repetitions are allocated to the fourth transmission beam. This achieves the tilting of repetition resources towards the third transmission beam that can transmit Msg1 with a high success rate, thereby improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission and reducing the resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0018] Combining the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, the M transmit beams include a fifth transmit beam and a sixth transmit beam. The fifth transmit beam corresponds to the fifth narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the sixth transmit beam corresponds to the sixth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the fifth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the sixth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam, or the difference between the azimuth angle of the fifth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the sixth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam. When the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the fifth transmit beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the sixth transmit beam.

[0019] The above technical solution, when the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, can be considered that the spatial position of the terminal device is within the overlapping range between the coverage areas of the first SSB beam and the second SSB beam. For the fifth narrow beam (whose direction is close to the center direction of the first SSB beam or close to the direction of the second SSB beam), more repetitions are allocated to the fifth transmission beam, so that the repetition resources are tilted towards the fifth transmission beam that can transmit Msg1 with a high success rate. While improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission, the resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning is reduced.

[0020] Combining the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, the first information is carried in the SIB1 message during the initial random access process.

[0021] The above technical solution takes into account that during the initial random access process, the terminal device typically receives a System Information Block (SIB1) message before sending Msg1 to obtain basic configuration parameters related to cell access. Therefore, by including the first information in the SIB1 message, the terminal device can obtain complete first information promptly at the initial access stage, without requiring additional signaling interaction, which facilitates a rapid completion of the initial random access process.

[0022] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This application does not limit this approach. The following description uses a terminal device as an example.

[0023] The method includes: measuring the quality of N synchronization signal block (SSB) beams, wherein the N SSB beams include a first SSB beam, which is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams; and, if the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold, sending a random access preamble message to the network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to M transmission beams, wherein the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams are determined based on the first SSB beam and first information, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to repeatedly send the random access preamble message a target number of times.

[0024] The above technical solution indicates that the terminal device is currently in a scenario with weak beam correspondence capability when the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold. In this scenario, the repetition counts for each of the M transmit beams are determined based on the first SSB beam and the first information, enabling the terminal to escape the inefficient mode of blindly scanning all candidate transmit beams with equal probability. Specifically, the terminal device allocates target repetition counts to the M transmit beams differently based on the first SSB beam and the target repetition count. This helps to prioritize limited access opportunities in spatial directions with relatively higher success probabilities, increasing the probability of the network device successfully receiving and parsing Msg1. At the same time, it effectively avoids increased access latency and exacerbated preamble resource conflicts caused by a large number of invalid attempts. Ultimately, in scenarios with weak beam correspondence capability, it collaboratively improves the random access success rate and optimizes the efficiency of wireless resource utilization.

[0025] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the M transmit beams include a seventh transmit beam and an eighth transmit beam. The seventh transmit beam corresponds to the seventh narrow beam in the target SSB beam, and the eighth transmit beam corresponds to the eighth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The target SSB beam is any one of the N SSB beams. When the difference between the azimuth angle of the seventh narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the eighth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam, the number of repetitions corresponding to the seventh transmit beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the eighth transmit beam.

[0026] The above technical solution assumes that the terminal device is in a scenario with weak beam correspondence capability when the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold. Regardless of which target SSB beam is randomly selected, when allocating repetition counts, more repetition counts are allocated to the seventh transmission beam corresponding to the seventh narrow beam (whose direction is close to that of the first SSB beam) in the target SSB beam. This tilts the repetition count resources toward the seventh transmission beam that can transmit Msg1 with a high success rate, thereby improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission and reducing the resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0027] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this. The following description uses a network device (such as a satellite) as an example.

[0028] The method includes: receiving a random access preamble message from a terminal device, wherein the random access preamble message is sent by the terminal device to the network device according to the repetition number corresponding to M transmit beams respectively, the repetition number corresponding to the M transmit beams is determined by the terminal device according to a first SSB beam, a second SSB beam, a third SSB beam and first information, the first information is used to indicate the target repetition number of times the terminal device repeatedly sends the random access preamble message, the first SSB beam is the SSB beam with the best quality among N SSB beams measured by the terminal device, and the second SSB beam and the third SSB beam are spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam.

[0029] The third aspect is the implementation on the network device side, which corresponds to the first aspect. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first aspect also apply to the third aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0030] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this. The following description uses a network device (such as a satellite) as an example.

[0031] The method includes: receiving a random access preamble message from a terminal device. The random access preamble message is sent by the terminal device to the network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to M transmission beams when the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold. The repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams are determined based on the first SSB beam and first information. The first information is used to indicate the target repetition count of the random access preamble message to be repeatedly sent by the terminal device. The first SSB beam is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams measured by the terminal device.

[0032] The fourth aspect is the implementation on the network device side, which corresponds to the second aspect. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the second aspect also apply to the fourth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0033] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a communication unit and a processing unit, the communication unit and the processing unit cooperating with each other to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the terminal device described in the first or second aspect above. These functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the aforementioned functions.

[0034] Sixthly, a communication device is provided, comprising a communication unit and a processing unit, the communication unit and the processing unit cooperating with each other to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the network device described in the third or fourth aspect above. These functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the aforementioned functions.

[0035] The fifth and sixth aspects are the implementation on the device side corresponding to the first, second, third, and fourth aspects. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first, second, third, and fourth aspects also apply to the fifth and sixth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0036] A seventh aspect provides a communication device including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0037] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0038] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0039] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the third aspect or the method in the fourth aspect. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0040] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0041] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a satellite. When the communication device is a chip configured in a satellite, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0042] A ninth aspect provides a processor, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute a method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0043] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0044] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory, receive signals via a receiver, and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0045] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0046] Eleventhly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform a method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0047] In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0048] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the methods in any of the above aspects or any possible implementations of the above aspects to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0049] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0050] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned terminal device and network device. Optionally, the communication system may further include other devices that communicate with the terminal device and / or the network device. The communication system can be used to perform the following method: the terminal device measures the quality of N synchronization signal block (SSB) beams, the N SSB beams including a first SSB beam, a second SSB beam, and a third SSB beam, the first SSB beam being the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams, and the second and third SSB beams being spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam; the terminal device sends a random access preamble message to the network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to M transmission beams, the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams being determined based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam, and first information, the first information being used to indicate a target number of repetitions for the terminal device to repeatedly send the random access preamble message; the network device receives the random access preamble message from the terminal device. For example, the communication system can be used to perform the following method: a terminal device is used to measure the quality of N synchronization signal block (SSB) beams, the N SSB beams including a first SSB beam, which is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams; the terminal device is used to send a random access preamble message to a network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to M transmission beams, when the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold, the terminal device being used to send a random access preamble message to a network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams, the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams being determined according to the first SSB beam and first information, the first information being used to indicate the target repetition count of the random access preamble message to be repeatedly sent by the terminal device; the network device is used to receive the random access preamble message from the terminal device. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 used in an embodiment of this application.

[0052] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a contention-based random access process is shown.

[0053] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 300 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a scenario where a terminal device measures the RSRP of multiple SSB beams, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0055] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a narrow beam in a first SSB beam provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0056] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0057] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a UE allocating the number of repetitions of the transmit beam, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0058] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 800 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0059] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of repetition allocation when selecting the SSB0 beam as the target SSB beam, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0060] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of repetition allocation when selecting the SSB1 beam as the target SSB beam, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0061] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of repetition allocation when selecting the SSB2 beam as the target SSB beam, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0062] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0063] Figure 13 This is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0064] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0065] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) systems, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink communication systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, or new radio access technology (NR). Among these, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networking. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit the scope of these applications.

[0066] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 used in an embodiment of this application. The communication system 100 may include network devices, such as... Figure 1 The network device 110 is shown. The communication system 100 may also include terminal devices, such as... Figure 1 The terminal device 120 is shown. The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 can communicate via a wireless link.

[0067] Figure 1 An exemplary network device 110 and a terminal device 120 are shown. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include multiple network devices and / or multiple terminal devices.

[0068] The network equipment in this application can be network-side equipment such as access network equipment and core network equipment. Access network equipment is sometimes also called access node. Access network equipment has wireless transceiver capabilities and is used to communicate with terminals. Access network equipment includes, but is not limited to, base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), transmission reception points (TRPs) in the above-mentioned communication systems, next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) in 5G mobile communication systems, access network equipment or modules of access network equipment in open RAN (ORAN) systems, satellites in NTN communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access nodes in WiFi systems. Access network equipment can also be modules or units that can implement some of the functions of a base station. Access network equipment can be macro base stations, micro base stations or indoor stations, relay nodes or donor nodes, or wireless controllers in cloud radioaccess network (CRAN) scenarios. Optionally, access network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, or vehicle-mounted equipment, etc. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). Multiple access network devices in a communication system can be base stations of the same type or different types. Base stations can communicate with terminals directly or via relay stations. Terminals can communicate with multiple base stations using different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the access network equipment. In this application, the access network equipment is referred to as a network device.

[0069] In this application, the means for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself, or a means capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system. This means can be installed in or connected to the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the example of a network device being used to implement the functions of a network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0070] The terminal device in this application can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device providing voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For example, the terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, or satellite communication, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, aircraft (such as drone, helicopter, airplane), hot air balloon, ship, robot, robotic arm, or smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the form of the terminal device.

[0071] In this application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or any apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing those functions, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system. This apparatus can be installed in or connected to the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the example of a terminal device being used to implement the functions of a terminal device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0072] Access network equipment and / or terminal equipment can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the application scenarios of the access network equipment and terminal equipment. They can be deployed in the same or different scenarios; for example, both can be deployed on land simultaneously; or the access network equipment can be deployed on land while the terminal equipment is deployed on water, etc., and so on.

[0073] In practical applications, multiple network devices can collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different network devices each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, network devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0074] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, and RU can implement different protocol layer functions.

[0075] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terminology used in this application will be briefly explained first. Optionally, the explanation of some terms may also refer to the explanations in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard protocol.

[0076] 1. Beam

[0077] A beam is a communication resource. A beam can be wide, narrow, or other types. The technology used to form a beam can be beamforming or other techniques. Beamforming technology can specifically be digital beamforming, analog beamforming, or hybrid digital / analog beamforming. Different beams can be considered different resources. The same information or different information can be transmitted through different beams.

[0078] Optionally, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics can be considered as a single beam. A beam may include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, and detection signals, etc. For example, a transmit beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted through an antenna, and a receive beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of the wireless signal received from the antenna. It is understood that one or more antenna ports forming a beam can also be considered as a set of antenna ports.

[0079] Beams can be divided into transmit and receive beams of network devices, and transmit and receive beams of terminals. The transmit beam of a network device describes the beamforming information transmitted by the network device, and the receive beam describes the beamforming information received by the network device. Similarly, the transmit beam of a terminal describes the beamforming information transmitted by the terminal, and the receive beam describes the beamforming information received by the terminal; in other words, beams are used to describe beamforming information. Beams can correspond to time resources and / or spatial resources and / or frequency domain resources.

[0080] Alternatively, the beam can also correspond to a reference signal resource or to beamforming information.

[0081] Optionally, the beam can also correspond to information associated with the reference signal resources of the network device.

[0082] Furthermore, the beam can also be represented in the protocol as a spatial domain filter, or a spatial filter, or a spatial domain parameter, spatial parameter, spatial domain setting, spatial setting, or quasi co-location (QCL) information, etc. The beam can be indicated by a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state parameter or a spatial relation parameter. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, the beam can also be replaced by spatial domain filter, spatial filter, spatial parameter, spatial parameter, spatial setting, spatial setting, QCL information, TCI-state, or spatial relation, etc. The above terms are also equivalent to each other. The beam in this application can also be replaced with other beam-related terms, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0083] In this embodiment, the direction of the beam can refer to either the edge direction or the center direction. The direction of beam a being biased towards / closer to beam b can mean that the difference between the azimuth angles of beam a and beam b is small. The direction of beam a being away from / not biased towards beam b can mean that the difference between the azimuth angles of beam a and beam b is large. For example, if the difference between the azimuth angles of beam a and beam b is less than the difference between the azimuth angles of beam c and beam b, then it can be considered that, compared to beam c, the direction of beam a is biased towards / closer to the direction of beam b; and compared to beam a, the direction of beam c is away from / not biased towards the direction of beam b.

[0084] For clarity, the following statements regarding the direction of beam a (biased towards / closer to the direction of beam b) can be simplified to "beam a is biased towards / closer to beam b". Similarly, the statement "beam a is away from / not biased towards the direction of beam b" can be simplified to "beam a is away from / not biased towards beam b". The "direction of beam a" can be understood from the context as the center direction of beam a, or it can be a specific edge direction of beam a. Beam a and beam b can be any type of beam as described in this document, such as, but not limited to: the terminal's transmit beam, an SSB beam, or a narrow beam subdivided from a wide beam.

[0085] 2. Synchronization signal block (SSB)

[0086] SSB refers to the physical signal structure used for downlink synchronization, comprising the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and physical broadcast channel (PBCH). It supports terminal equipment in time-frequency synchronization, cell search, initial access, and beam measurement. In actual deployment, a cell can be configured with multiple SSBs, transmitted in different beam directions or time-frequency locations. Each SSB has a unique index; SSB1 is the SSB with index 1. SSB1 refers to the first SSB among multiple SSBs (i.e., the SSB with index 1, abbreviated as SSB1), used for initial access or measurement reference in a specific beam direction.

[0087] In the following embodiments of this application, the beam used to transmit SSB is referred to as the SSB beam. For example, the SSB beam can be represented by an SSB index, QCL information, TCI-state, or spatial relationship, etc.

[0088] 3. Reference signal received power (RSRP)

[0089] RSRP is used to characterize downlink signal strength and radio channel quality. Terminal equipment can obtain the RSRP of the downlink signal through power measurement. The downlink signal includes, but is not limited to: channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), cell specific reference signal (CS-RS), user equipment specific reference signal (US-RS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0090] 4. Contention-based random access procedure

[0091] The random access procedure is the communication process by which a terminal device initiates a connection request to the base station through a random access channel when establishing a wireless connection with a network device, in order to obtain uplink synchronization, resource allocation, and a temporary identifier. A contention-based random access procedure can be called a four-step random access procedure. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a contention-based random access process is shown.

[0092] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, the process 200 may include the following steps S21 to S24:

[0093] S21: The terminal device sends a random access preamble message (Msg1) to the network device, and the network device receives the random access preamble message from the terminal device.

[0094] The terminal device transmits Msg1 to the network device on the physical random access channel (PRACH). Msg1 includes a randomly selected random access preamble identifier (RA). The terminal device intends to transmit Msg1 in the direction of the network device's uplink receive beam. For example, the terminal device directs Msg1 through its transmit beam in the direction of that uplink receive beam so that the network device can receive the preamble.

[0095] S22: The network device sends a random access response message (Msg2) to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the random access response message from the network device.

[0096] After receiving the preamble, the network device will send a random access response message (Msg2) on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). This Msg2 contains the temporary cell-radio network temporary identifier (TC-RNTI), the random access preamble identifier (RA), the timing advance (TA), and the initial uplink grant.

[0097] S23: The terminal device sends an uplink scheduling message (Scheduled UL transmission, Msg3) to the network device, and the corresponding network device receives the uplink scheduling message from the terminal device.

[0098] After sending Msg1, the terminal device waits for Msg2 from the network device in the Msg2 listening window.

[0099] If the RA-preamble identifier contained in Msg2 received by the terminal device is the same as the RA-preamble identifier in the sent Msg1, it indicates a successful response, and the terminal device then sends uplink scheduling information.

[0100] If the terminal does not receive Msg2 within the listening window of Msg2, or if the RA-preamble identifier in the received Msg2 is different from the RA-preamble identifier in the sent Msg1, the response fails. In this case, if the number of random access attempts is less than the upper limit, the terminal device will re-initiate random access; otherwise, random access will fail.

[0101] The terminal device uses the initial uplink grant obtained in S22 to send Msg3 on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0102] S24: The network device sends a contention resolution message (Msg4) to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the contention resolution message from the network device.

[0103] Msg4 resolves contention and conflicts that arise when multiple UEs attempt to access the same random access resource and the same random access preamble.

[0104] 5. Number of repetitions

[0105] The repetition count refers to the number of times the same message is repeatedly transmitted during data transmission to enhance signal coverage. In this application, the repetition count specifically refers to the number of times Msg1 is repeatedly transmitted, which can also be understood as the number of times the terminal device continuously transmits Msg1.

[0106] It should be understood that the technical terms used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and not as limiting. For example, as technology evolves, technical terms may also change, and other technical terms that have the same technical meaning should also apply to this application.

[0107] As can be seen from the above process 200, the terminal device initiates the initial connection with the network device by sending Msg1. The transmission of Msg1 is fundamental to the normal progress of subsequent communication processes; therefore, the success rate of Msg1 transmission is crucial. To improve the success rate of Msg1 transmission, relevant standardization work has evolved and proposed the following technical solutions:

[0108] The Rel-18 project proposed a "repeated transmit beam" scheme, which allows terminal devices to use the same transmit beam to repeatedly transmit Msg1 on multiple consecutive random access occasions (ROs). Network devices improve the decoding success rate of Msg1 by combining the signal energy from multiple receptions, thereby enhancing uplink coverage. However, the performance of this scheme is highly dependent on the accuracy of the initial transmit beam selected by the terminal device. If the beam direction selected by the terminal device is not optimal, it is necessary to compensate by increasing the transmit power or increasing the number of retries, leading to increased power consumption, increased access latency, and potentially wasted radio resources.

[0109] To overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, the Rel-20 project further proposed a "repetition of different transmit beams" scheme. This scheme allows terminal devices to use multiple different transmit beams for frequency-sweeping transmission, thus covering a wider spatial direction. The current protocol only stipulates in principle that "terminals autonomously decide beam selection, subject to necessary constraints," but two key gaps exist: first, the specific rules for "necessary constraints" are not defined; second, it does not clarify how network devices actively configure beam reuse by terminals. This forces terminal devices to potentially adopt a blind scanning method in practice, attempting all possible beams, significantly increasing access latency and exacerbating access conflicts due to the increased use of preamble resources.

[0110] In a typical implementation within the Rel-20 framework, the terminal device selects the highest quality SSB beam among those with quality exceeding a threshold and, by default, assigns an equal number of Msg1 repetitions to the multiple transmit beams associated with that SSB beam. This method focuses only on the highest quality SSB beam and fails to adequately consider the specific spatial characteristics of the terminal (e.g., whether it is located at the center or edge of the SSB beam coverage area). Indiscriminate resource allocation to all transmit beams can easily lead to insufficient resource allocation for directions with high success probability and excessive resource allocation for directions with low success probability, resulting in a waste of radio resources.

[0111] In view of this, this application provides a communication method that delineates a high-value beam range for the UE and focuses on the beam directions corresponding to three types of SSB beams: the optimal beam (first SSB beam), the second optimal beam (second SSB beam), and the third optimal beam (second-third SSB beam). Instead of focusing solely on the optimal SSB beam, this method determines the repetition counts for each of the M transmit beams based on the three types of SSB beams that reflect the spatial location characteristics of the UE. This approach helps to improve the success rate of random access while reducing the waste of radio resources.

[0112] The solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the corresponding flowcharts. It is understood that the illustrative flowcharts provided in this application primarily use different devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) as examples of the execution subjects of this interactive illustration to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustrations. For example, the devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) in the illustrative flowcharts can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the implementation of this method on the device, or logic modules or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the device.

[0113] As a general statement, the message or signaling interactions involved in the interaction process of this application embodiment can be standard messages or signaling or newly introduced messages or signaling. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0114] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 300 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 3 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 Any terminal device in the context of network equipment can refer to any component within that terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Network equipment can be... Figure 1 Any access network device, or a component within an access network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Figure 3 As shown, the method 300 includes the following steps:

[0115] S31, the terminal device measures the quality of N SSB beams, including a first SSB beam, a second SSB beam, and a third SSB beam. The first SSB beam is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams, and the second and third SSB beams are spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam.

[0116] Specifically, the current cell where the terminal device is located is typically configured with multiple SSB beams to cover different directions. Before sending Msg1, the terminal device can perform beam quality measurements on all detectable SSB beams (i.e., N SSB beams) within the current cell, obtaining the quality measurement values ​​of the N SSB beams. Then, the terminal device sorts the quality measurement values ​​of the N SSB beams from highest to lowest, selects the SSB beam with the best beam quality as the first SSB beam, and then selects the two SSB beams that are spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam as the second and third SSB beams, respectively.

[0117] The aforementioned spatial adjacency refers to the fact that the main lobes of two SSB beams are close to each other in the azimuth dimension during beamforming design of a base station antenna array. For example, if a network device transmits SSB0, SSB1, SSB2, and SSB3 beams sequentially at azimuth angles of 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°, then SSB0 and SSB2 beams are spatially adjacent to SSB1 beam.

[0118] For example, two SSB beams spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam can be determined based on the continuity of the SSB index or beam associations pre-broadcast by the network device. For instance, if the index of the first SSB beam is k, then the indices of the second and third SSB beams are k-1 and k+1, respectively.

[0119] The quality of the SSB beam can be understood as a comprehensive measure of the signal strength and purity of the SSB beam, reflecting the downlink status in the direction of the SSB beam. The higher the quality of the SSB beam, the better the reception conditions of the terminal device in the direction of the SSB beam.

[0120] Optionally, the quality of the SSB beam can be represented by RSRP, which reflects the signal strength of the SSB beam itself and is relatively less affected by interference.

[0121] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a scenario where a terminal device measures the RSRP of multiple SSB beams, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0122] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, terminal device 120 measures the RSRP (denoted as ) of the SSB0 beam transmitted by network device 110. RSRP of SSB1 beam (denoted as) RSRP of SSB2 beam (denoted as) RSRP of SSB3 beam (denoted as) ).pass Figure 4 It can be seen > This indicates that although terminal device 120 is within the coverage area of ​​SSB1 beam, its spatial location is more biased towards the coverage area of ​​SSB0 beam. Terminal device 120 may not be able to measure the RSRP of SSB3 beam, or the RSRP of SSB3 beam may be very small.

[0123] Alternatively, the quality of the SSB beam can also be represented by the signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) or the reference signal received quality (RSRQ).

[0124] Optionally, the quality of the SSB beam can also be determined comprehensively based on RSRP, SINR, and RSRQ. For example, the terminal device converts the RSRP, SINR, and RSRQ of each SSB beam into a first score value, a second score value, and a third score value, respectively, according to a predefined mapping relationship. Subsequently, the first score value, second score value, and third score value of each SSB beam are weighted according to preset weights to obtain the comprehensive score of the SSB beam. Finally, the SSB beam with the highest comprehensive score is determined as the first SSB beam.

[0125] S32, the terminal device sends a random access preamble message to the network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams, and the network device receives the random access preamble message from the terminal device. The repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams are determined based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam, and the first information, which is used to indicate the target repetition count for the terminal device to repeatedly send the random access preamble message.

[0126] The target repetition count refers to the total number of times the terminal device repeatedly sends the random access preamble message Msg1. The sum of the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams equals the target repetition count. In other words, the terminal device allocates this target repetition count to its M transmission beams, ensuring that each of the M beams has its own repetition count. The specific value of the target repetition count can be configured by the network device or agreed upon by the protocol; for example, the target repetition count could be 8, but other values ​​are also possible. This embodiment does not impose specific limitations on this. The M transmission beams are used to send Msg1. For example, if transmission beam 1 among the M transmission beams corresponds to a repetition count of 4, then the terminal device sends Msg1 4 times through transmission beam 1.

[0127] The first information can be used to indicate information related to the number of repetitions of the target allocation. For example, the first information can be used to indicate the target repetition count, meaning that the information related to the number of repetitions of the target allocation includes the target repetition count. In the following text, the first information can also be used to indicate a first threshold Th1 and a second threshold Th2, meaning that the information related to the number of repetitions of the target allocation also includes the first threshold Th1 and the second threshold Th2.

[0128] Optionally, the first information can be configured by the network device, for example, the network device can send the first information to the terminal device.

[0129] Optionally, the first information can also be preset in the terminal device or agreed upon by the protocol.

[0130] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, implicit instruction, etc. When describing a certain information instruction A, it can be understood as the information carrying A, carrying the identifier of A, carrying B which is associated with A, carrying the identifier of B which is associated with A, etc. In other words, if the receiving side of a certain information can determine A based on the information, it can be described as the information indicating A, and the specific method of determination is not limited. When it is understood that the information carries A, "instruction" can be replaced with "includes". In this case, a statement like "sending / receiving a certain information, the certain information indicates A" can be replaced with "sending / receiving a certain information, the certain information includes A". For example, the above "the first information is used to indicate information related to the number of repetitions of the allocation target" can be replaced with "the first information includes information related to the number of repetitions of the allocation target".

[0131] When the terminal device determines that the quality of the first SSB beam is greater than or equal to a preset quality threshold, the terminal device determines the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmit beams based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam, and the first information. The specific value of this preset quality threshold can be configured by the network device, pre-set in the terminal device, or agreed upon by the protocol. Combining beam reciprocity, the terminal device can select the corresponding M transmit beams based on the M narrow beams in the first SSB beam, meaning there is a one-to-one correspondence between the M narrow beams and the M transmit beams. Here, the M narrow beams can also be called M downlink narrow beams, and the M transmit beams can also be called M uplink transmit beams. M is an integer greater than 1. The number M of narrow beams contained in an SBB beam is generally 4 or 8. The specific value of M can be configured by the network device or agreed upon by the protocol; this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0132] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a narrow beam in a first SSB beam provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0133] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the spatial location of the terminal device 120 is within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam. The first SSB beam includes four narrow beams: narrow beam 0, narrow beam 1, narrow beam 2, and narrow beam 3. Narrow beam 0 is biased towards the SSB0 beam, narrow beams 1 and 2 are more biased towards the SSB1 beam, and narrow beam 3 is biased towards the SSB2 beam. Based on beam reciprocity, the terminal device determines the transmit beam 0 corresponding to narrow beam 0, the transmit beam 1 corresponding to narrow beam 1, the transmit beam 2 corresponding to narrow beam 2, and the transmit beam 3 corresponding to narrow beam 3, ultimately determining the four transmit beams corresponding to the four narrow beams.

[0134] Furthermore, the quality of the first SSB beam is represented by RSRP, and the preset quality threshold is the preset RSRP threshold. When the terminal device determines that the RSRP of the first SSB beam is greater than or equal to the preset RSRP threshold, the terminal device determines the repetition number corresponding to each of the M transmission beams based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam and the first information.

[0135] Optionally, the terminal device can determine its spatial location based on the quality of the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, and the third SSB beam. Based on this spatial location, the target repetition count is assigned to the M transmit beams, resulting in the repetition count for each of the M transmit beams. This spatial location refers to the relative orientation of the terminal device with respect to the coverage areas of the multiple SSB beams (the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, and the third SSB beam).

[0136] In some embodiments, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmission beams is obtained by non-uniformly distributing the target number of repetitions. The principle of non-uniform distribution is as follows: more repetitions are allocated to transmission beams corresponding to spatial directions with a higher probability of being successfully received by the network device (i.e., transmission beams with a higher probability of successfully transmitting Msg1), and fewer repetitions are allocated to transmission beams corresponding to spatial directions with a lower probability of being successfully received by the network device (i.e., transmission beams with a lower probability of successfully transmitting Msg1).

[0137] Optionally, the terminal device may differentiate the number of repetitions of Msg1 for the M transmitted beams based on the aforementioned spatial location, so as to achieve a non-uniform distribution of the number of repetitions of the target.

[0138] Optionally, the spatial location is determined as follows: the terminal device determines a first deviation between the quality of the first SSB beam and the quality of the second SSB beam, determines a second deviation between the quality of the second SSB beam and the quality of the third SSB beam, and determines the spatial location of the terminal device based on the first deviation and a first threshold, the second deviation and the second threshold. Here, the quality can be the aforementioned quality measurement value, the first deviation is the deviation between the quality measurement values ​​of the first SSB beam and the second SSB beam, and the second deviation is the deviation between the quality measurement values ​​of the second SSB beam and the third SSB beam.

[0139] The first deviation reflects the difference in quality between the first and second SSB beams, while the second deviation reflects the difference in quality between the second and third SSB beams. The first and second deviations can be calculated using various methods, including:

[0140] Calculation method 1: Obtain the first deviation and the second deviation through subtraction. The first deviation = the quality of the first SSB beam - the quality of the second SSB beam, and the second deviation = the quality of the second SSB beam - the quality of the third SSB beam.

[0141] Calculation method 2: The first deviation and the second deviation are obtained by division. The first deviation = the quality of the first SSB beam / the quality of the second SSB beam, and the second deviation = the quality of the second SSB beam / the quality of the third SSB beam.

[0142] It should be noted that the above two calculation methods are merely examples for ease of understanding and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In specific implementations, any mathematical or logical operation method that can reasonably characterize quality differences can be applied, such as squared error, logarithmic ratio, normalized difference, etc.

[0143] The first threshold is defined as a quality deviation threshold between the first SSB beam and the second SSB beam. This first threshold is used to confirm the dominance of the first SSB beam. If the first deviation is greater than the first threshold, it indicates that the dominance of the first SSB beam is strong, meaning that the quality of the first SSB beam significantly outperforms the quality of the second SSB beam. If the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold, it indicates that the dominance of the first SSB beam is weak, meaning that the quality of the first SSB beam does not significantly outperform the quality of the second SSB beam.

[0144] The second threshold is defined as a quality deviation threshold between the second and third SSB beams. This second threshold is used to further determine which adjacent beam the UE prefers within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam. If the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, it indicates that the UE prefers the second SSB beam within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam. If the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, it indicates that the UE does not significantly prefer the coverage area of ​​either the second or third SSB beam within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam.

[0145] Optionally, the first threshold and the second threshold can be configured by the network device, or can be preset in the terminal device, or can be agreed upon by the protocol. This embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0146] The quality of the first SSB beam is expressed below. The quality of the second SSB beam is expressed as follows: The quality of the third SSB beam is expressed as follows: The first threshold is denoted as Th1, the second threshold is denoted as Th2, and the first deviation... Second deviation Taking this as an example, we will explain how to determine the spatial location of a terminal device:

[0147] when and Therefore, the spatial location of the UE can be considered to be within the coverage area of ​​the SSB1 beam and biased towards the coverage area of ​​the SSB0 beam.

[0148] when and Therefore, the UE's spatial location can be considered to be within the coverage area of ​​the SSB1 beam, but not biased towards the coverage area of ​​the SSB0 or ​​SSB2 beams.

[0149] when and Therefore, the spatial location of the UE can be considered to be within the overlap range between the coverage areas of the SSB1 beam and the SSB0 beam.

[0150] when and Therefore, the spatial location of the UE can be considered to be within the overlapping range of the coverage areas of the SSB0, SSB1 and SSB2 beams.

[0151] When the UE's spatial location is within the coverage area of ​​the SSB1 beam but biased towards the coverage area of ​​the SSB0 beam, the number of repetitions can be increased for the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam within the SSB1 beam biased towards the SSB0 beam when allocating repetition counts. In other words, transmitting Msg1 via the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam within the SSB1 beam biased towards the SSB0 beam increases the likelihood of the network device successfully receiving Msg1, thus allocating more repetition counts. Conversely, transmitting Msg1 via the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam within the SSB1 beam far from the SSB0 beam decreases the likelihood of the network device successfully receiving Msg1, thus allocating fewer repetition counts.

[0152] When the UE's spatial location is within the coverage area of ​​the SSB1 beam, but not biased towards the coverage area of ​​the SSB0 or ​​SSB2 beam, the repetition frequency of the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam biased towards the center direction of the SSB1 beam can be increased.

[0153] In other words, transmitting Msg1 via the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam offset from the center of the SSB1 beam increases the likelihood of successful reception by the network device, thus allowing for a higher number of repetitions. Conversely, transmitting Msg1 via the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam offset from the center of the SSB1 beam decreases the likelihood of successful reception, thus allowing for a lower number of repetitions.

[0154] When the UE's spatial location is within the overlapping area of ​​the SSB1 and SSB0 beams, the repetition frequency of the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams in the SSB1 beam that are biased towards the SSB0 and SSB0 beams can be increased. In other words, by transmitting Msg1 through the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams in the SSB1 beam that are biased towards the SSB1 and SSB0 beams, the network device has a higher probability of successfully receiving Msg1, thus allowing for a greater number of repetitions.

[0155] When the UE's spatial location is within the overlapping area of ​​the coverage of the SSB0, SSB1 and SSB2 beams, Msg1 is transmitted through the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams in the SSB1 beam. The probability of the network device successfully receiving Msg1 is basically the same, so the number of repetitions of the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams in the SSB1 beam can be averaged.

[0156] After determining the repetition counts for each of the M transmit beams, the terminal device sends Msg1 to the network device according to the repetition count for each transmit beam. For example, if transmit beam A is allocated 4 repetitions, the terminal device can send Msg1 to the network device through transmit beam A on all 4 consecutive ROs. If transmit beam B is allocated 2 repetitions, the terminal device can send Msg1 to the network device through transmit beam B on both consecutive ROs. If transmit beam C is allocated 0 repetitions, the terminal device can send Msg1 to the network device without using transmit beam C.

[0157] In this embodiment, by expanding the decision-making criteria from a single optimal SSB beam to the optimal SSB beam and its two adjacent SSB beams, an efficient resource allocation strategy is provided for the terminal. Traditional solutions focus only on the optimal SSB beam, which may lead to inefficient uplink transmission due to inaccurate beam direction determination; omnidirectional blind scanning introduces unnecessary latency and collisions. This embodiment effectively avoids these two extremes: by analyzing the relative quality relationships (e.g., the difference in RSRP) among the first, second, and third SSB beams, the terminal can infer whether it is located in the central region of the optimal SSB beam or significantly biased towards the edge of its suboptimal or second-to-last optimal SSB beam. Based on this spatial location awareness, the terminal can implement a non-uniform allocation strategy when allocating a limited number of target repetitions. For example, when the spatial location is determined to be biased towards the direction of the second SSB beam, more repetitions are allocated to the transmission beam pointing in that direction. This method essentially utilizes readily available downlink measurement information to concentrate transmission energy in a limited number of spatial directions with the highest success probability. Therefore, without increasing total transmission resources or relying on complex network signaling guidance, it can improve the robustness of initial access compared to blind scanning, and compared to average allocation or single beam strategy, it can more effectively reduce the waste of radio resources caused by trying low-probability directions, achieving a better balance between the probability of successful random access and resource efficiency.

[0158] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 6 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 Any terminal device in the context of network equipment can refer to any component within that terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Network equipment can be... Figure 1 Any access network device, or a component within an access network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Figure 6 As shown, the method 600 includes the following steps:

[0159] S61, the network device sends first information to the terminal device, and the corresponding terminal device receives the first information from the network device, which is used to indicate the target repetition number, the first threshold, and the second threshold.

[0160] In one possible approach, the first information is carried in a target message sent by the network device to the terminal device, which is a message whose transmission time is before Msg1 during the initial random access process.

[0161] Optionally, the target message is the SIB1 message during the initial random access process; that is, the first information is carried in the SIB1 message during the initial random access process. Specifically, when the network device sends the SIB1 message to the terminal device, it can carry this first information in the SIB1 message. Correspondingly, after receiving the SIB1 message sent by the network device, the terminal device can parse the first information from the SIB1 message. During the initial random access process, the terminal device usually receives System Information Block 1 (SIB1) before sending Msg1 to obtain basic configuration parameters related to cell access. Based on this, carrying the first information in the SIB1 message allows the terminal device to obtain complete first information in a timely manner at the beginning of access, without the need for additional signaling interaction, which is conducive to quickly completing the initial random access process.

[0162] If the first and second thresholds are configured by the network device, the network device encapsulates the first and second thresholds in the "PRACH configuration information element" of the SIB1 message and broadcasts them without initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection for a single UE; all UEs accessing the cell can receive them. If the first and second thresholds are configured autonomously by the UE, each UE can configure them according to its actual situation; no restrictions are imposed here.

[0163] The target repetition count, the first threshold, and the second threshold indicated by the first information can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method 300, and will not be repeated here to avoid repetition.

[0164] It should be noted that step S61 is optional. If the first information is preset in the terminal device, step S61 is not required.

[0165] S62, the terminal device measures the quality of N SSB beams, including a first SSB beam, a second SSB beam, and a third SSB beam. The first SSB beam is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams, and the second and third SSB beams are spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam.

[0166] The implementation method of S62 is the same as that of S31 above. Please refer to the relevant introduction of S31 above. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0167] S63, the terminal equipment determines a first deviation between the quality of the first SSB beam and the quality of the second SSB beam, and determines a second deviation between the quality of the second SSB beam and the quality of the third SSB beam.

[0168] The implementation method for determining the first deviation and the second deviation involved in S63 has been introduced in the above method 300. Please refer to the relevant introduction in the above method 300. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0169] S64, the terminal device determines the repetition count for each of the M transmitted beams based on the first deviation and the first threshold, the second deviation and the second threshold. The sum of the repetition counts for each of the M transmitted beams equals the target repetition count.

[0170] Since there are multiple combinations of the magnitude relationships between the first deviation and the first threshold, and between the second deviation and the second threshold, different combinations correspond to different spatial locations of the terminal device. Therefore, a corresponding repetition frequency allocation strategy is set for different combinations. Based on this, the implementation of S64 includes the following cases 1 and 2:

[0171] Case 1: When the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and / or the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is determined based on the non-uniform distribution of the target repetition count.

[0172] If the first deviation is greater than the first threshold, and / or the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, it indicates that the spatial location of the terminal device is not within the overlapping area of ​​the coverage of the first, second, and third SSB beams, but rather within the coverage of the first SSB beam with a certain bias, such as biased towards the coverage of the second SSB beam or biased towards the center direction of the first SSB beam. This bias means that the probability of the terminal device's Msg1 being successfully received by the network device is non-uniform in different spatial directions. Therefore, the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams are obtained based on the non-uniform allocation of the target repetition count. Transmission beams in high-probability directions are allocated more repetition counts to maximize the possibility of the network device successfully receiving Msg1; at the same time, fewer or even zero repetition counts are allocated to transmission beams in low-probability directions to avoid unnecessary resource consumption. This ensures that, given a fixed target repetition count, repetition count resources are concentrated on transmission beams with a higher success rate for transmitting Msg1, thereby improving the Msg1 transmission success rate while reducing the resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0173] Case 1 can be further divided into cases 1-1 to 1-3 as follows:

[0174] Case 1-1: When the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the first transmitted beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the second transmitted beam.

[0175] The aforementioned M transmit beams include a first transmit beam and a second transmit beam. According to beam reciprocity, the first transmit beam corresponds to the first narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the second transmit beam corresponds to the second narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the first narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the second narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam. That is, the direction of the first narrow beam is closer to the direction of the second SSB beam, and the direction of the second narrow beam is farther from the direction of the second SSB beam. Therefore, comparatively, transmitting Msg1 via the first transmit beam corresponding to the first narrow beam increases the probability of the network device successfully receiving Msg1, while transmitting Msg1 via the second transmit beam corresponding to the second narrow beam decreases the probability of the network device successfully receiving Msg1. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to the first transmit beam is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to the second transmit beam.

[0176] To facilitate understanding of situation 1-1 above, the following will be combined with... Figure 7 Explanation:

[0177] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a UE allocating the number of repetitions of the transmit beam, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0178] exist Figure 7 In the example shown, the terminal device measures the RSRP (denoted as ) of the SSB0 beam. RSRP of SSB1 beam (denoted as) RSRP of SSB2 beam (denoted as) RSRP of SSB3 beam (denoted as) The preset quality threshold can be the preset RSRP threshold (denoted as RSRP-Threshold). Figure 7 It can be seen that: > >RSRP-Threshold> Therefore, the first SSB beam is SSB1, the second SSB beam is SSB0, and the third SSB beam is SSB2. First deviation Second deviation .

[0179] when Th1 and In Th2, the UE determines that the transmission of Msg1 can preferentially use the transmission beams corresponding to the narrow beams within the SSB1 beamwidth and spatially directed more towards the SSB0 beam direction, and allocate more repetitions to these transmission beams. Here, the SSB1 beamwidth can also be described as the coverage area of ​​the SSB1 beam.

[0180] like Figure 7 As shown, the SSB1 beam includes four narrow beams, numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3 sequentially from the direction closest to the SSB0 beam. Narrow beam 0 is biased towards the SSB0 beam, narrow beam 3 towards the SSB2 beam, and narrow beams 1 and 2 are biased even more towards the SSB1 beam. Each narrow beam corresponds to a transmit beam; for example, narrow beam 0 corresponds to transmit beam 0, narrow beam 1 to transmit beam 1, narrow beam 2 to transmit beam 2, and narrow beam 3 to transmit beam 3. Assuming the target repeats 8 times, when... Th1 and When Th2 is configured, the number of repetitions corresponding to the four transmit beams is (2,4,2,0).

[0181] In one scenario, the first narrow beam is... Figure 7 The narrow beam 0 in the middle, the second narrow beam is Figure 7 Narrow beam 3 in the diagram has two transmission beams: the first transmission beam is the same as the transmission beam 0 corresponding to narrow beam 0, and the second transmission beam is the same as the transmission beam 3 corresponding to narrow beam 3. Narrow beams 0 and 3 are directed towards the two outer edge regions within the coverage area of ​​the SSB1 beam, respectively. The difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 0 and the azimuth angle of the SSB0 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 3 and the azimuth angle of the SSB0 beam. In other words, compared to narrow beam 3, the direction of narrow beam 0 is closer to the direction of the SSB0 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 0 (e.g., 2 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 3 (e.g., 0 times).

[0182] In another case, the first narrow beam is Figure 7 Narrow beam 1 in the middle, the second narrow beam is Figure 7Narrow beam 2 is the first transmit beam, which is the same as the transmit beam 1 corresponding to narrow beam 1, and the second transmit beam is the transmit beam 2 corresponding to narrow beam 2. The directions of narrow beams 1 and 2 point near the center direction of the SSB1 beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 1 and the azimuth angle of the SSB0 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 2 and the azimuth angle of the SSB0 beam. That is, compared to narrow beam 2, the direction of narrow beam 1 is closer to the direction of the SSB0 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 1 (e.g., 4 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 3 (e.g., 2 times).

[0183] In another scenario, the first narrow beam includes narrow beam 0 and narrow beam 1, the second narrow beam includes narrow beam 2 and narrow beam 3, the first transmit beam includes transmit beam 0 and transmit beam 1, and the second transmit beam includes transmit beam 2 and transmit beam 3. The difference between the azimuth angle of the first narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam = the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 0 and the azimuth angle of SSB0 beam + the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 1 and the azimuth angle of SSB0 beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the second narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam = the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 2 and the azimuth angle of SSB0 beam + the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 3 and the azimuth angle of SSB0 beam. The number of repetitions corresponding to the first transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the second transmission beam in that the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 0 (e.g., 2 times) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 1 (e.g., 4 times) (6 times) is greater than the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 2 (e.g., 2 times) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 3 (e.g., 0 times) (2 times).

[0184] In scenario 1-1, when the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the UE's spatial location is within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam and biased towards the coverage area of ​​the second SSB beam. A higher number of repetitions are allocated to the first transmit beam corresponding to the first narrow beam (whose direction is closer to the second SSB beam), while a lower number of repetitions are allocated to the second transmit beam corresponding to the second narrow beam (whose direction is farther from the second SSB beam). This tilts the repetition resources towards the first transmit beam, which can transmit Msg1 with a high success rate. This improves the Msg1 transmission success rate while reducing resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0185] Case 1-2: When the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the third transmitted beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the fourth transmitted beam.

[0186] The aforementioned M transmit beams include a third transmit beam and a fourth transmit beam. The third transmit beam corresponds to the third narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the fourth transmit beam corresponds to the fourth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the third narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of the fourth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam. In other words, the direction of the third narrow beam is closer to the center direction of the first SSB beam, while the direction of the fourth narrow beam is farther from the center direction of the first SSB beam. Therefore, comparatively, transmitting Msg1 via the third transmit beam corresponding to the third narrow beam increases the likelihood of the network device successfully receiving Msg1, while transmitting Msg1 via the fourth transmit beam corresponding to the fourth narrow beam decreases the likelihood of the network device successfully receiving Msg1. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to the third transmit beam is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to the fourth transmit beam.

[0187] To facilitate understanding of situations 1-2 above, the following will be combined with... Figure 7 Explanation:

[0188] In conjunction with the above text regarding Figure 7 The introduction, in Figure 7 In the example shown, the first SSB beam is SSB1, the second SSB beam is SSB0, and the third SSB beam is SSB2. First deviation Second deviation .

[0189] when and When the UE determines that Msg1's transmission can preferentially use the transmission beams corresponding to the narrow beams within the SSB1 beamwidth and spatially pointing more towards the center of the SSB1 beam, it will allocate more repetitions to these transmission beams.

[0190] like Figure 7 As shown, the SSB1 beam includes four narrow beams: narrow beam 0 corresponds to transmit beam 0, narrow beam 1 corresponds to transmit beam 1, narrow beam 2 corresponds to transmit beam 2, and narrow beam 3 corresponds to transmit beam 3. Assuming the target repeats 8 times, when... and At that time, the number of repetitions corresponding to the four transmission beams is (2, 4, 1, 1).

[0191] In one scenario, the third narrow beam is... Figure 7 The narrow beam 0 in the middle, the fourth narrow beam is Figure 7In the narrow beam 3, the first transmit beam is the transmit beam 0 corresponding to the narrow beam 0, and the second transmit beam is the transmit beam 3 corresponding to the narrow beam 3. The difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 0 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 3 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam. That is, compared with the narrow beam 3, the direction of the narrow beam 0 is closer to the center direction of the SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 0 (e.g., 2 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 3 (e.g., 1 time).

[0192] In another case, the third narrow beam is Figure 7 Narrow beam 1, the fourth narrow beam is Figure 7 In the diagram, the third transmit beam is the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam 1, and the fourth transmit beam is the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam 2. The difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 1 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 2 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam. That is, compared to narrow beam 2, the direction of narrow beam 1 is closer to the center direction of SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 1 (e.g., 4 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 2 (e.g., 1 time).

[0193] In another scenario, the third narrow beam includes narrow beam 0 and narrow beam 1, the fourth narrow beam includes narrow beam 2 and narrow beam 3, the third transmit beam includes transmit beam 0 and transmit beam 1, and the fourth transmit beam includes transmit beam 2 and transmit beam 3. The difference between the azimuth angle of the third narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam = the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 0 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam + the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 1 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the fourth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam = the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 2 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam + the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 3 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam. The number of repetitions corresponding to the third transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the fourth transmission beam because the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 0 (e.g., 2 times) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 1 (e.g., 4 times) (6 times) is greater than the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 2 (e.g., 1 time) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 3 (e.g., 1 time) (2 times).

[0194] In scenario 1-2, when the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, the UE's spatial location is within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam, but not biased towards the coverage area of ​​the second or third SSB beam. A higher number of repetitions are allocated to the third transmit beam corresponding to the third narrow beam (whose direction is close to the center direction of the first SSB beam), and a lower number of repetitions are allocated to the fourth transmit beam corresponding to the fourth narrow beam (whose direction is far from the center direction of the first SSB beam). This tilts the repetition resources towards the third transmit beam, which can transmit Msg1 with a high success rate. This improves the Msg1 transmission success rate while reducing resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0195] Cases 1-3: When the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the fifth transmitted beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the sixth transmitted beam.

[0196] Among them, the aforementioned M transmit beams include a fifth transmit beam and a sixth transmit beam. According to beam reciprocity, the fifth transmit beam corresponds to the fifth narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the sixth transmit beam corresponds to the sixth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the fifth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the sixth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam; or, the difference between the azimuth angle of the fifth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the sixth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam. In other words, the direction of the fifth narrow beam is close to the direction of the second SSB beam or close to the center direction of the first SSB beam, while the direction of the sixth narrow beam is neither close to the direction of the second SSB beam nor close to the center direction of the first SSB beam. Therefore, comparatively speaking, the network device is more likely to successfully receive Msg1 if it transmits Msg1 through the fifth transmit beam corresponding to the fifth narrow beam, and less likely to successfully receive Msg1 if it transmits Msg1 through the sixth transmit beam corresponding to the sixth narrow beam. Thus, the number of repetitions allocated for the fifth transmit beam is greater than the number of repetitions allocated for the sixth transmit beam.

[0197] To facilitate understanding of situations 1-3 above, the following will be combined with... Figure 7 Explanation:

[0198] In conjunction with the above text regarding Figure 7 The introduction, in Figure 7 In the example shown, the first SSB beam is SSB1, the second SSB beam is SSB0, and the third SSB beam is SSB2. First deviation Second deviation .

[0199] when and The UE determines that the transmission of Msg1 can preferentially use the transmission beams corresponding to the narrow beams within the SSB1 beamwidth and spatially pointing more towards the center of the SSB1 beam, as well as the transmission beams corresponding to the narrow beams spatially pointing more towards the SSB0 beam, and allocate more repetitions to these transmission beams.

[0200] like Figure 7 As shown, the SSB1 beam includes four narrow beams: narrow beam 0 corresponds to transmit beam 0, narrow beam 1 corresponds to transmit beam 1, narrow beam 2 corresponds to transmit beam 2, and narrow beam 3 corresponds to transmit beam 3. Assuming the target repeats 8 times, when... and At that time, the number of repetitions corresponding to the four transmission beams is (3,3,2,0).

[0201] In one scenario, the fifth narrow beam is... Figure 7 The narrow beam 0 in the middle, the sixth narrow beam is Figure 7 In the diagram, the fifth transmit beam is the transmit beam 0 corresponding to the narrow beam 0, and the sixth transmit beam is the transmit beam 3 corresponding to the narrow beam 3. The difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 0 and the azimuth angle of the SSB0 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 3 and the azimuth angle of the SSB0 beam. That is, compared to the narrow beam 3, the direction of the narrow beam 0 is closer to the direction of the SSB0 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 0 (e.g., 3 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 3 (e.g., 0 times).

[0202] In another case, the fifth narrow beam is Figure 7 Narrow beam 1, the sixth narrow beam is Figure 7 In the diagram, the fifth transmit beam is the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam 1, and the sixth transmit beam is the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam 2. The difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 1 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 2 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam. That is, compared to narrow beam 2, the direction of narrow beam 1 is closer to the center direction of SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 1 (e.g., 3 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 3 (e.g., 2 times).

[0203] when and When the UE's spatial location is within the overlap range between the coverage areas of the SSB1 and SSB0 beams, the number of repetitions assigned to transmit beam 0 and transmit beam 1 can be the same. The narrow beam 0 corresponding to transmit beam 0 is biased towards the direction of the SSB0 beam, and the narrow beam 2 corresponding to transmit beam 2 is biased towards the direction of the SSB1 beam.

[0204] In scenarios 1-3, when the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the spatial location of the UE is within the overlapping range between the coverage areas of the first SSB beam and the second SSB beam. For the fifth narrow beam (whose direction is close to the center direction of the first SSB beam or close to the center direction of the second SSB beam), more repetitions are allocated to the fifth transmit beam. This tilts the repetition resources toward the fifth transmit beam that can transmit Msg1 with a high success rate, thereby improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission and reducing the resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0205] Case 2: When the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is determined based on the uniform distribution of the target repetitions.

[0206] If the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, it indicates that the UE's spatial location is within the overlapping area of ​​the coverage of the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, and the third SSB beam. In this case, Msg1 is transmitted via the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams in the first SSB beam. The probability of the network device successfully receiving Msg1 is basically the same, therefore the average number of repetitions of the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams in the first SSB beam can be calculated. For example, if the first SSB beam includes 4 narrow beams and the target repetition count is 8, when... and When configured, the number of repetitions corresponding to the 4 transmit beams is (2,2,2,2).

[0207] In scenario 2, the spatial location of the terminal device lies within the overlapping area of ​​the coverage of the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, and the third SSB beam, without any bias. This means that the probability of the terminal device's Msg1 being successfully received by the network device is uniform in different spatial directions. Therefore, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmission beams is obtained based on the uniform distribution of the target number of repetitions. This ensures that, given a fixed target number of repetitions, the repetition resources are evenly distributed to the M transmission beams with the same success rate for transmitting Msg1, thereby effectively improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission.

[0208] For example, in such Figure 7 In the scenario shown, the first SSB beam is SSB1, the second SSB beam is SSB0, and the third SSB beam is SSB2. First deviation. Second deviation The number of repetitions for the four transmitted beams (numbered 0, 1, 2, 3) under different conditions for the first and second deviations can be found in Table 1 below:

[0209] Table 1

[0210]

[0211] S65, the terminal device sends a random access preamble message to the network device according to the repetition number corresponding to each of the M transmit beams, and the network device receives the random access preamble message from the terminal device.

[0212] The implementation method of the terminal device sending the random access preamble message Msg1 to the network device according to the repetition number corresponding to the M transmission beams in S65 can be found in the relevant introduction of S32 above, and will not be repeated here to avoid repetition.

[0213] In the above embodiments, combined with Figure 3 and Figure 6 The described communication method can meet the requirements of scenarios with strong beam correspondence capability. Strong beam correspondence capability means that the quality of the first SSB beam measured by the terminal device is greater than or equal to a preset quality threshold. However, in actual network deployments, especially in scenarios at the cell edge, in non-line-of-sight propagation environments, or in scenarios composed of low-cost terminal devices with limited hardware capabilities, the terminal device may face scenarios with weak beam correspondence capability, that is, the quality of the first SSB beam measured by the terminal device is less than the preset quality threshold. According to the 3GPP protocol, when the terminal device finds that the quality of all SSB beams is not higher than the preset quality threshold, it will need to randomly select an SSB beam as the access target. In this scenario, the terminal device will be forced to repeatedly transmit Msg1 by blindly scanning all possible transmit beams within its randomly selected SSB beam frame because it cannot obtain effective beam selection guidance. This may prolong the access latency and, more importantly, exacerbate the probability of access conflicts between different terminals by unnecessarily occupying a large amount of preamble resources, failing to achieve the dual goals of improving access success rate and saving radio resources. To overcome the above limitations, the embodiments of this application further provide a method such as Figure 8 The communication method 800 shown addresses the challenge of determining a reasonable transmission beam and its repetition count within a randomly selected SSB beamframe when the terminal device is in a scenario with weak beam correspondence capability. This ensures that while improving the success rate of random access, it also reduces the waste of wireless resources caused by invalid transmissions.

[0214] Understandable. Figure 8 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1Any terminal device in the context of network equipment can refer to any component within that terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Network equipment can be... Figure 1 Any access network device, or a component within an access network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Figure 8 As shown, the method 800 includes the following steps:

[0215] S81, the terminal device measures the quality of N SSB beams, including the first SSB beam, which is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams, and the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold.

[0216] S82, the terminal device sends a random access preamble message to the network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams, and the network device receives the random access preamble message from the terminal device. The repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams are determined based on the first SSB beam and the first information, which indicates the target number of repetitions for the terminal device to repeatedly send the random access preamble message.

[0217] The method for the terminal equipment to measure the quality of N SSB beams is the same as that in S31 above, and can be found in the relevant description below S31; it will not be repeated here. The explanation of the target repetition count can be found in the relevant description below S32 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0218] Since the first SSB beam is the best-quality SSB beam measured by the terminal device, if the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold, it means that the quality of all N SSB beams measured by the terminal device is less than or equal to the preset quality threshold. Therefore, the terminal device will randomly select one of the N SSB beams as the main direction of transmission. The M transmission beams correspond one-to-one with the M narrow beams in the target SSB beam, which is the SSB beam randomly selected by the terminal device from the N SSB beams. The specific value of this preset quality threshold can be configured by the network device, preset in the terminal device, or agreed upon by the protocol.

[0219] Optionally, the first information can also be used to indicate the aforementioned preset quality threshold.

[0220] In some embodiments, the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmit beams are obtained through a non-uniform allocation of the target repetition counts. For example, the principle of non-uniform allocation is to allocate more repetition count resources to transmit beams that are spatially closer to the first SSB beam. That is, the repetition counts corresponding to transmit beams that are spatially closer to the first SSB beam are greater than the repetition counts corresponding to transmit beams that are spatially farther away from the first SSB beam. The first SSB beam is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams actually measured by the terminal device, such as the SSB beam with the strongest RSRP.

[0221] In this embodiment, if the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold, it indicates that the terminal device is currently in a scenario with weak beam correspondence capability. In this scenario, more repetition resources are allocated to the transmission beam that is closer in spatial direction to the first SSB beam with the strongest actual RSRP. Transmitting Msg1 through the transmission beam that is closer in direction to the first SSB beam with the strongest actual RSRP has a higher success rate. Therefore, this allocation of repetitions is beneficial to improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission while reducing the resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0222] In some embodiments, the M transmit beams include a seventh transmit beam and an eighth transmit beam. The seventh transmit beam corresponds to the seventh narrow beam in the target SSB beam, and the eighth transmit beam corresponds to the eighth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The target SSB beam is any one of the N SSB beams. When the difference between the azimuth angle of the seventh narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the eighth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam, the number of repetitions corresponding to the seventh transmit beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the eighth transmit beam.

[0223] Based on beam reciprocity, the seventh transmit beam corresponds to the seventh narrow beam in the target SSB beam, and the eighth transmit beam corresponds to the eighth narrow beam in the target SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the seventh narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of the eighth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam, indicating that the direction of the seventh narrow beam is closer to the direction of the first SSB beam, while the direction of the eighth narrow beam is farther from the direction of the first SSB beam. Therefore, comparatively speaking, transmitting Msg1 through the seventh transmit beam corresponding to the seventh narrow beam increases the probability of the network device successfully receiving Msg1, while transmitting Msg1 through the eighth transmit beam corresponding to the eighth narrow beam decreases the probability of the network device successfully receiving Msg1. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated for the seventh transmit beam is greater than the number of repetitions allocated for the eighth transmit beam.

[0224] To facilitate understanding of the repetition allocation method in scenarios with weak beamforming capability, the following section combines... Figures 9 to 11 Further explanation.

[0225] exist Figures 9 to 11 In the example shown, if the quality (e.g., RSRP) of all SSB beams measured by the UE is lower than a preset quality threshold (RSRP-Threshold), the UE will randomly select the direction of one SSB beam as the main direction of the transmit beam. One SSB beam consists of four narrow beams; according to beam reciprocity, one narrow beam corresponds to one transmit beam. The randomly selected SSB beam is used as the target SSB beam. Depending on the selected target SSB beam, the final M transmit beams will also be different. These will be described in detail below:

[0226] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of repetition allocation when selecting the SSB0 beam as the target SSB beam, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0227] like Figure 9 As shown, the target SSB beam is the SSB0 beam, and the M transmit beams include the transmit beams corresponding to the four narrow beams within the SSB0 beam. The SSB1 beam has the best quality and is therefore selected as the first SSB beam. The UE determines that the transmission of Msg1 can preferentially use the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams within the SSB0 beam width and spatially oriented more towards the SSB1 beam, and allocates more repetitions to these transmit beams. The SSB0 beam width can also be described as the coverage area of ​​the SSB0 beam.

[0228] The SSB0 beam includes four narrow beams, numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3 sequentially. Narrow beams 0 and 1 are oriented away from the SSB1 beam, while narrow beams 2 and 3 are oriented towards it. Narrow beam 0 corresponds to transmit beam 0, narrow beam 1 to transmit beam 1, narrow beam 2 to transmit beam 2, and narrow beam 3 to transmit beam 3. Assuming the target repetition count is 8, the repetition counts for the four transmit beams are configured as (1, 1, 2, 4).

[0229] In one scenario, the seventh narrow beam is Figure 9 Narrow beam 2, the eighth narrow beam is Figure 9In the diagram, the seventh transmit beam is the transmit beam 2 corresponding to the narrow beam 2, and the eighth transmit beam is the transmit beam 1 corresponding to the narrow beam 1. The difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 2 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 1 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam. That is, compared to the narrow beam 1, the direction of the narrow beam 2 is closer to the direction of the SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 2 (e.g., 2 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 1 (e.g., 1 time).

[0230] In another case, the seventh narrow beam is Figure 9 Narrow beam 3, the eighth narrow beam is Figure 9 In the diagram, the seventh transmit beam is the transmit beam 3 corresponding to the narrow beam 3, and the eighth transmit beam is the transmit beam 0 corresponding to the narrow beam 0. The difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 3 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 0 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam. That is, compared to the narrow beam 0, the direction of the narrow beam 3 is closer to the direction of the SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 3 (e.g., 4 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 0 (e.g., 1 time).

[0231] In yet another case, the seventh narrow beam includes Figure 9 Narrow beams 2 and 3, and the eighth narrow beam includes Figure 9 The seventh transmit beam includes transmit beams 2 and 3, and the eighth transmit beam includes transmit beams 0 and 1. The difference between the azimuth angle of the seventh narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is equal to the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 2 and SSB1, plus the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 3 and SSB1. Similarly, the difference between the azimuth angle of the eighth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is equal to the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 0 and SSB1, plus the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 1 and SSB1. The number of repetitions corresponding to the seventh transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the eighth transmission beam because the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 2 (e.g., 2 times) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 3 (e.g., 4 times) (6 times) is greater than the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 0 (e.g., 1 time) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 1 (e.g., 1 time) (2 times).

[0232] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of repetition allocation when selecting the SSB1 beam as the target SSB beam, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0233] like Figure 10As shown, the target SSB beam is the SSB1 beam, and the M transmit beams include the transmit beams corresponding to the four narrow beams within the SSB1 beam. The SSB1 beam has the best quality and is therefore selected as the first SSB beam. The UE determines that the transmission of Msg1 can preferentially use the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams within the SSB1 beam width and spatially oriented more towards the center of the SSB1 beam, and allocates more repetitions to these transmit beams.

[0234] The SSB1 beam includes four narrow beams, numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3. Narrow beam 0 is positioned closer to the direction of the SSB0 beam, and narrow beam 3 is positioned closer to the direction of the SSB2 beam. Narrow beam 0 corresponds to transmit beam 0, narrow beam 1 to transmit beam 1, narrow beam 2 to transmit beam 2, and narrow beam 3 to transmit beam 3. Assuming the target repetition count is 8, the repetition counts corresponding to the four transmit beams are configured as (2, 4, 2, 0).

[0235] In one scenario, the seventh narrow beam is Figure 10 The narrow beam 0 in the middle, the eighth narrow beam is Figure 10 In the diagram, the seventh transmit beam is the transmit beam 0 corresponding to the narrow beam 0, and the eighth transmit beam is the transmit beam 3 corresponding to the narrow beam 3. The difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 0 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 3 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam. That is, compared to the narrow beam 3, the direction of the narrow beam 0 is closer to the center direction of the SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 0 (e.g., 2 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 3 (e.g., 0 times).

[0236] In another case, the seventh narrow beam is Figure 10 Narrow beam 1, the eighth narrow beam is Figure 10 In the diagram, the seventh transmit beam is the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam 1, and the eighth transmit beam is the transmit beam corresponding to the narrow beam 2. The difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 1 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 2 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam. That is, compared to narrow beam 2, the direction of narrow beam 1 is closer to the center direction of SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 1 (e.g., 4 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 2 (e.g., 2 times).

[0237] In yet another case, the seventh narrow beam includes Figure 10 Narrow beam 0 and narrow beam 1, the eighth narrow beam includes Figure 10The seventh transmit beam includes transmit beams 0 and 1, and the eighth transmit beam includes transmit beams 2 and 3. The difference between the azimuth angle of the seventh narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is equal to the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 0 and SSB1, plus the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 1 and SSB1. Similarly, the difference between the azimuth angle of the eighth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is equal to the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 2 and SSB1, plus the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 3 and SSB1. The number of repetitions corresponding to the seventh transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the eighth transmission beam because the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 0 (e.g., 2 times) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 1 (e.g., 4 times) (6 times) is greater than the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 2 (e.g., 0 times) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 3 (e.g., 0 times) (2 times).

[0238] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of repetition allocation when selecting the SSB2 beam as the target SSB beam, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0239] like Figure 11 As shown, the target SSB beam is the SSB2 beam, and the M transmit beams include the transmit beams corresponding to the four narrow beams in the SSB2 beam. The SSB1 beam has the best quality, so it is selected as the first SSB beam. The UE determines that the transmission of Msg1 can preferentially use the transmit beams corresponding to the narrow beams within the SSB2 beam width and spatially pointing more towards the center of the SSB1 beam, and allocates more repetitions to these transmit beams.

[0240] The SSB2 beam consists of four narrow beams, numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3. Narrow beam 0 is positioned closer to the SSB1 beam, and narrow beam 3 is positioned closer to the SSB3 beam. Narrow beam 0 corresponds to transmit beam 0, narrow beam 1 to transmit beam 1, narrow beam 2 to transmit beam 2, and narrow beam 3 to transmit beam 3. Assuming the target repetition count is 8, the repetition counts for the four transmit beams are configured as (4, 4, 0, 0).

[0241] In one scenario, the seventh narrow beam is Figure 11 The narrow beam 0 in the middle, the eighth narrow beam is Figure 11In the diagram, the seventh transmit beam is the transmit beam 0 corresponding to the narrow beam 0, and the eighth transmit beam is the transmit beam 3 corresponding to the narrow beam 3. The difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 0 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of the narrow beam 3 and the azimuth angle of the SSB1 beam. That is, compared to the narrow beam 3, the direction of the narrow beam 0 is closer to the center direction of the SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 0 (e.g., 4 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to the transmit beam 3 (e.g., 0 times).

[0242] In another case, the seventh narrow beam is Figure 11 Narrow beam 1, the eighth narrow beam is Figure 11 Narrow beam 2 is the seventh transmit beam, which is the transmit beam 1 corresponding to narrow beam 1, and the eighth transmit beam is the transmit beam 2 corresponding to narrow beam 2. The difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 1 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam is smaller than the difference between the azimuth angle of narrow beam 2 and the azimuth angle of SSB1 beam. That is, compared with narrow beam 2, the direction of narrow beam 1 is closer to the center direction of SSB1 beam. Therefore, the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 1 (e.g., 4 times) is greater than the number of repetitions allocated to transmit beam 2 (e.g., 0 times).

[0243] In yet another case, the seventh narrow beam includes Figure 11 Narrow beam 0 and narrow beam 1, the eighth narrow beam includes Figure 11 The seventh transmit beam includes transmit beams 0 and 1, and the eighth transmit beam includes transmit beams 2 and 3. The difference between the azimuth angle of the seventh narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is equal to the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 0 and SSB1, plus the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 1 and SSB1. Similarly, the difference between the azimuth angle of the eighth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is equal to the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 2 and SSB1, plus the difference between the azimuth angles of narrow beam 3 and SSB1. The number of repetitions corresponding to the seventh transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the eighth transmission beam. This means that the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 0 (e.g., 4 times) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 1 (e.g., 4 times) (8 times) is greater than the sum of the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 2 (e.g., 0 times) and the number of repetitions allocated to transmission beam 3 (e.g., 0 times) (0 times).

[0244] exist Figures 9 to 11In the example shown, the terminal device is in a scenario with weak beam correspondence capability. Regardless of which target SSB beam is randomly selected, when allocating repetition counts, more repetition counts are allocated to the seventh transmit beam corresponding to the seventh narrow beam (whose direction is close to the direction of the SSB1 beam with the strongest actual RSRP). This tilts the repetition count resources toward the seventh transmit beam that can transmit Msg1 with a high success rate, thereby improving the success rate of Msg1 transmission and reducing the resource waste caused by uniform allocation or blind scanning.

[0245] In summary, after measuring the quality of N SSB beams, the terminal device has two scenarios for allocating the repetition counts for the M transmit beams:

[0246] Scenario 1: When the quality of the first SSB beam is greater than or equal to a preset quality threshold, the terminal device determines the repetition number corresponding to each of the M transmission beams based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam, and the first information.

[0247] Furthermore, the terminal device determines a first deviation between the quality of the first SSB beam and the quality of the second SSB beam, and a second deviation between the quality of the second SSB beam and the quality of the third SSB beam; based on the first deviation and a first threshold, the second deviation and the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmission beams are determined respectively.

[0248] Furthermore, the terminal device determines its spatial location based on the first deviation and the first threshold, the second deviation and the second threshold, and determines the repetition number corresponding to each of the M transmitted beams based on the spatial location.

[0249] Furthermore, if the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, it is determined that the spatial location of the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB beam and biased towards the coverage area of ​​the second SSB beam. When configuring the repetition number corresponding to the transmission beam, the repetition number of the transmission beam biased towards the second SSB beam can be appropriately increased, thereby significantly improving the success rate and efficiency of the random access process.

[0250] Scenario 2: When the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold, the terminal device determines the repetition number corresponding to each of the M transmission beams based on the first SSB beam and the first information.

[0251] Furthermore, the terminal device determines the number of repetitions corresponding to each of the M transmitted beams based on the difference between the azimuth angles of the M narrow beams in the target SSB beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam.

[0252] Furthermore, based on the difference between the azimuth angles of the M narrow beams in the target SSB beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam, the terminal device determines the seventh narrow beam that is close to the center direction of the first SSB beam, and allocates more repetitions to the seventh transmission beam corresponding to the seventh narrow beam, thereby significantly improving the success rate and efficiency of the random access process.

[0253] It should be understood that Figures 1 to 11 The flowcharts, scene diagrams, or schematic diagrams shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the examples illustrated. In fact, those skilled in the art can interpret the embodiments based on... Figures 1 to 11 The examples in the document can be transformed into equivalent ways to obtain more implementations.

[0254] In the above embodiments, combined with Figures 1 to 11 This document describes in detail the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. The following will combine... Figures 12 to 13 The device embodiments of this application are described in detail below. It should be understood that the communication device of this application embodiment can execute the various communication methods of the foregoing embodiments of this application, that is, the specific working processes of the various products below can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0255] In the embodiments described above, the terminal device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment; the network device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, the sequence number of each step does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0256] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 As shown, the communication device 1200 may include a communication module 1220. The communication module 1220 can implement corresponding communication functions, which can be internal communication functions of the communication device 1200 or communication functions between the communication device 1200 and other devices. Optionally, the communication module 1220 may also be referred to as a communication interface or transceiver module. Optionally, the communication device 1200 further includes a processing module 1210. The processing module 1210 can implement corresponding processing functions.

[0257] Optionally, the communication device 1200 further includes a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 1210 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 1200 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0258] In one possible design, the communication device 1200 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device. The communication device 1200 may be used to execute the steps or processes performed by the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0259] For example, the communication module 1220 is used to implement Figure 3 The S31 described in the text, or, used to implement Figure 6 The S61 and S65 processes described herein, or those used to implement Figure 8 The S82 related processes are described in the text. Processing module 1210 is used to implement... Figure 3 The S31 related processes described in the document, or those used to implement... Figure 6 The related processes S62, S63, and S64 described herein, or those used to implement Figure 8 The relevant processes of S81 are described in the text.

[0260] The above are merely examples; for detailed steps or procedures, please refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments.

[0261] In one possible design, the communication device 1200 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device. The communication device 1200 can be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0262] For example, the communication module 1220 is used to implement Figure 3 The S31 described in the text, or, used to implement Figure 6 The S61 and S65 processes described herein, or those used to implement Figure 8 The relevant processes of S82 are described in the text.

[0263] Figure 13 This is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 1300 may be a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., used by a terminal device or network device to implement the above-described methods. The communication device 1300 can be used to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above-described method embodiments.

[0264] like Figure 13As shown, the communication device 1300 may include one or more processors 1310, which may also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1310 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 1300 (e.g., a base station, baseband chip, user, user chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0265] In an alternative design, the processor 1310 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 1310 to cause the communication device 1300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0266] In another alternative design, the communication device 1300 may include a communication interface 1320 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1320 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0267] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may include one or more memories 1330, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1310, causing the communication device 1300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1330 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 1310 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1310 and the memories 1330 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0268] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0269] In one implementation, the communication device 1300 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1310 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1330, and when the processor 1310 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1310 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the terminal device.

[0270] In another implementation, the communication device 1300 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiments and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the network device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1310 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1330, and when the processor 1310 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1310 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the network device.

[0271] It should be understood that the aforementioned processing device can be one or more chips. For example, the processing device can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0272] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0273] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, thereby causing the method described in the embodiments of this application to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0274] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0275] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network device and terminal device. For example, the communication system can be used to perform the following method: the terminal device is used to measure the quality of N Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) beams, the N SSB beams including a first SSB beam, a second SSB beam, and a third SSB beam, the first SSB beam being the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams, and the second and third SSB beams being spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam; the terminal device is used to send a random access preamble message to the network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to M transmission beams, the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams being determined based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam, and first information, the first information being used to indicate a target repetition count for the terminal device to repeatedly send the random access preamble message; the network device is used to receive the random access preamble message from the terminal device. For example, the communication system can be used to perform the following method: a terminal device is used to measure the quality of N synchronization signal block (SSB) beams, the N SSB beams including a first SSB beam, which is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams; the terminal device is used to send a random access preamble message to a network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to M transmission beams, when the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold, the terminal device being used to send a random access preamble message to a network device according to the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams, the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams being determined according to the first SSB beam and first information, the first information being used to indicate the target repetition count of the random access preamble message to be repeatedly sent by the terminal device; the network device is used to receive the random access preamble message from the terminal device.

[0276] For detailed steps or procedures, please refer to the description of the foregoing embodiments.

[0277] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0278] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0279] The computer-readable storage medium may be the aforementioned volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it may include both volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

[0280] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0281] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When these computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated.

[0282] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0283] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0284] In summary, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The quality of N synchronization signal block SSB beams is measured. The N SSB beams include a first SSB beam, a second SSB beam, and a third SSB beam. The first SSB beam is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams. The second SSB beam and the third SSB beam are spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam. According to the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams, a random access preamble message is sent to the network device. When the quality of the first SSB beam is greater than or equal to a preset quality threshold, the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmission beams are determined based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam, and first information. The first information is used to instruct the terminal device to repeatedly send the random access preamble message a target number of times. The first information is also used to indicate a first threshold and a second threshold, and the method further includes: Determine a first deviation between the quality of the first SSB beam and the quality of the second SSB beam, and determine a second deviation between the quality of the second SSB beam and the quality of the third SSB beam; The number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is determined based on the first deviation and the first threshold, the second deviation and the second threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is obtained by non-uniformly distributing the number of repetitions of the target.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the repetition count for each of the M transmitted beams based on the first deviation and the first threshold, the second deviation and the second threshold, includes: If the first deviation is greater than the first threshold, and / or the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is determined based on the non-uniform distribution of the target number of repetitions; When the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is determined based on the uniform distribution of the target number of repetitions.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The M transmit beams include a first transmit beam and a second transmit beam. The first transmit beam corresponds to a first narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the second transmit beam corresponds to a second narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the first narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the second narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam. When the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the first transmitted beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the second transmitted beam.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The M transmit beams include a third transmit beam and a fourth transmit beam. The third transmit beam corresponds to the third narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the fourth transmit beam corresponds to the fourth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the third narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the fourth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam. When the first deviation is greater than the first threshold and the second deviation is less than or equal to the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the third transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the fourth transmission beam.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The M transmit beams include a fifth transmit beam and a sixth transmit beam. The fifth transmit beam corresponds to the fifth narrow beam in the first SSB beam, and the sixth transmit beam corresponds to the sixth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The difference between the azimuth angle of the fifth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the sixth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the second SSB beam, or the difference between the azimuth angle of the fifth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the sixth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam. When the first deviation is less than or equal to the first threshold and the second deviation is greater than the second threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the fifth transmission beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the sixth transmission beam.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the first information from the network device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the SIB1 message during the initial random access process.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmission beams is determined based on the first SSB beam and the first information.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is obtained by non-uniformly distributing the number of repetitions of the target.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The M transmit beams include a seventh transmit beam and an eighth transmit beam. The seventh transmit beam corresponds to the seventh narrow beam in the target SSB beam, and the eighth transmit beam corresponds to the eighth narrow beam in the first SSB beam. The target SSB beam is any one of the N SSB beams. If the difference between the azimuth angle of the seventh narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam is less than the difference between the azimuth angle of the eighth narrow beam and the azimuth angle of the first SSB beam, then the number of repetitions corresponding to the seventh transmit beam is greater than the number of repetitions corresponding to the eighth transmit beam.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The terminal device receives a random access preamble message from a terminal device. The random access preamble message is sent to the network device by the terminal device according to the repetition counts corresponding to M transmit beams. When the quality of the first SSB beam is greater than or equal to a preset quality threshold, the repetition counts corresponding to the M transmit beams are determined by the terminal device based on the first SSB beam, the second SSB beam, the third SSB beam, and first information. The first information is used to indicate the target repetition count of the random access preamble message to be repeatedly sent by the terminal device. The first SSB beam is the SSB beam with the best quality among the N SSB beams measured by the terminal device. The second SSB beam and the third SSB beam are spatially adjacent to the first SSB beam. The first information is also used to indicate a first threshold and a second threshold, wherein the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmitted beams is determined by the terminal device based on a first deviation between the quality of the first SSB beam and the quality of the second SSB beam and the first threshold, and a second deviation between the quality of the second SSB beam and the quality of the third SSB beam and the second threshold.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first information is sent to the terminal device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the SIB1 message during the initial random access process.

15. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the quality of the first SSB beam is less than a preset quality threshold, the number of repetitions corresponding to the M transmission beams is determined based on the first SSB beam and the first information.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes at least one processor coupled to a memory storing a program or instructions, the processor executing the program or instructions to cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, they cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

18. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes the communication device as described in claim 16.

19. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system includes one or more processors, which are configured to retrieve and execute instructions stored in memory, such that the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15 is performed.

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