Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and a communication device, and relates to the field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB), the first SSB being associated with multiple system message blocks (SIBs); receiving a first SIB in the multiple SIBs according to the first SSB, wherein the first SSB and / or the first SIB carries first information, the first information is used for determining a first random access channel (RACH) occasion (RO) resource specific to the first SIB, and the coverage range of the first SIB is smaller than the coverage range of the first SSB; determining the first RO resource according to the first information; and sending a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource. According to the embodiment of the application, the RO resource is independently configured for the multiple SIBs associated with the SSB, or in other words, one SSB is associated with multiple RO resources, so that the terminal devices covered by different SIBs can initiate random access by using different resources, which helps to reduce the probability of random access conflict, thereby helping to improve the access capacity of the system.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] During the initial access process, the terminal device can determine the resource to initiate random access based on the received synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block or SSB). In scenarios requiring a large number of beams or SSBs for coverage, one SSB may be associated with multiple SIBs, or one SSB may be associated with multiple beams. In this case, random access conflicts are prone to occur, thus affecting the system's access capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method and a communication device, which helps to improve the access capacity of the system.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB), the first SSB being associated with a plurality of system information blocks (SIBs); receiving a first SIB from the plurality of SIBs according to the first SSB, wherein the first SSB and / or the first SIB carries first information, the first information being used to determine a first random access channel occasion (RO) resource specific to the first SIB, the coverage area of ​​the first SIB being smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB; determining the first RO resource according to the first information; and transmitting a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource.

[0005] For example, the communication method can be implemented by a terminal device or by components inside the terminal device, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0006] For example, this communication method can be applied to non-terrestrial networks (NTN) scenarios, as well as other communication scenarios, such as those requiring a large number of scanning beams or a large number of SSBs.

[0007] For example, the first RO resource specific to the first SIB can be understood as the first RO resource being configured independently for the first SIB. In other words, the RO resource is configured at the SIB level. For example, the RO resources corresponding to N SIBs are different, or at least some of the N SIBs have different RO resources.

[0008] For example, the first information may be carried in the first SIB, or in the first SSB, or partially in the first SIB and partially in the first SSB.

[0009] This application embodiment configures RO resources independently for multiple SIBs associated with an SSB, or in other words, an SSB is associated with multiple RO resources. This allows terminal devices covered by different SIBs to initiate random access using different resources, which helps reduce the probability of random access conflicts and thus helps improve the system's access capacity.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate the first RO resource; or the first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and the first information is used to indicate the RO resource corresponding to the SIB associated with the multiple SSBs.

[0011] For example, when the first information is used to indicate the first RO resource, the terminal device can determine the first RO resource corresponding to the first SIB based on the first information, without having to pay attention to the RO resources corresponding to other SIBs. This helps to reduce the indication overhead of the first information and also helps to reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0012] For example, when the first information is used to indicate the RO resources corresponding to the SIBs associated with multiple SSBs, the first information carried by the multiple SSBs or multiple SIBs is the same, which helps to reduce the processing complexity on the network side. In addition, when the location of the terminal device changes, such as when the SIB covering the terminal device changes from the first SIB to the second SIB, the terminal device does not need to receive the SIB message again (i.e., it does not need to receive the second SIB) and can determine the RO resources corresponding to the second SIB based on the first information.

[0013] In some embodiments, determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: determining the first RO resource from a plurality of RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and a first mapping rule; wherein the first mapping rule includes mapping a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell to a plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to SIB identifiers, and the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell include the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0014] By directly mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to the RO resources of the first cell, the mapping rules are simple and easy to implement.

[0015] In some embodiments, determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: determining the first RO resource from multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and a second mapping rule; wherein the second mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier, and the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0016] The mapping relationship between SIBs and RO resources is determined by jointly using the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier. In other words, compared to related technologies, the method provided in this application modifies the input parameters of the mapping rules, resulting in minor changes to existing protocols.

[0017] In some embodiments, determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from a plurality of RO resources of the first cell; determining the first RO resource from the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB based on the first information and a third mapping rule; wherein the third mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the SIB identifier.

[0018] In other words, there are two levels of mapping in the above scheme. The first level of mapping is the mapping between SSB and RO resources, and the second level of mapping is the mapping between SIB and RO resources in the RO resources corresponding to SSB.

[0019] For example, the mapping between SSB and RO resources can follow the methods in related technologies to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol.

[0020] In some embodiments, the RO resources within a mapping period satisfy at least one mapping of a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, the remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell correspond to a portion of the SIBs associated with the first cell, or the remaining resources are not used for the transmission of the RACH.

[0021] For example, the remaining resources mentioned above may not be used for RACH transmission, but rather for the transmission of other uplink information, thereby helping to ensure access fairness for terminal devices covered by different SIBs.

[0022] For example, the remaining resources mentioned above can correspond to some of the SIBs among the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell. That is, the remaining resources can continue to be mapped to SIBs for RACH transmission, which helps to improve access capacity.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB, wherein the contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB are different.

[0024] The different contention-based preambles associated with the first SSB help the network side determine the SSB corresponding to the terminal device based on the received preamble.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifier of the first SIB, or the first information includes the identifier of the first SIB and the mapping ratio between the SIB and RO resources.

[0026] After determining the mapping relationship between multiple SIBs and RO resources in the first cell, the first RO resource can be determined based on the identifier of the first SIB.

[0027] For example, each SIB associated with the first SSB can be mapped to an RO, which helps reduce the complexity of the system.

[0028] For example, the first information may include the mapping ratio between SIB and RO resources, which may include one-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping, or many-to-one mapping. Configuring multiple mapping ratios helps improve the flexibility of the system; for example, different mapping ratios can be configured in different scenarios or for different user needs.

[0029] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: transmitting a first synchronization signal block (SSB), the first SSB being associated with a plurality of system message blocks (SIBs); transmitting a first SSB among the plurality of SIBs, wherein the first SSB and / or the first SIB carries first information, the first information being used to determine a first random access channel timing (RO) resource specific to the first SIB, the coverage area of ​​the first SIB being smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB; and receiving a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource.

[0030] For example, the communication method can be implemented by a network device or by components within the network device, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0031] For example, the first information may be carried in the first SIB, or in the first SSB, or partially in the first SIB and partially in the first SSB.

[0032] This application embodiment configures RO resources independently for multiple SIBs associated with an SSB, or in other words, an SSB is associated with multiple RO resources. This allows terminal devices covered by different SIBs to initiate random access using different resources, which helps reduce the probability of random access conflicts and thus helps improve the system's access capacity.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate the first RO resource; or the first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB, and the first information is used to indicate the corresponding RO resource in the SIB associated with the plurality of SSBs.

[0034] For example, when the first information is used to indicate the first RO resource, the terminal device can determine the first RO resource corresponding to the first SIB based on the first information, without having to pay attention to the RO resources corresponding to other SIBs. This helps to reduce the indication overhead of the first information and also helps to reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0035] For example, when the first information is used to indicate the RO resources corresponding to the SIBs associated with multiple SSBs, the first information carried by the multiple SSBs or multiple SIBs is the same, which helps to reduce the processing complexity on the network side. In addition, when the location of the terminal device changes, such as when the SIB covering the terminal device changes from the first SIB to the second SIB, the terminal device does not need to receive the SIB message again (i.e., it does not need to receive the second SIB) and can determine the RO resources corresponding to the second SIB based on the first information.

[0036] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the first SIB based on the first information, the first mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein the first mapping rule includes mapping a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell to a plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the SIB identifier, and the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell include the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0037] By directly mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to the RO resources of the first cell, the mapping rules are simple and easy to implement.

[0038] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the first SIB based on the first information, the second mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein the second mapping rule includes mapping a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell to a plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the identifier of the SSB and the identifier of the SIB, and the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell include the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0039] The mapping relationship between SIBs and RO resources is determined by jointly using the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier. In other words, compared to related technologies, the method provided in this application modifies the input parameters of the mapping rules, resulting in minor changes to existing protocols.

[0040] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from a plurality of RO resources of the first cell; determining the first SIB according to the first information, a third mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein the third mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the SIB identifier.

[0041] In other words, there are two levels of mapping in the above scheme. The first level of mapping is the mapping between SSB and RO resources, and the second level of mapping is the mapping between SIB and RO resources in the RO resources corresponding to SSB.

[0042] For example, the mapping between SSB and RO resources can follow the methods in related technologies to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol.

[0043] In some embodiments, the RO resources within a mapping period satisfy at least one mapping of a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, the remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell correspond to a portion of the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell, or the remaining resources are not used for the transmission of the RACH.

[0044] For example, the remaining resources mentioned above may not be used for RACH transmission, but rather for the transmission of other uplink information, thereby helping to ensure access fairness for terminal devices covered by different SIBs.

[0045] For example, the remaining resources mentioned above can correspond to some of the SIBs among the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell. That is, the remaining resources can continue to be mapped to SIBs for RACH transmission, which helps to improve access capacity.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB, wherein the contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB are different.

[0047] The different contention-based preambles associated with the first SSB help the network side determine the SSB corresponding to the terminal device based on the received preamble.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifier of the first SIB, or the first information includes the identifier of the first SSB and the mapping ratio of SIB and RO resources.

[0049] After determining the mapping relationship between multiple SIBs and RO resources in the first cell, the first RO resource can be determined based on the identifier of the first SIB.

[0050] For example, each SIB associated with the first SSB can be mapped to an RO, which helps reduce the complexity of the system.

[0051] For example, the first information may include the mapping ratio between SIB and RO resources, which may include one-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping, or many-to-one mapping. Configuring multiple mapping ratios helps improve the flexibility of the system; for example, different mapping ratios can be configured in different scenarios or for different user needs.

[0052] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB), the first SSB being associated with multiple beams, the first SSB carrying first information, the first information being used to determine a first random access channel timing (RO) resource specific to a first beam among the multiple beams, a terminal device being located in the coverage area of ​​the first beam, the coverage area of ​​the first beam being smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB; determining the first RO resource based on the first information; and transmitting a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource.

[0053] For example, the communication method can be implemented by a terminal device or by components inside the terminal device, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0054] For example, this communication method can be applied to NTN scenarios, as well as other communication scenarios, such as those requiring a large number of scanning beams or a large number of SSBs.

[0055] For example, the first RO resource specific to the first beam can be understood as the first RO resource being configured independently for the first beam. In other words, the RO resource is configured at the beam level. For example, the RO resources corresponding to N beams are different, or at least some of the N beams correspond to different RO resources.

[0056] For example, the first information may be carried in the first beam, or in the first SSB, or partially in the first beam and partially in the first SSB.

[0057] This application embodiment configures RO resources independently for multiple beams associated with an SSB, or in other words, associates one SSB with multiple RO resources. This allows terminal devices covered by different beams to initiate random access using different resources, which helps reduce the probability of random access conflicts and thus helps improve the system's access capacity.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams, and determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: determining the first beam based on the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the location of the terminal device; and determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information.

[0059] Since the first SSB is transmitted using a wide beam, when the terminal device initiates random access after receiving the first SSB, it cannot determine which of the multiple beams associated with the first SSB covers the terminal device. Information about the coverage areas of the multiple beams indicated by the first information can assist the terminal device in determining the first beam based on the first information and its own location information.

[0060] In some embodiments, the first information indicates the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams by one or more of the following: the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; the radius of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; the arrangement of the plurality of beams; the center position of the coverage area of ​​a reference beam; or the distance between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; the angle of the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams relative to the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; wherein the reference beam is the first beam or one of the plurality of beams.

[0061] In some embodiments, a first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB, and the step of determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam according to the first information includes: determining the first RO resource from the plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the first information and a fourth mapping rule; wherein, the fourth mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of beams associated with the first cell to the plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the beam identifier, and the plurality of beams associated with the first cell include the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB.

[0062] By directly mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to the RO resources of the first cell, the mapping rules are simple and easy to implement.

[0063] In some embodiments, a first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information includes: determining the first RO resource from the multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and a fifth mapping rule; wherein the fifth mapping rule includes mapping the multiple beams associated with the first cell to the multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the beam identifier, and the multiple beams associated with the first cell include the multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

[0064] The mapping relationship between the beam and the RO resource is determined by jointly using the SSB identifier and the beam identifier. In other words, compared with related technologies, the method provided in this application modifies the input parameters of the mapping rule, with minimal changes to the existing protocol.

[0065] In some embodiments, a first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information includes: determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from the multiple RO resources of the first cell; determining the first RO resource from the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB based on the first information and a sixth mapping rule; wherein the sixth mapping rule includes mapping the multiple beams associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the beam identifier.

[0066] In other words, there are two levels of mapping in the above scheme. The first level of mapping is the mapping between SSB and RO resources, and the second level of mapping is the mapping between beam and RO resources in the RO resources corresponding to SSB.

[0067] For example, the mapping between SSB and RO resources can follow the methods in related technologies to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol.

[0068] In some embodiments, the RO resources within a mapping period satisfy at least one mapping of the plurality of beams associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, the remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell correspond to a portion of the beams in the plurality of beams associated with the first cell, or the remaining resources are not used for the transmission of the RACH.

[0069] For example, the remaining resources mentioned above may not be used for RACH transmission, but rather for the transmission of other uplink information, thereby helping to ensure access fairness for terminal devices with different beam coverage.

[0070] For example, the remaining resources can correspond to a portion of the multiple beams associated with the first cell. In other words, the remaining resources can continue to be mapped to the beams for RACH transmission, which helps to improve access capacity.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB, wherein the contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB are different.

[0072] The different preambles associated with the first SSB help the network side determine the beam corresponding to the terminal device based on the received preamble.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifier of the first beam, or the first information includes the identifier of the first beam and the mapping ratio between the beam and RO resources.

[0074] After determining the mapping relationship between multiple beams and RO resources in the first cell, the first RO resource can be identified based on the identifier of the first beam.

[0075] For example, each beam associated with the first SSB can be mapped to an RO, which helps to reduce the complexity of the system.

[0076] For example, the first information may include the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources, which may include one-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping, or many-to-one mapping, etc. Configuring multiple mapping ratios helps improve the flexibility of the system; for example, different mapping ratios can be configured in different scenarios or for different user needs.

[0077] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: transmitting a first synchronization signal block (SSB), the first SSB being associated with multiple beams, the first SSB carrying first information, the first information being used to determine a first random access channel timing (RO) resource specific to a first beam among the multiple beams, a terminal device being located in the coverage area of ​​the first beam, the coverage area of ​​the first beam being smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB; and receiving a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource.

[0078] For example, the communication method can be implemented by a network device or by components within the network device, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system.

[0079] This application embodiment configures RO resources independently for multiple beams associated with an SSB, or in other words, associates one SSB with multiple RO resources. This allows terminal devices covered by different beams to initiate random access using different resources, which helps reduce the probability of random access conflicts and thus helps improve the system's access capacity.

[0080] In some embodiments, a first cell determined based on the received first SSB is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB, and the method further includes: determining the first beam based on the first information, a fourth mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein the fourth mapping rule includes mapping a plurality of beams associated with the first cell to a plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to beam identifiers, and the plurality of beams associated with the first cell including the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB.

[0081] By directly mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to the RO resources of the first cell, the mapping rules are simple and easy to implement.

[0082] In some embodiments, a first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and the method further includes: determining the first beam based on the first information, a fifth mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein the fifth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the identifier of the SSB and the beam identifier, and the multiple beams associated with the first cell include the multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

[0083] The mapping relationship between the beam and the RO resource is determined by jointly using the SSB identifier and the beam identifier. In other words, compared with related technologies, the method provided in this application modifies the input parameters of the mapping rule, with minimal changes to the existing protocol.

[0084] In some embodiments, a first cell is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB, and the method further includes: determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from a plurality of RO resources of the first cell; determining the first beam according to the first information and a sixth mapping rule and the first RO resource; wherein the sixth mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the beam identifier.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to indicate the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams, the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams being used by the terminal device to determine the first beam.

[0086] Since the first SSB is transmitted using a wide beam, when the terminal device initiates random access after receiving the first SSB, it cannot determine which of the multiple beams associated with the first SSB covers the terminal device. Information about the coverage areas of the multiple beams indicated by the first information can assist the terminal device in determining the first beam based on the first information and its own location information.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first information indicates the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams by one or more of the following: the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; the radius of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; the arrangement of the plurality of beams; the center position of the coverage area of ​​a reference beam; or the distance between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; the angle of the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams relative to the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; wherein the reference beam is the first beam or one of the plurality of beams.

[0088] In some embodiments, the RO resources within a mapping period satisfy at least one mapping of the plurality of beams associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, the remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell correspond to a portion of the beams in the plurality of beams associated with the first cell, or the remaining resources are not used for the transmission of the RACH.

[0089] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB, wherein the contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB are different.

[0090] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifier of the first beam, or the first information includes the identifier of the first beam and the mapping ratio between the beam and RO resources.

[0091] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a unit for performing each step in any possible implementation of the first or third aspect above; or a unit for performing each step in any possible implementation of the second or fourth aspect above.

[0092] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including at least one processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions, wherein when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the methods of the first or third aspect above, or the methods of the second or fourth aspect above, are performed.

[0093] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including at least one processor and a memory coupled together, the processor and the memory storing program instructions, wherein when the program instructions stored in the memory are executed by the processor, the method of the first or third aspect above, or the method of the second or fourth aspect above, is performed.

[0094] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, the communication device including at least one processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to transmit and / or receive signals, causing the processor to perform the methods of the first or third aspect above, or to perform the methods of the second or fourth aspect above.

[0095] Ninthly, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, performs the methods of the first or third aspect above, or performs the methods of the second or fourth aspect above.

[0096] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored therein, which, when executed, performs the methods of the first or third aspect above, or performs the methods of the second or fourth aspect above.

[0097] Eleventhly, a chip is provided, comprising: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, causing a communication device equipped with the chip to perform the methods of the first or third aspect above, or to perform the methods of the second or fourth aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0098] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0099] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of the NTN architecture including transparent transmission mode satellites;

[0100] Figure 2B A schematic diagram of an NTN architecture that includes regenerable mode satellites;

[0101] Figure 2C A schematic diagram of another NTN architecture that includes regenerable mode satellites;

[0102] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating satellite coverage;

[0103] Figure 4 An example diagram showing the coverage area of ​​wide beams and narrow beams;

[0104] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the access and data transmission process based on wide and narrow beams.

[0105] Figure 6 This is another flowchart illustrating the access and data transmission process based on wide and narrow beams;

[0106] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the RO configuration in a system frame;

[0107] Figure 8 An example diagram for C2, A3, B3, and B4 leading formats;

[0108] Figure 9 Here is an example diagram of the mapping between SSB and RO;

[0109] Figure 10 Here is another example diagram of the mapping between SSB and RO;

[0110] Figure 11 A diagram illustrating the relationship between the association cycle and the PRACH configuration cycle;

[0111] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0112] Figure 13 An example diagram of RO resource configuration provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0113] Figure 14 An example diagram of a cell-level RO configuration provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0114] Figure 15 Another schematic diagram illustrating the RO resource configuration provided in this application embodiment;

[0115] Figure 16 A mapping example diagram of SIB and RO resources provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0116] Figure 17 Another example of the mapping of SIB and RO resources provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0117] Figure 18 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0118] Figure 19 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0119] Figure 20 A schematic diagram illustrating the coverage area of ​​multiple beams associated with the first SSB provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0120] Figure 21 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0121] Figure 22 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0122] Figure 23 A schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0123] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0124] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or the order of execution, and that the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0125] In the various method embodiments of this application, the order of the sequence numbers does not imply the order of execution. The execution order 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.

[0126] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "under the circumstances," "if," "when," and "if..." can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, these descriptions all refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require any judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0127] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0128] In this application embodiment, "sending information to...(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, and may include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from...(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and may include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0129] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0130] This application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5th generation (5G) systems or New Radio (NR) systems, satellite communication systems, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, and future communication systems. Exemplarily, this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

[0131] For ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 1 Taking the communication system 10 shown as an example, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0132] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 10 used in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., Figure 1 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110, may also include at least one terminal (such as...). Figure 1 RAN 100, denoted as RAN 120a-120j, is collectively referred to as RAN 120. RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 1 (Not shown in the image). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Communication system 10 may also include core network 200. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of core network equipment and RAN node. Communication system 10 may also include Internet 300.

[0133] RAN 100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radioaccess (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0134] RAN node 110 (also known as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, etc.) is used to help terminals access the communication system wirelessly. In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The RAN node can also be a macro base station (such as...) Figure 1 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1 In CRAN scenarios, RAN nodes can be 110b), relay nodes or donor nodes, or wireless controllers. Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the access network equipment can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0135] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), or radio units (RUs). Here, the CU can perform the functions of the base station's radio resource control protocol and PDCP, as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU can perform the functions of the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as within 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). CUs can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane (CP) and CU-user plane (UP).

[0136] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). Similarly, a CU-CP can be called an O-CU-CP, a CU-UP can be called an O-CU-UP, and an RU can be called an O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples in its embodiments.

[0137] All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node may also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node may also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form used in the RAN node.

[0138] Terminal 120 is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. The terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, user device, and terminal device, etc. Terminal 120 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0139] For example, terminal 120 can be an Internet of Things (IoT) device (e.g., a sensor, electricity meter, water meter, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also known as a wearable smart device), a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a smart home. Wireless terminals in the home, vehicle terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, drones with drone-to-drone (UAV-to-UAV, U2U) communication capabilities, etc.

[0140] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 1 The 120i network element can be a helicopter or a drone, and it can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via the 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 The 110a and 110b in the text can be referred to as communication devices with base station functions. Figure 1 The 120a-120j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0141] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0142] For example, the core network 200 may include user plane function (UPF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, network exposure function (NEF) network elements, charging function (CHF) network elements, location management function (LMF) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, etc.

[0143] NEF (Network Element) elements are used for capability exposure, meaning they expose 3GPP network functions' services and capabilities to AF (Application Controller), and can also provide information to 3GPP network functions through AF. External, untrusted applications can access core network data through NEF elements to ensure network security. NEF elements can provide functions such as external application quality of service (QoS) capability exposure, event subscription, and AF element request distribution.

[0144] PCF network elements are used to provide policies to AMF and SMF network elements, such as QoS policies and slice selection policies.

[0145] SMF network elements can be used to select user plane network elements for terminals, redirect user plane network elements for terminals, assign Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to terminals, establish bearers (also known as sessions) between terminals and UPF network elements, modify and release sessions, and perform QoS control.

[0146] UPF network elements can be used to forward and receive data from terminals. For example, a UPF network element can receive service data from the data network and transmit it to the terminal through access network equipment; a UPF network element can also receive user data from the terminal through access network equipment and forward it to the data network. The transmission resources allocated and scheduled by the UPF network element for the terminal are managed and controlled by the SMF network element.

[0147] AMF network elements can be used to manage terminal access to the core network, such as terminal location updates, network registration, access control, terminal mobility management, and terminal attachment and detachment. When providing services for a terminal's session, AMF network elements can also provide control plane storage resources for that session to store session identifiers and the associated SMF network element identifiers.

[0148] In the future, ultra-wide coverage scenarios are likely to attract attention. Ultra-wide coverage scenarios have the following three characteristics: First, they involve long transmission distances and significant path loss, while the power of both network and terminal devices is limited. Second, network devices may be located at higher elevations, allowing the channel between the network device and the user to approach line-of-sight (LOS). Third, ultra-wide coverage scenarios require both ensuring user access across the entire coverage area and guaranteeing user performance.

[0149] Extremely wide coverage scenarios can be understood as scenarios where a single network device covers a large area. For example, ultra-wide coverage in terrestrial networks reaching tens of kilometers, or scenarios where satellites provide coverage in non-terrestrial networks. The following section introduces NTN communication scenarios.

[0150] NTN refers to a network that provides communication services using radio frequency resources on platforms such as satellites (including geostationary earth orbit (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), and low earth orbit (LEO), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or high-altitude communication platforms. Compared to terrestrial cellular networks (such as 5G), NTN networks offer wider coverage, higher path loss, greater latency, faster speeds, and lower costs. As a supplement and extension to terrestrial networks, NTN can achieve wide-area seamless coverage that wired telephone networks and terrestrial mobile communication networks cannot, effectively solving internet access problems in areas with scarce communication infrastructure. For example, by deploying a large number of satellites in low Earth orbit, seamless ground coverage can be achieved through reasonable constellation construction, and the round-trip latency of data between satellites and ground terminals is greatly reduced. Even compared to geostationary orbit satellites, deploying satellites in low Earth orbit results in lower data round-trip latency, reaching the tens of milliseconds level.

[0151] With the use of technologies such as high-frequency bands, multi-beamforming, and frequency reuse, satellite communication capabilities have been significantly improved while reducing unit broadband costs, thus meeting the demands of high-data-rate services. Compared to terrestrial 5G networks and submarine fiber optic cables, NTN also has a significant cost advantage. Modern small satellites have low R&D and manufacturing costs, and software-defined technologies can further extend the lifespan of satellites in orbit. In addition to global coverage (such as in remote areas and on ocean-going vessels), NTN can also be used in emergency relief (such as disaster monitoring and emergency communications), the Internet of Things, and high-speed mobility (such as high-speed rail and airplanes), thus attracting widespread attention from industry and academia.

[0152] With the increasing research interest in NTN, the 3GPP standards organization has also conducted standardization research on NTN, aiming to achieve NTN deployment using the NR architecture. 3GPP began its satellite-ground integration research with Release 14 (R14), discussing the role and advantages of satellites in 5G systems in TS22.261, and for the first time specifying 5G support for satellite access. In R15, the first 5G and satellite integration technology report, TR 38.811, was produced, defining eight eMBB scenarios and two mMTC scenarios, and defining the NTN channel model. R16 further studied the architecture and solutions for NR supporting NTN in TR 38.821. Based on the research results of R16, the standardization work for 5G NR supporting NTN was initiated in R17, resulting in the first version of the integration technology specification. R18 will continue with corresponding NTN enhancement research.

[0153] Because satellites are less susceptible to natural disasters or external damage, research is currently underway to use them as access network equipment (such as base stations) in mobile communication systems to provide communication services to areas such as oceans and forests. Unlike terrestrial base stations, satellites move at higher speeds relative to the ground and travel much farther, resulting in greater signal path loss when used as base stations. Current communication mechanisms designed for communication between terminal devices and terrestrial base stations cannot be directly applied to communication between terminal devices and satellite base stations.

[0154] Based on their operating modes, satellites can generally be divided into two main categories: transparent mode and regenerative mode. These two modes will be described in detail below.

[0155] Figure 2AThis is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture including a satellite in pass-through mode. In pass-through mode, the satellite only acts as a frequency converter, essentially functioning as an analog radio frequency repeater. Specifically, the satellite can replicate the NR Uu radio interface signal from the feed link (between the NTN gateway and the satellite) to the service link (between the satellite and the terminal equipment), and vice versa. The satellite radio interface on the feed link transmits the NR-Uu interface signal; that is, the satellite does not terminate the NR Uu interface signal but replicates it. The NTN gateway supports all the necessary functions for forwarding the NR-Uu interface signal. Different transmission satellites can connect to the same ground base station, such as a gNB. Optionally, the gateway can also be integrated with the base station.

[0156] Figure 2B This diagram illustrates an NTN architecture in regenerative mode. In regenerative mode, the satellite possesses some or all of the functions of a base station, such as including gNB equipment or DU on the satellite. In this architecture, the satellite acts as a base station, regenerating signals received from the ground. Specifically, NR-Uu radio interface signals are transmitted on the service link between the terminal equipment and the satellite, and satellite radio interface signals are transmitted on the feeder link between the NTN gateway and the satellite. The NG interface between the satellite and the gateway is carried on the satellite radio interface (SRI). The NG interface signal is transmitted to the NTN gateway via the SRI interface, and then forwarded by the NTN gateway to the ground-based core network equipment.

[0157] Figure 2B The diagram shows an NTN architecture where the satellite has all base station functions. If the satellite only has DU (Dedicated Utility) functions, then the NTN architecture also includes a ground CU (Command Center) unit, such as... Figure 2C As shown.

[0158] Initial access is a crucial step in the communication process. The following is an introduction to the initial access in NTN.

[0159] Generally, communication systems rely on several broadcast beams in different directions to send SSBs to users for terminal synchronization during the initial access phase. In terrestrial systems, a maximum of 8 SSBs (frequency range 1, FR1) or 64 SSBs (frequency range 2, FR2) corresponding to broadcast beams are sufficient to cover the service area of ​​a single base station. Compared to terrestrial systems, NTN systems have wider coverage, greater transmission loss, and faster mobility. For example, an NTN system with an orbital altitude of 600km can provide a service area of ​​hundreds of thousands of square kilometers for a single satellite. Therefore, the number of broadcast beams required in an NTN system may reach hundreds or even thousands.

[0160] To overcome path loss caused by transmission distance and ensure communication service quality, satellites generally use large-scale antenna arrays to provide higher array gain, but this also results in a narrower main lobe. For example, a coverage radius of 3dB bandwidth is only a few tens of kilometers, covering an area of ​​about several hundred square kilometers. For the NTN system with an orbital altitude of 600km mentioned earlier, thousands of beams would be needed to achieve seamless coverage of a single satellite's service range.

[0161] One possible approach is to broaden the beam to reduce the number of beams required to cover the service range of a single satellite. However, considering the significant transmission loss in this scenario, hundreds of beams are typically needed to achieve single-satellite coverage in order to maintain the gain level.

[0162] Therefore, satellite communication scenarios typically require a large number of scanning beams. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of satellite coverage. See also Figure 3 Satellites can provide services to terminal devices within their coverage area via beams 0 to N. The value of N can be 64, 128, 256, 512, etc. Coverage area refers to the projection range of the beam onto the Earth's surface. The beam is the main lobe of the antenna array. By adjusting the antenna weights, the base station can direct the beam in different directions, resulting in different coverage areas. The coverage area changes as the satellite moves and the weights are adjusted.

[0163] During the initial access phase, the satellite, acting as a network device, needs to scan all beams sequentially and configure random access resources for the terminal device. The random access process generally refers to the process from when the terminal device sends a random access preamble (or simply preamble) to attempt to access the network device until a basic signaling connection is established between the terminal device and the network device.

[0164] Currently, network devices can broadcast different SSBs for different communication areas. These SSBs can be distinguished by their indices. In other words, different SSB indices represent downlink synchronization signals with different beam directions, and different downlink synchronization signals can cover and serve different areas.

[0165] After receiving the SSB, the terminal device can perform timed synchronization based on the SSB. Additionally, the terminal device can determine the time-frequency location of System Information B1 (SIB1) based on the indication information in the SSB and complete SIB1 parsing. Based on the SIB1 parsing result, the terminal device can obtain cell information.

[0166] Optionally, the terminal device can detect SIB19 and resolve it based on the search space configured in SIB1. Based on the SIB19 resolution result, the terminal device can obtain the satellite's ephemeris information. It should be noted that for satellite communication systems, the terminal device needs to obtain the satellite's ephemeris information, while for terrestrial communication systems, it does not.

[0167] After obtaining cell information and / or ephemeris information, the terminal device can send a random access preamble on the corresponding uplink resources based on the configuration information and SSB index. For the network device, the received random access preamble and the uplink resources can be used to determine the area where the terminal device is located and establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0168] As discussed earlier, compared to terrestrial communication systems, single-satellite communication systems offer wider coverage and longer transmission distances. Providing services to terminal devices through extensive coverage is a significant characteristic of satellite communication systems. For satellite communication systems, overcoming signal path loss to improve coverage and ensuring stable initial access for terminal devices while reducing access latency are pressing issues that need to be addressed.

[0169] To address the aforementioned issues, related technologies have proposed initial access methods based on wide and narrow beams. To better understand this approach, a brief introduction to beams, wide beams, and narrow beams will be provided below.

[0170] In the NR protocol, beaming can be represented as a spatial domain filter, spatial parameter, spatial setting, spatial setting, quasi-colocation (QCL) information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, etc. Beaming can be indicated through Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI-state) parameters or spatial relation parameters. Therefore, in this application, beaming can be replaced by spatial filter, spatial filter, spatial parameter, spatial parameter, spatial setting, spatial setting, QCL information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, TCI-state (which may include downlink TCI-state, i.e., DL TCI-state, and uplink TCI-state, i.e. UL TCI-state), spatial relation, etc. These terms are also equivalent to each other. Beaming can also be replaced with other beaming terms, which are not limited in this application.

[0171] The beam used to transmit signals can be called the transmission beam (Tx beam), spatial domain transmission filter, spatial transmission filter, spatial domain transmission parameter, spatial transmission setting, or spatial transmission setting. The downlink transmission beam can be indicated by TCI-state.

[0172] The beam used to receive signals can be called a reception beam (Rx beam), a spatial domain reception filter, a spatial reception filter, a spatial domain reception parameter, a spatial domain reception setting, or a spatial reception setting. The uplink transmit beam can be indicated by a spatial relation, an uplink TCI-state, or a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource (indicating the transmit beam using that SRS). Therefore, the uplink beam can also be replaced by an SRS resource.

[0173] The transmitting beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted through an antenna, while the receiving beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of a wireless signal received from an antenna.

[0174] The technology used to form a beam can be beamforming technology or other technologies. Specifically, beamforming technology can be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, or hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology, etc.

[0175] Beams are generally associated with resources. For example, during beam measurement, network devices measure different beams using different resources. The terminal provides feedback on the measured resource quality, allowing the network device to determine the quality of the corresponding beam. During data transmission, beam information is also indicated through its corresponding resources. For instance, network devices use the Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) field in downlink control information (DCI) to indicate the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam information of the terminal.

[0176] 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. One or more antenna ports forming a beam can also be considered as a set of antenna ports.

[0177] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, a beam refers to the transmit beam of a network device. In beam measurement, each beam of a network device corresponds to a resource, and therefore the beam corresponding to that resource can be uniquely identified by the resource index.

[0178] Furthermore, the beam can be a wide beam, a narrow beam, or other types of beams. A wide beam can be understood as a beam with a larger coverage area, while a narrow beam can be understood as a beam with a smaller coverage area. In other words, in the same usage scenario, the coverage area of ​​a wide beam is greater than that of a narrow beam.

[0179] For example, the area covered by a wide beam is the same as, or substantially the same as, the area covered by multiple narrow beams. Figure 4 This is an example diagram showing the coverage area of ​​wide beams and narrow beams. Figure 4 Four different beams are shown. Beam A can be the wide beam mentioned earlier, while beams 0, 1, and 2 can be the narrow beams mentioned earlier. It can be seen that the coverage area of ​​beam A can be equal to the combined coverage area of ​​beams 0, 1, and 2; in other words, the area covered by beam A is essentially the same as the area covered by the combined coverage of beams 0, 1, and 2. The coverage area of ​​beam A is greater than the coverage area of ​​any one of beams 0, 1, or 2.

[0180] Based on the preceding explanation, it can be understood that although the coverage area of ​​a wide beam is larger than that of a narrow beam, the coverage gain of a narrow beam can be greater than that of a wide beam because it can concentrate energy over a smaller area. For example, the coverage gain of beams 0, 1, and 2 can all be greater than that of beam A.

[0181] The following is combined with Figure 5 and Figure 6 This paper provides an exemplary introduction to initial access schemes based on wide beam and narrow beam.

[0182] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the access and data transmission process based on wide and narrow beams. Figure 5 The method shown may include steps 1 through 3.

[0183] Step 1: The network device uses a wide beam to transmit SSB and a narrow beam to transmit system information, such as SIB1 / SIB19.

[0184] This solution is described for terminal devices within the aforementioned wide beam coverage area. Therefore, the narrow beam mentioned here can refer to a narrow beam whose coverage area overlaps with that of the wide beam; this narrow beam can also be called a regional narrow beam. Similarly, the system messages mentioned here, such as SIB1 and SIB19, can be system messages that provide services to terminal devices within the aforementioned SSB coverage area; these system messages can also be called regional system messages.

[0185] After receiving an SSB, the terminal device can determine the narrow beam search space based on the SSB and receive SIB1 / SIB19 within that search space. Furthermore, the terminal device can initiate a PRACH to the network device based on the parsing results of the system messages.

[0186] Using a narrow beam for transmission of SIB1 / SIB19 helps to improve the transmission performance of SIB1 / SIB19.

[0187] Step 2: The network device receives the physical random access channel (PRACH) sent by the terminal device.

[0188] Network devices can receive PRACH signals using the same beam as the aforementioned multiple regional narrow beams to perform coarse localization of terminal devices, determining the narrow beam subsequently used for communication with the terminal device from among the multiple regional narrow beams. For example, network devices can distinguish the regional narrow beam to which the terminal device belongs by identifying the direction in which the signal is received, or they can determine the coarse location information of the terminal device by receiving signals from multiple beams simultaneously and combining the received signal strength.

[0189] After sending PRACH, the terminal device can postpone the start of the RAR window in Koffset to receive the random access response (RAR).

[0190] Step 3: The network device sends the RAR to the terminal device.

[0191] Network devices can send RARs to terminal devices using the narrow beam determined in step 2.

[0192] After receiving the RAR, the terminal device can execute subsequent random access procedures according to the schedule in the RAR, such as sending message 3 (Msg3) to report the terminal device identifier.

[0193] After the random access process is completed, the terminal equipment and network equipment can use the aforementioned narrow beam for service data transmission.

[0194] The above scheme utilizes and combines the difference in demodulation thresholds between the SSB and PDSCH (carrying SIB1 / SIB19). Specifically, the SSB has a lower demodulation threshold, while the PDSCH has a higher one. This scheme achieves coverage through the wide beamwidth of the SSB and the narrow beamwidth of the system messages SIB1 and SIB19, enabling the SSB to use a wider beamwidth for transmission, ensuring demodulation even under large coverage conditions, while the SIB1 / SIB19 uses a narrower beamwidth to meet demodulation requirements.

[0195] Figure 6 This is another flowchart illustrating the access and data transmission process based on wide and narrow beams. Figure 6 The method shown may include steps 1 through 3.

[0196] Step 1: The network device uses a wide beam to transmit the synchronization sequence and MIB-E.

[0197] This scheme separates system information into cell-level system information and region-level system information, namely, the extended master information block (MIB-E) and the system information block remainder (SIB-R). MIB-E can be a newly defined type of system message that carries only the system information necessary for the terminal to initiate PRACH, reducing the amount of information carried and potentially improving the link budget. Using a wide beam to transmit cell-level system information (MIB-E) ensures wide coverage, thereby guaranteeing the transmission of necessary information.

[0198] Step 1 can also be replaced by using a wide-beam SSB. The SSB mentioned here includes the MIB-E mentioned above.

[0199] After receiving the SSB, the terminal device can initiate a PRACH using a wide beamwidth based on the information in the MIB-E. The PRACH can be transmitted using a wide beamwidth.

[0200] Step 2: The network device receives the PRACH sent by the terminal device.

[0201] Network devices can use multiple regional-level narrow beams to locate the position of a terminal device, and then determine the narrow beam used for subsequent communication with that terminal device from among the multiple regional-level narrow beams. The position of the terminal device mentioned here can be a coarse-grained position, which can be used to determine the regional-level narrow beam mentioned by the UE.

[0202] Step 3: The network device sends SIB-R / RAR / Msg4 and other information to the terminal device.

[0203] Network devices can transmit SIB-R / RAR / Msg4, etc., to terminal devices through the regional-level narrow beam determined in step 2. The coverage range of the regional-level narrow beam is smaller than that of the wide beam, but the coverage gain of the regional-level narrow beam is greater than that of the wide beam. Therefore, transmitting SIB-R through the regional-level narrow beam helps to improve the transmission performance of SIB-R.

[0204] After sending PRACH, the terminal device opens a receiving window according to certain rules and receives SIB-R and / or RAR from within that receiving window.

[0205] After completing the random access procedure, the terminal equipment and network equipment can use the aforementioned regional narrow beam for service data transmission.

[0206] It can be seen that, Figure 5 In the method shown, the system messages sent by the network side are SIB1 and SIB19, while Figure 6 The method shown breaks down system messages, placing the system messages necessary for the terminal device to access the network into a newly defined system message MIB-E, or in other words, the message contains only some necessary system messages.

[0207] Before initiating a PRACH, the terminal device needs to determine the PRACH resources. Generally, the terminal device can first determine the cell's PRACH configuration, thereby determining the cell-level RO resources. Then, the terminal device can determine the RO resources corresponding to the SSB from the cell-level RO resources. The following sections will provide a detailed introduction to the above content from two aspects: cell-level RO configuration and the mapping rules between RO resources and SSBs.

[0208] In the NR system, a configuration can be selected from the PRACH configuration table for cell-level RO configuration. Table 1 shows some of the available PRACH configurations in the NR system.

[0209] Table 1

[0210]

[0211] Referring to Table 1, the PRACH configuration period is based on radio frames and is determined by the period x and the offset value y, i.e., in frame number n SFN PRACH resources are configured at the position mod x = y, with values ​​ranging from {1, 2, 4, 8, 16}. The position and number of subframes determine the temporal distribution density of PRACH resources within each radio frame. Each subframe may contain one or two PRACH slots.

[0212] The distribution of ROs within a PRACH time slot can include the following: the starting position of the first RO in the time domain, in symbols; the time domain duration of each RO, in symbols, determined by the preamble sequence format; and the number of consecutive ROs in time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0213] The notation for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) within an RO window is as follows: Where l0 is the starting symbol position of RO; This indicates the number of ROs in a PRACH slot; Indicates the number of symbols occupied by a single RO; This indicates the number of PRACH slots in a subframe.

[0214] Taking PRACH index 217 in Table 1 as an example, PRACH uses B4 as the preamble format. The subframe numbers with RO are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, meaning that RO exists in a total of 10 subframes. Each subframe contains 2 PRACH slots, and each PRACH slot has 1 temporal RO, occupying 12 symbols for temporal resources.

[0215] Taking PRACH index 217 in Table 1 as an example, the PRACH uses the C2 preamble format, and the subframe numbers with ROs are 2 and 7. One system frame has 10 subframes, and one subframe corresponds to two 30kHz RACH slots. Each RACH slot can be configured with two ROs. Therefore, eight time-domain ROs can be configured within a 10ms system frame.

[0216] Figure 7A schematic diagram of the RO configuration in a system frame. See also Figure 7 This system frame consists of 10 subframes (subframes 0 to 9), each subframe containing two time slots. Taking the previously mentioned PRACH index 217 as an example, ROs exist in subframes 2 and 7, i.e. Figure 7 The time slots 4 and 5 shown contain ROs. Each RACH time slot can include 2 ROs, meaning this system frame includes a total of 8 ROs. Figure 7 RO#0 to RO#7 are shown in the diagram.

[0217] When configuring ROs at the cell level, different preamble formats and subframe numbers can be configured. Different preamble formats have different numbers of repetitions; formats with more repetitions offer better coverage performance but also incur greater resource overhead. For example, the B4 format preamble repeats 12 times, and one time slot can be configured with one B4 RO; the A3 / B3 format preamble repeats 6 times, and one time slot can be configured with two A3 / B3 ROs; the C2 format preamble repeats 4 times, and one time slot can be configured with two C2 ROs. Figure 8 The leading formats C2, A3, B3, and B4 are shown respectively.

[0218] Each valid RO and its included preamble sequence are associated with a SSB. Once a user selects an SSB, they can randomly choose a preamble sequence from the corresponding RO resource for transmission, according to the SSB-to-RO mapping rules.

[0219] NR introduces beamforming, therefore the random access procedure needs to support beam scanning. Furthermore, NR requires the terminal device to feed back the downlink beam information scanned by the terminal device to the base station. Therefore, NR needs to group SSBs, and the terminal devices corresponding to different SSB groups need to transmit them during the corresponding PRACH timing. The correspondence between SSBs and PRACH timings can be configured by the "ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB" field in the RRC.

[0220] In NR, the Downlink Broadcast Message Service (SSB) / Remaining Minimum System Information (RMSI) supports beam management mechanisms for initial access. Specifically, the SSB has multiple transmission opportunities within a time period, using different beams. Therefore, in NR, random access can only be initiated after the SSB's beam scanning signal "covers" the terminal device, performs downlink synchronization, and obtains PRACH-related information. In other words, the PRACH transmission time needs to be associated with the SSB transmission time (SSB index), and the base station can determine the beam for downlink RAR transmission based on the resource location of the uplink PRACH transmitted by the terminal device.

[0221] The relationship between SSB and PRACH transmission times is indicated by the ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB field in the RACH Common Configuration (RACH-ConfigCommon). An example of the ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB configuration code is given below.

[0222]

[0223] Specifically, `ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB` can be used to configure the number of SSBs N corresponding to each RACH event, with values ​​ranging from {1 / 8, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 6, 16}; and the number of contention-based preambles (common burst preamble, or CB Preamble) used by each SSB. The number of SSBs N corresponding to each RACH event can also be referred to as the mapping ratio between RO and SSB.

[0224] When ssb-perRACH-Occasion < 1, meaning one SSB corresponds to multiple ROs, the correspondence between the SSB Index and the CBPreamble in RACH is as follows: the CB Preamble in each PRACH Occasion increases in order of Preamble Index; when RACH frequency division multiplexing (FDM) is configured (i.e., there are multiple ROs in the frequency domain), it increases in order of frequency domain index; when multiple ROs are configured within a PRACH time slot, it increases in order of PRACH time slot index; when multiple PRACH time slots are configured, it increases in order of PRACH time slot index.

[0225] Figure 9This is an example mapping diagram between SSB and RO. See also... Figure 9 ssb-perRACH-Occasion = 1 / 8, meaning one SSB corresponds to 8 ROs; CB-PreamblesPerSSB = 60, meaning the CB Preambles on each RO range from 0 to 59.

[0226] When ssb-perRACH-Occasion>=1, meaning multiple SSBs correspond to one RO, the consecutive CB-PreamblesPerSSB CB Preambles starting from n*64 / N correspond to SSB n. Where N = ssb-perRACH-Occasion, n = SSB Index, and n belongs to [0, N-1].

[0227] Figure 10 Another example mapping diagram between SSB and RO. See also Figure 10 ssb-perRACH-Occasion = 4, meaning one RO corresponds to 4 SSBs (SSB0 to SSB3); CB-PreamblesPerSSB = 12, meaning each SSB corresponds to 12 CB-Preambles. According to the mapping rules mentioned earlier, the CB-Preambles corresponding to the 4 SSBs are 0-11, 16-27, 32-43, and 48-59 respectively.

[0228] When ssb-perRACH-Occasion=1, it supports 1 SSB corresponding to 1 RO.

[0229] SSB has multiple transmission opportunities within a cycle, and the actual number of transmissions is: PRACH has multiple transmission opportunities in the time and frequency domains, and each SSB needs to establish a mapping relationship with the PRACH transmission opportunity.

[0230] Related technologies introduce the concept of association period, which represents how many PRACH cycles in the time domain are needed to map all SSB blocks to RO.

[0231] The aforementioned association period, also known as the SSB to RO mapping period, starts mapping from frame number 0, takes the minimum value of the PRACH configuration period in the configuration table (selected from {1,2,4,8,16} radio frames), and ensures that all configured SSBs are fully mapped to ROs within the association period at least once.

[0232] Figure 11 A diagram illustrating the relationship between the association cycle and the PRACH configuration cycle. See also... Figure 11SSB 0 to SSB n are all configured SSBs, and a complete mapping between SSB 0 to SSB n and RO within the association period can be completed once.

[0233] If, within a certain association cycle, after all configured SSBs to ROs have completed their cyclic mapping, there are still some ROs that have not been mapped, then these ROs will no longer establish a mapping relationship with SSBs.

[0234] The SSB-RO association pattern period, or mapping pattern period, can consist of one or more association periods. An association pattern period is determined such that the RO-SSB mapping pattern repeats at most once every 160ms. ROs not mapped to by the SSB after an integer number of mapping periods will not be used for PRACH transmission.

[0235] The mapping between the PRACH configuration cycle and the SSB to RO association cycle is shown in Table 2 below.

[0236] Table 2

[0237]

[0238] As mentioned earlier, the mapping from SSB to RO can be determined based on the SSB index. In other words, the relevant technology determines RO resources at the SSB granularity. However, when an SSB is associated with multiple narrow beams or multiple SIBs, random access conflicts can easily occur, affecting the system's access capacity and increasing access latency.

[0239] by Figure 5 Taking the scenario shown as an example, a wide beam of an SSB is associated with multiple SIB1 / SIB19s, and each of the multiple SIB1 / SIB19s is carried in a regional narrow beam. Terminal devices covered by multiple SIB1 / SIB19s can initiate random access using the RO resources corresponding to that SSB, which can easily lead to random access conflicts and thus affect the system's access capacity.

[0240] by Figure 6 Taking the scenario shown as an example, a wide beam of an SSB is associated with multiple regional narrow beams. Terminal devices covered by multiple regional narrow beams can initiate random access using the RO resources corresponding to the SSB, thus limiting the system's access capacity.

[0241] The preceding text only used a scenario with extremely wide coverage, such as satellite communication, as an example to introduce the problems existing in related technologies. It should be understood that the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to any scenario that requires a large number of SSBs or a large number of scanning beams.

[0242] This application provides various communication methods to solve one or more of the above-mentioned problems.

[0243] As one possible approach, configuring specific RO resources for an SIB, or in other words, configuring RO resources independently for an SIB, can help improve system capacity. For example, if two SIBs associated with an SSB have different RO resources, then terminal devices covered by these two SIBs can initiate random access on different resources, thereby helping to improve the system's access capacity.

[0244] As another possible implementation, by configuring specific RO resources for beams, such as the regional narrow beams mentioned above, or in other words, configuring independent RO resources for beams, it is helpful to reduce the probability of access conflicts between terminal devices covered by different beams, thereby helping to improve the system's access capacity.

[0245] The following is combined with Figure 12 and Figure 19 The two implementation methods described above will be introduced separately.

[0246] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 The methods shown may involve the interaction between terminal devices and network devices. The methods provided in this application embodiment are described below from the perspective of the interaction between terminal devices and network devices.

[0247] The terminal device can be any of the terminal devices mentioned above, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of this method on the terminal device. The network device can be any of the network devices mentioned above, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of this method on the network device.

[0248] In some embodiments, Figure 12 The method shown can be applied to terrestrial communication scenarios. In other embodiments, Figure 12 The method shown can be applied to NTN scenarios.

[0249] Figure 12 The method shown may include steps S1210 to S1240.

[0250] S1210, the terminal device receives the first synchronization signal block SSB, and correspondingly, the network device sends the first SSB.

[0251] In this context, the first SSB can be associated with multiple SIBs, or in other words, the first SSB is associated with multiple SIBs. For ease of description, the term "N SIBs" will be used below to represent the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB. The SIBs mentioned here can be SIB1 and / or other system information (OSI), such as SIB19. For scenarios where obtaining SIB19 is not required during the random access procedure, the SIB mentioned here can be SIB1, meaning the first SSB is associated with multiple SIB1s. For scenarios where obtaining SIB19 is required during the random access procedure, the SIB mentioned here can be SIB1, SIB19, or both SIB1 and SIB19.

[0252] For example, the first SSB can cover the same area as N SIBs, or in other words, the coverage area of ​​the first SSB is basically the same as the coverage area of ​​the N SIBs. Taking the scenario mentioned earlier where wide beams and narrow beams are used in combination as an example, the SSB carried in the wide beam is associated with the SIB carried in the regional narrow beam. In this way, it can be guaranteed that all terminal devices within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB have an available SIB.

[0253] For example, the coverage area of ​​the first SSB overlaps with the coverage areas of the N SIBs.

[0254] S1220, the terminal device receives the first SIB, and correspondingly, the network device sends the first SIB. The first SIB is included among the multiple SIBs associated with the first SIB.

[0255] In some embodiments, the terminal device may receive a first SIB based on a first SSB. For example, the first SSB may indicate a search space of N SIBs, and the terminal device may receive one or more SIBs from the N SIBs based on the search space indicated by the first SSB. If the terminal device receives one SIB from the N SIBs based on the first SSB, that SIB is the first SIB; if the terminal device receives at least two SIBs from the N SIBs based on the first SSB, then the first SIB is one of the at least two SIBs.

[0256] For example, the first SIB can be the SIB with the closest distance between the center of the coverage area and the location of the terminal device among the at least two SIBs, thereby helping to improve access performance. Alternatively, the first SIB can be the SIB with better signal quality among the at least two SIBs, which helps to improve communication stability. Or, the first SIB can be the SIB that is received first among the at least two SIBs, thereby helping to reduce access latency.

[0257] It should be understood that the first SIB can be determined using any of the methods described above, or a combination of the methods described above can be used to determine the first SIB. As an example, if there is more than one SIB among the at least two SIBs that meets the signal quality threshold, the first SIB can be further determined based on the SIB coverage area or the SIB reception time.

[0258] As an example, the terminal device can receive 5 SIBs, that is, the at least two SIBs include 5 SIBs. Among the 5 SIBs, 3 SIBs meet the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) threshold. Then the first SIB can be the SIB that the terminal device receives earliest among these 3 SIBs, or the first SIB can be the SIB that is closest to the center of the coverage area and the location of the terminal device among these 3 SIBs.

[0259] In some embodiments, the first SSB and / or the first SIB may carry the first information. Exemplarily, the first information may be carried in the first SSB, the first information may be carried in the first SIB, or the first information may be partially carried in the first SIB and partially carried in the first SSB. The method of carrying the first information will be described in detail below in conjunction with the content of the first information, and will not be repeated here.

[0260] The aforementioned first information can be used to determine the first RO resource specific to the first SIB. The first RO resource specific to the first SIB can be understood as the first RO resource being configured independently for the first SIB. In other words, the RO resource is configured at the SIB level. For example, the RO resources corresponding to N SIBs are different, or at least some of the N SIBs have different RO resources.

[0261] It should be noted that the coverage area of ​​the first SIB is smaller than that of the first SSB. In other words, the coverage area of ​​the beam carrying the first SIB is smaller than that of the beam carrying the first SSB. This scheme can improve the transmission performance of the SIB while ensuring the coverage area of ​​the first SSB, thereby contributing to improved system performance.

[0262] It should be understood that if the terminal device can receive the first SSB and the first SIB, then the first SSB covers the location of the terminal device, and the first SIB covers the location of the terminal device.

[0263] S1230, the terminal device determines the first RO resource based on the first information.

[0264] S1240, the terminal device transmits a RACH using the first RO resource. For example, the terminal device may transmit a preamble using the first RO resource. Correspondingly, the network device may receive a RACH using the first RO resource.

[0265] In the embodiments of this application, by independently configuring RO resources for multiple SIBs associated with an SSB, or in other words, by associating one SSB with multiple RO resources, terminal devices covered by different SIBs can use different resources to initiate random access, which helps to reduce the probability of random access conflicts and thus helps to improve the access capacity of the system.

[0266] First information can indicate the first RO resource in a variety of ways. The following text will introduce first information in detail from multiple aspects.

[0267] In some embodiments, the first information can be used to indicate a first RO resource, or in other words, the first information is configuration information for the first RO resource. For example, each of the N SIBs can carry different first information, i.e., different RO resource configuration information. Each terminal device covered by a SIB can determine the RO resources it can use based on the first information it receives. In this case, the terminal device can determine the first RO resource corresponding to the first SIB based on the first information, without needing to consider the RO resources corresponding to other SIBs. This helps reduce the indication overhead of the first information and the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0268] For example, the first information can include the resource location of the first RO resource, which is simple to implement. Alternatively, the first information can include an index (also called an identifier) ​​of the configuration of the first RO resource to save on indication overhead.

[0269] The first RO resource can be determined based on the index of the first RO resource configuration and the correspondence between the RO resource configuration index and the RO resource configuration. As an example, the first information may include the correspondence between the RO resource configuration index and the RO resource configuration. As another example, the correspondence between the RO resource configuration index and the RO resource configuration can be predefined or preconfigured to save resource overhead. This mapping relationship can be represented, for example, through tables, data structures, etc.

[0270] Figure 13 This is an example diagram of RO resource configuration provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 13The diagram shows the RO resources corresponding to 24 SIBs (SIB#0 to SIB#23) associated with 8 SSBs. Each SSB is associated with 3 SIBs. Taking SSB#0 as the first SSB, the 3 SIBs associated with it are SIB#0-0, SIB#0-1, and SIB#0-2. The RO resources corresponding to SIB#0-0, SIB#0-1, and SIB#0-2 are as follows: Figure 13 In SFN#0, RO#0-0, RO#0-1, and RO#0-2 are specified. The first information carried in SIB#0-0 indicates RO#0-0, the first information carried in SIB#0-1 indicates RO#0-1, and the first information carried in SIB#0-2 indicates RO#0-2. In other words, each SIB1 or SIB19 message can independently configure its corresponding RO resource.

[0271] Upon receiving the first SSB, the terminal device can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI) of the first cell based on the parsing result of the first SSB. Therefore, the first cell can be understood as the cell associated with the first SSB. The first cell can be associated with multiple SSBs, and multiple SSBs can be associated with multiple SIBs. In other words, the first cell can be associated with multiple SIBs. The multiple SSBs mentioned here can include the first SSB, and the multiple SIBs can include the first SIB.

[0272] In some embodiments, the first information can be used to indicate the RO resources corresponding to SIBs associated with multiple SSBs, or in other words, the first information can be used to indicate the RO resources corresponding to multiple SIBs associated with a first cell. For example, if a first cell is associated with 8 SSBs, and each SSB is associated with 3 SIBs, the first information can be used to indicate the RO resources corresponding to the 24 SIBs in the first cell. In this case, the first information can also be called cell-level RO resource configuration information. In this way, the first information carried by multiple SSBs or multiple SIBs is the same, which helps reduce the processing complexity on the network side. Furthermore, when the location of the terminal device changes, such as when the SIB covering the terminal device changes from the first SIB to the second SIB, the terminal device does not need to re-receive the SIB message (i.e., it does not need to receive the second SIB) to determine the RO resources corresponding to the second SIB based on the first information.

[0273] For example, the first information may include the location information of RO resources corresponding to multiple SIBs associated with the first cell.

[0274] For example, the first information may include configuration parameters for RO resources, which can be used to determine the RO resources corresponding to multiple SIBs associated with the first cell. For instance, based on these configuration parameters and the mapping rules for RO resources, the RO resources corresponding to multiple SIBs associated with the first cell can be determined. The RO resource mapping rules can be predefined, such as those predefined by the protocol, or preconfigured. Indicating the location of RO resources through the aforementioned configuration parameters helps reduce indication overhead.

[0275] Before determining the first RO resource, the terminal device can first determine multiple RO resources of the first cell (also known as cell-level RO resources). As one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the cell-level RO resources based on the cell PRACH configuration mentioned earlier. The cell PRACH configuration table can use content from related technologies, such as Table 1 mentioned earlier, or a newly defined PRACH configuration table can be used. Table 3 is an example of a newly defined PRACH configuration table.

[0276] Table 3

[0277]

[0278] Referring to Table 3, the configured subframe numbers are 0 to 7. This means that in a single system frame, subframes 0 to 7 (a total of 8 subframes) contain RO resources. Taking PRACH configuration index 0 as an example, the configuration period for PRACH is one system frame (n... SFN mod x = y, where x = 1, y = 0), meaning that RO resources exist in every system frame. Subframe numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 indicate that RO resources exist in subframes 0 to 7 within a system frame, such as... Figure 14 As shown, it can be seen that with the same PRACH configuration period and subframe number, different preamble formats result in different numbers of symbols occupied by RO resources in a single time slot.

[0279] Table 4 is another example of the newly defined PRACH configuration table.

[0280] Table 4

[0281]

[0282] Referring to Table 4, the configured subframe numbers are 0 to 8, meaning that RO resources exist in all 9 subframes (0 to 8) within a system frame. It can be seen that, similar to Table 3, with the same PRACH configuration period and subframe numbers, different preamble formats result in different numbers of symbols occupied by RO resources in a single time slot.

[0283] Compared to Table 3, Table 4 indicates a different number of subframes containing RO resources within a system frame. In some embodiments, the number of subframes containing RO resources within a system frame can be configured based on the number of SIBs associated with the SSB in the first cell. Taking the example of the first SSB being associated with N SIBs, the number of subframes containing RO resources can be an integer multiple of N, thereby helping to ensure access fairness for terminal devices covered by each SIB.

[0284] Table 5 is another example of the newly defined PRACH configuration table.

[0285] Table 5

[0286]

[0287] Referring to Table 5, in a system frame containing PRACH, RO resources exist in eight subframes, from subframe 0 to subframe 7. The configuration period for PRACH can be 1, 2, 4, or 8 system frames. In other words, each system frame containing PRACH can use the same subframe number, but the configuration period for these PRACH systems can be configured differently. That is, the quantity and distribution of RO resources can be adjusted by configuring different PRACH configuration periods.

[0288] Table 6 is another example of the newly defined PRACH configuration table.

[0289] Table 6

[0290]

[0291] Referring to Table 6, the PRACH configuration period is one system frame, and the number of subframes containing RO resources within a system frame is 4, 5, 8, and 10, respectively. Alternatively, the PRACH configuration period can be the same, but system frames containing PRACH can use different subframe numbers. That is, the number of RO resources can be adjusted by configuring different numbers of subframe numbers, and the distribution of RO resources can be adjusted by configuring different values ​​for the subframe numbers.

[0292] For example, the newly defined PRACH configuration can include a denser RO resource configuration, which helps reduce system access latency. Conversely, the newly defined PRACH configuration can include a sparser RO resource configuration, which helps reduce RO resource overhead.

[0293] It should be understood that the PRACH configurations in Tables 3-6 are provided as examples only. Newly defined PRACH configuration tables may include fewer or more content than those in the tables above. For example, a newly defined PRACH configuration table may include any combination of one or more columns from Tables 3-6. Similarly, a newly defined PRACH configuration table may include fewer or more rows than those in Tables 3-6. Furthermore, the values ​​of the relevant parameters in the newly defined PRACH configuration may be the same as or different from those in Tables 3-6.

[0294] After determining the cell-level RO resources, the first RO resource can be determined based on the initial information and mapping rules. There can be multiple mapping rules for RO resources, and the configuration parameters of the RO resources may differ under different mapping rules. The following provides an example introduction to various mapping rules for RO resources.

[0295] In some embodiments, step S1230 can be replaced by: the terminal device determining a first RO resource from multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the first information and the first mapping rule. The first mapping rule may include mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to SIB identifiers (or indexes), where the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB. In other words, the first mapping rule is a mapping rule between SIBs and RO resources.

[0296] For example, the first mapping rule may include mapping based on SIB identifiers according to one or more of the following: CB Preambles in each RO are incremented according to the preamble index; when RACH FDM is configured (i.e., there are multiple ROs in the frequency domain), the frequency domain index is incremented; when multiple ROs are configured within a PRACH time slot, the index within the PRACH time slot is incremented; when multiple PRACH time slots are configured, the PRACH time slot index is incremented. In other words, the mapping relationship between SIB identifiers and RO resources satisfies the above rules.

[0297] Taking a first cell with 24 associated SIBs (i.e., SIB#0 to SIB#23) as an example, SIB#0 to SIB#23 can be mapped sequentially to multiple RO resources of the first cell. For example, one SIB can be mapped to one RO resource of the first cell, which helps to reduce the complexity of implementation.

[0298] Figure 15 Another schematic diagram illustrating the RO resource configuration provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 15The RO resources of the first cell can include RO#0 to RO#23. According to the first mapping rule, SIB#0 to SIB#23 can be mapped to RO#0 to RO#23 of the first cell in sequence, with each SIB corresponding to 1 RO resource.

[0299] In some embodiments, the first information may include the mapping ratio between SIB and RO resources, which may include one-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping, or many-to-one mapping, etc. Configuring multiple mapping ratios helps improve the flexibility of the system; for example, different mapping ratios can be configured in different scenarios or for different user needs.

[0300] If the RO resources indicated by the PRACH configuration are sparse, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can be small. This means that one RO resource can correspond to multiple SIBs, thus helping to reduce system access latency. If the RO resources indicated by the PRACH configuration are dense, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can be small, thus helping to reduce the repetition cycle of RO resources corresponding to the same SIB. If the RO resources indicated by the PRACH configuration are dense, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can be large, resulting in a more concentrated distribution of RO resources corresponding to the same SIB, which helps to increase the success rate of a single RO detection.

[0301] For example, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can be less than 1 (meaning one SIB corresponds to multiple RO resources), equal to 1 (meaning one SIB corresponds to one RO resource), or greater than 1 (meaning one RO resource corresponds to multiple SIBs). For instance, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can range from 1 / 8, 1 / 6, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 6, to 16. It should be understood that the above ranges are merely illustrative, and the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can include more or fewer values, or other sets of values; this application does not limit this.

[0302] If the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources is 1 / 2, meaning one SIB corresponds to two RO resources, then SIB#0 to SIB#23 can be mapped sequentially to RO#0 to RO#47 of the first cell, with each SIB corresponding to two RO resources. In other words, SIB#0 is mapped to RO#0 and RO#1, and so on.

[0303] If the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources is 2, meaning one RO resource corresponds to two SIBs, then SIB#0 to SIB#23 can be mapped sequentially to RO#0 to RO#11 of the first cell, with each SIB corresponding to 1 / 2 of a RO resource. In other words, SIB#0 and SIB#1 can be mapped to RO#0, and so on.

[0304] As an example, this mapping ratio can be configured using the parameter sib-perRACH-Occasion. As another example, this mapping ratio can also be configured using other combined parameters, such as a combination of the mapping ratio and the number of preambles.

[0305] Based on the aforementioned first mapping rule, the mapping relationship between multiple SIBs associated with the first cell and multiple RO resources of the first cell can be determined. Furthermore, based on the identifier of the first SIB, the first RO resource can be determined from the multiple RO resources of the first cell. (Continuing with...) Figure 15 Taking the RO resource shown as an example, if the identifier of the first SIB is 23 (or SIB#23), then the first RO resource is RO#23.

[0306] As described above, the first information may include one or more of the following: the mapping ratio between RO resources and SIBs, the first mapping rule, and the identifier of the first SIB. If the mapping ratio between RO resources and SIBs is default or predefined, the first information may not include this mapping ratio. If the first mapping rule is default or predefined, the first information may not include the first mapping rule. If multiple mapping rules exist, the first information may indicate the first mapping rule.

[0307] If the first information includes a first SIB identifier, the first information can be carried in the first SIB. That is, the SIB identifier can be added to the first SIB.

[0308] The mapping ratio between RO resources and SIBs can be carried in either the first SSB or the first SIB. The first mapping rule can also be carried in either the first SSB or the first SIB. Considering the limited information that an SSB can hold, the mapping ratio between RO resources and SIBs and / or the first mapping rule can be carried in the first SIB.

[0309] When the first SSB does not carry the first information, the first SSB may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a MIB; when the first information is carried in the first SSB, the first SSB may include a PSS, an SSS, and a MIB-E, or the first SSB may include an SSB (including a PSS / SSS and a MIB) and a MIB-E. The first information is carried in the MIB-E.

[0310] In some embodiments, step S1230 can be replaced by: determining a first RO resource from multiple RO resources of a first cell according to the first information and the second mapping rule; wherein, the second mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier, and the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB. That is, the second mapping rule is a mapping rule between SSB, SIB and RO resources.

[0311] For example, the second mapping rule may include mapping based on SSB identifiers and SIB identifiers according to one or more of the following: the CB Preamble in each RO increments in the order of the preamble index; when RACH FDM is configured (i.e., there are multiple ROs in the frequency domain), it increments in the frequency domain index; when multiple ROs are configured in the PRACH time slot, it increments in the PRACH time slot index; when multiple PRACH time slots are configured, it increments in the PRACH time slot index.

[0312] In the process of mapping RO resources according to the above rules, both SSB identifier and SIB identifier are considered, or in other words, the input parameters of the above rules include both SSB identifier and SIB identifier.

[0313] As an example, mapping RO resources based on SSB and SIB identifiers according to the second mapping rule can include: first mapping the three SIBs associated with SSB#0, then mapping the three SIBs associated with SSB#1, and so on. In other words, multiple SIBs associated with an SSB are mapped first, then each individual SSB is mapped. In this case, the SSB identifier and SIB identifier jointly determine the mapping order of the multiple SIBs.

[0314] See again Figure 13 First, map the three SIBs associated with SSB#0 to RO#0-0, RO#0-1, and RO#0-2 respectively. Then, map the three SIBs associated with SSB#1 to RO#1-0, RO#1-1, and RO#1-2 respectively, and so on. Finally, map the three SIBs associated with SSB#7 to RO#7-0, RO#7-1, and RO#7-2 respectively. This completes the mapping of the 24 SIBs associated with the eight SSBs of the first cell.

[0315] In some embodiments, the mapping between SIBs and RO resources associated with an SSB can be realized based on the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources.

[0316] For example, an SIB can be mapped to a RO resource, that is, one SIB corresponds to one RO resource, which helps to reduce the complexity of implementation.

[0317] For example, the first information may include the mapping ratio between SIB and RO resources, which may include one-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping, or many-to-one mapping. Configuring multiple mapping ratios helps improve the flexibility of the system; for example, different mapping ratios can be configured in different scenarios or for different user needs.

[0318] For example, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can be less than 1 (meaning one SIB corresponds to multiple RO resources), equal to 1 (meaning one SIB corresponds to one RO resource), or greater than 1 (meaning one RO resource corresponds to multiple SIBs). For instance, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can range from 1 / 8, 1 / 6, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 6, to 16. It should be understood that the above ranges are merely illustrative, and the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can include more or fewer values, or other sets of values; this application does not limit this.

[0319] The mapping ratio between SIB and RO resources can be found in the previous text and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0320] In some embodiments, step S1230 above can be replaced by: determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from multiple RO resources of the first cell; determining the first RO resource from the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB according to the first information and the third mapping rule; wherein, the third mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the SIB identifier.

[0321] For example, determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from multiple RO resources in the first cell can follow the mapping rules in related technologies, thereby helping to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol and facilitating implementation. The configuration method for the range of values ​​for the mapping ratio between SSB and RO resources can follow the values ​​in related technologies.

[0322] For example, the mapping ratio between SSB and RO resources can be newly defined.

[0323] For example, the mapping ratio between SSBs and RO resources is a default value to save on indication overhead. This default value can be determined based on the beam configuration in the first cell. For instance, if the number of SSBs associated with an SSB in the first cell is large, then the default value is small, such as one SSB corresponding to multiple RO resources; if the number of SSBs associated with an SSB in the first cell is small, then the default value can be large, such as one RO resource corresponding to multiple SSBs.

[0324] For example, the mapping ratio between SSBs and RO resources can have multiple values, which can be flexibly configured according to the use case. For instance, if there are many SIBs associated with an SSB in the first cell, a smaller mapping ratio between SSBs and RO resources can be configured, such as one SSB corresponding to multiple RO resources; if there are few SIBs associated with an SSB in the first cell, a larger mapping ratio between SSBs and RO resources can be configured, such as one RO resource corresponding to multiple SSBs.

[0325] It should be understood that, compared with the range of values ​​for the mapping ratio of SSB to RO resources mentioned in related technologies, the newly defined range of values ​​for the mapping ratio of SSB to RO resources may include more or less content, or may include completely different content, and this application does not limit this.

[0326] After determining the mapping relationship between SSB and RO resources, the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB can be determined based on the first SSB index. For ease of description, the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB is referred to as the second RO resource.

[0327] The first RO resource can be determined from the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB based on the first information and the third mapping rule. The third mapping rule may include one or more of the following: the CB Preamble in each RO is incremented according to the order of the preamble index; when RACH FDM is configured (i.e., there are multiple ROs in the frequency domain), it is incremented according to the frequency domain index; when multiple ROs are configured in the PRACH time slot, it is incremented according to the index within the PRACH time slot; when multiple PRACH time slots are configured, it is incremented according to the PRACH time slot index; when an SSB is configured with multiple SIBs, it is incremented according to the SIB index.

[0328] Determining the first RO resource from the second RO resource according to the above rules may include: mapping the N SIBs associated with the first SSB onto the second RO resource, and determining the first RO resource based on the identifier of the first SSB.

[0329] In some embodiments, the N SIBs associated with the first SSB can be evenly mapped to the second RO resources. Taking the second RO resource as having 6 ROs and N=3 as an example, the second RO resource can be evenly divided into 3 parts, each part corresponding to 2 ROs. Each SIB associated with the first SSB can correspond to 2 ROs in the second RO resource. For example, the second RO resource (RO#0~RO#6) can be divided into (RO#0, RO#1), (RO#2, RO#3), and (RO#4, RO#5). Then the 3 SIBs associated with the first SSB can be mapped to the above 3 parts of RO resources in sequence according to the SIB index, that is, the 3 SIBs (SIB#0~SIB#2) can correspond to (RO#0, RO#1), (RO#2, RO#3), and (RO#4, RO#5) respectively.

[0330] If the first SIB is SIB#1, then the first RO resource is RO#2 and RO#3 in the second RO resource.

[0331] When the second RO resource cannot be equally divided into N parts, the unequally divided RO resources can be excluded from RACH transmission. In the example above, if the second RO resource includes RO#0 to RO#7, then the three SIBs can be mapped sequentially to RO#0 to RO#6, and RO#7 can be excluded from RACH transmission. Alternatively, the three SIBs can be mapped sequentially to RO#1 to RO#7, and RO#0 can be excluded from RACH transmission. RO resources not used for RACH transmission are located at the beginning or end of the second RO resource, which helps reduce implementation complexity. Furthermore, in this case, the resources not used for RACH are relatively concentrated, facilitating scheduling and use, such as for the transmission of other uplink data. It should be understood that the position of the unequally divided RO resources within the second RO resource is merely illustrative and is not limited in this application.

[0332] If the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB adopt the above uniform mapping method, then the first information may include the number of SIBs associated with the first SSB, i.e., the above-mentioned N.

[0333] In some embodiments, the first information may include the mapping ratio between SIB and RO resources, which may include one-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping, or many-to-one mapping, etc. Configuring multiple mapping ratios helps improve the flexibility of the system; for example, different mapping ratios can be configured in different scenarios or for different user needs.

[0334] For example, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can be less than 1 (meaning one SIB corresponds to multiple RO resources), equal to 1 (meaning one SIB corresponds to one RO resource), or greater than 1 (meaning one RO resource corresponds to multiple SIBs). For instance, the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can range from 1 / 8, 1 / 6, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 6, to 16. It should be understood that the above ranges are merely illustrative, and the mapping ratio between SIBs and RO resources can include more or fewer values, or other sets of values; this application does not limit this.

[0335] For example, considering that an SSB is associated with multiple SIBs, the mapping ratio between SSB and RO resources can be smaller than the mapping ratio between SIB and RO resources, so as to ensure that each SIB among the multiple SIBs has available RO resources.

[0336] The mapping ratio between SIB and RO resources can be found in the previous text and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0337] As mentioned earlier, the first RO resource can be determined based on the SIB's identifier. The identifiers of multiple SIBs associated with a single SSB can be different, or the identifiers of multiple SIBs associated with a single cell can be different. In other words, the SIB identifier can be an SSB-level identifier or a cell-level identifier.

[0338] For example, the SIB index can be i×N+j, where i is the SSB index, N is the number of SIBs associated with an SSB, and j takes the value [0, N-1], representing the group sequence number of the N SIBs associated with an SSB. Taking the first cell as an example with 8 SSBs, and each SSB associated with 3 SIBs, i can take the value from 0 to 7, N=3, then the SIB index value range is 0 to 23.

[0339] For example, the SIB index can be 0 to (N-1), where N is the number of SIBs associated with an SSB.

[0340] In some embodiments, the RO resources within the mapping period of SIBs and RO resources can satisfy at least one mapping of multiple SIBs associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, there may be remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell, i.e., resources that cannot complete one mapping of multiple SIBs associated with the first cell.

[0341] For example, the remaining resources mentioned above may not be used for RACH transmission, but rather for the transmission of other uplink information, thereby helping to ensure access fairness for terminal devices covered by different SIBs.

[0342] See again Figure 15After mapping the 24 SIBs associated with the first cell is completed, the remaining RO resources can be invalidated and not used for RACH transmission. See again. Figure 13 After mapping the SIBs associated with the 8 SSBs of the first cell, the remaining RO resources can be invalidated and not used for RACH transmission.

[0343] For example, the aforementioned remaining resources can correspond to a portion of the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell; that is, the remaining resources can continue to be mapped to SIBs for RACH transmission, such as... Figure 16 and Figure 17 As shown in the diagram. This solution helps to increase access capacity.

[0344] Regarding the second RO resource, after completing an integer multiple of the mapping period for the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB, there may be remaining resources in the second RO resource, i.e., resources that cannot complete a single mapping of multiple SIBs. These remaining resources may be used for RACH transmission or not. For example, these remaining resources may correspond to a subset of the multiple SIBs; that is, after an integer multiple of the mapping period, these remaining resources can continue to be associated and mapped to a subset of the multiple SIBs.

[0345] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB. In other words, the first information may include a first parameter, which indicates the number of contention-based preambles that the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB can use. The first parameter may be, for example, CB-PreamblesPerSIB.

[0346] For example, the number of preambles that the first SSB can use can be evenly distributed among the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB. If the first SSB can use 60 preambles, then the three SIBs associated with the first SSB can each use 20 preambles. For example, the preambles that the three SIBs associated with the first SSB can use are 0-19, 20-39, and 40-59, respectively.

[0347] The different contention-based preambles associated with the first SSB help the network side determine the SSB corresponding to the terminal device based on the received preamble.

[0348] After receiving the RACH, the network device can determine the SIB covering the terminal device among the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB as the first SIB, based on the first RO resource. For example, the network device can determine the beam for communication with the terminal device based on the first SIB. The beam mentioned here can be the regional-level narrow beam mentioned earlier.

[0349] In some embodiments, the network device can determine the mapping relationship between multiple SIBs associated with the first cell and RO resources based on the first information and one or more of the mapping rules described above, or in other words, determine the mapping relationship between multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB and RO resources. Further, the network device can determine the first SIB based on the location of the first RO resource and the aforementioned mapping relationship.

[0350] The method for determining the mapping relationship between multiple SIBs associated with the first cell and RO resources, or the method for determining the mapping relationship between multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB and RO resources, is similar to the method mentioned above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0351] It should be understood that before determining the mapping relationship between multiple SIBs and RO resources, the RO resources of the first cell can be determined first, such as determining the RO resources of the first cell based on the PRACH configuration mentioned above.

[0352] For example, the network device determines the first SIB based on the first information, the first mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein, the first mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SIB identifier, and the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0353] For example, the first SIB is determined based on the first information, the second mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein, the second mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier, and the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0354] For example, the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB is determined from multiple RO resources of the first cell; the first SIB is determined according to the first information, the third mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein, the third mapping rule includes mapping the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the SIB identifier.

[0355] Optionally, the network device can determine the SIB corresponding to the terminal device based on the location of the first RO resource and the preamble used by the terminal device.

[0356] In some embodiments, the terminal device may carry the identifier of the first SIB when initiating RACH. The network device can determine the regional narrow beam for communicating with the terminal device based on the SIB identifier sent by the terminal device, which helps to reduce the complexity of processing.

[0357] The network device determines the first SIB corresponding to the terminal device to identify the regional narrow beam covering the terminal device, thereby determining the regional narrow beam used for communication with the terminal device in subsequent communication processes. Since different regional narrow beams carry different SIBs, the regional narrow beam covering the terminal device can be determined based on the correspondence between SIBs and terminal devices. Therefore, the network device determining the first SIB can also be replaced by the network device determining the beam carrying the first SIB. Similarly, the terminal device determining the RO resources corresponding to the first SIB can also be replaced by the terminal device determining the RO resources corresponding to the beam carrying the first SIB.

[0358] The following is based on Figure 5 Taking the technical scenario shown as an example, combined with Figure 18 The above methods are described by way of example.

[0359] Figure 18 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 18 The steps shown may include steps 1 through 3.

[0360] Step 1: The network device uses a wide beam to transmit the first SSB and a narrow beam to transmit SIB1 / SIB19.

[0361] One SSB wide beam is associated with three SIB1 / SIB19 narrow beams. The SIB1 / SIB19 may carry first information, such as the RO resources of the first SSB associated with the three SIBs (narrow beams), or the RO resources of the first cell associated with multiple SIBs (narrow beams).

[0362] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB, and the terminal device receives one or more SIB1 / SIB19s. The one or more SIB1 / SIB19s mentioned here are one or more of the multiple SIB1 / SIB19s associated with the first SSB.

[0363] The terminal device can select the optimal one from one or more received SIB1 / SIB19, such as the first SIB with the best signal quality. The terminal device determines the first RO resource corresponding to the first SIB based on the first information.

[0364] Step 2: The network device receives the PRACH, and the corresponding terminal device sends the PRACH.

[0365] Step 3: The network device sends a random access response to the terminal device. The network device may use the same regional-level narrow beam as the first SIB (i.e.,...). Figure 18 2) The regional narrow beam in the middle performs the subsequent communication process.

[0366] The following is combined with Figure 19 Another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be introduced. Figure 19 The method shown can involve the interaction between terminal devices and network devices. Figure 19 The method shown may include steps S1910 to S1930.

[0367] S1910, the terminal device receives the first synchronization signal block SSB, and correspondingly, the network device sends the first SSB.

[0368] The first SSB can be associated with multiple beams. For ease of description, the multiple beams associated with the first SSB will be referred to as "M beams" below. For example, the first SSB can cover the same area as the M beams, or in other words, the coverage area of ​​the first SSB is basically the same as the coverage area of ​​the M beams. Taking the scenario of using a combination of wide and narrow beams as an example, the first SSB can be carried by a wide beam, and the M beams can be understood as narrow beams, i.e., the regional-level narrow beams mentioned earlier. In this way, it can be ensured that all terminal devices within the coverage area of ​​the first SSB have a usable beam. Another example is that the coverage area of ​​the first SSB overlaps with the coverage area of ​​the M beams.

[0369] The first SSB carries first information. The first SSB may include a PSS, an SSS, and a MIB-E, or the first SSB may include an SSB (including a PSS / SSS and a MIB, i.e., an SSB as defined in the relevant art) and a MIB-E. The first information is carried in the MIB-E. The MIB-E includes the system messages necessary to initiate random access.

[0370] The first information can be used to determine a first RO resource specific to a first beam among multiple beams. A first RO resource specific to a first beam can be understood as a first RO resource configured independently for the first beam. In other words, the RO resource is configured at the beam level. The beam mentioned here can refer to the narrow beam mentioned earlier; that is, the RO resource can be configured at the narrow beam level. For example, the RO resources corresponding to M beams are different, or at least some of the M beams correspond to different RO resources.

[0371] The first beam is the beam that covers the terminal device, or in other words, the terminal device is located in the coverage area of ​​the first beam. It should be understood that the coverage area of ​​the first beam is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB.

[0372] S1920, the terminal device determines the first RO resource based on the first information.

[0373] The terminal device can determine the first beam from multiple beams associated with the first SSB based on the first information, and then determine the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information. The methods for determining the first beam and the first RO resource will be described in detail below, and will not be repeated here.

[0374] S1930, transmit the Random Access Channel (RACH) on the first RO resource. For example, the terminal device can transmit a preamble on the first RO resource. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the RACH on the first RO resource.

[0375] In this embodiment of the application, by independently configuring RO resources for multiple beams associated with SSB, terminal devices covered by different beams can initiate random access using different resources, which helps to reduce the probability of random access conflicts and thus helps to improve the access capacity of the system.

[0376] In some embodiments, the first information may be used to indicate the coverage area of ​​multiple beams, such as by one or more of the following: the center position of the coverage area of ​​multiple beams; the radius of the coverage area of ​​multiple beams; the arrangement of multiple beams; the center position of the coverage area of ​​a reference beam; or the distance between the center position of the coverage area of ​​multiple beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​a reference beam; the angle between the center position of the coverage area of ​​multiple beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​a reference beam; wherein the reference beam is a first beam or one of the multiple beams.

[0377] For example, the first information may include the center location of the coverage area of ​​multiple beams. The terminal device can determine the second beam based on the distance between its own location and the center location of the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams. For example, the second beam may be the beam among the multiple beams whose coverage area center location is closest to the terminal device. This method is applicable to scenarios where the coverage areas of the multiple beams associated with the first SSB are the same or not significantly different.

[0378] For example, the first information may include the center position of the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams and the radius of the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams. The terminal device can determine the distance between itself and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams based on its own position, and then determine the second beam based on a comparison between this distance and the radius of the coverage area of ​​the beams. If the distance between the terminal device and the center position of the coverage area of ​​a beam is greater than or equal to the coverage radius of that beam, then that beam cannot cover the terminal device, and that beam is not the second beam. If the distance between the terminal device and the center position of the coverage area of ​​a beam is less than the coverage radius of that beam, then that beam can cover the terminal device, and that beam can be the second beam.

[0379] If both the first and second beams can cover the terminal device, then the distance from the terminal device to the edge of the coverage area of ​​the first beam is greater than the distance from the terminal device to the edge of the coverage area of ​​the second beam. In other words, the beam from which the terminal device is furthest from the edge of its coverage area is the second beam. The terminal device can determine the edge of the beam based on the center position of the beam's coverage area and the beam's radius.

[0380] For example, the first information may include the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam, the radius of the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams, and the arrangement of the multiple beams. The beam arrangement may include, for example, a column arrangement, an interlaced arrangement, or an overlapping arrangement. If the multiple beams associated with the first SSB are three beams arranged in a column, and the reference beam is the beam located in the middle of these three beams, then the terminal device can determine the coverage area of ​​the reference beam based on the center position and radius of its coverage area, and determine the coverage areas of the other two beams in the first SSB based on their radii and arrangement, or determine the center position of their coverage areas. The second beam can be determined based on the relationship between the terminal device's location and the coverage areas of the multiple beams associated with the first SSB, or the relationship between the terminal device's location and the center positions of the multiple beams' coverage areas.

[0381] For example, the first information may include the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam, and the distance between the center positions of the coverage areas of the multiple beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam. That is, the center position of the coverage areas of the multiple beams can be indicated by the relative distance between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam and the center positions of the coverage areas of the multiple beams, which helps to reduce the indication overhead of the first information.

[0382] When the distance between the center of the coverage area of ​​multiple beams and the center of the coverage area of ​​a reference beam is equal, the first information may also include the arrangement of the multiple beams to help determine the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams.

[0383] For example, the first information may include the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam, the angle between the center positions of the coverage areas of the multiple beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam, and the distance between the center positions of the coverage areas of the multiple beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam. The relative positional relationship between the reference beam and the multiple beams can be determined based on the angle between the center positions of the coverage areas of the multiple beams and the center positions of the coverage areas of the reference beam. Furthermore, the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams can be determined based on the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam and the distance between the center positions of the coverage areas of the multiple beams and the center positions of the coverage areas of the reference beam.

[0384] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the coverage area of ​​multiple beams associated with the first SSB provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 20 The diagram shows four beams (beams 0 to 3) associated with the first SSB, where beam 0 is the reference beam, and the angles of beams 1 to 3 relative to the center position of beam 0 are θ1 (θ1 = 0°), θ2, and θ3, respectively. The center positions of beams 1 to 3 can be determined based on the radii of their distances from the center position of beam 0, as well as θ1, θ2, and θ3. Therefore, the second beam is determined based on the distance between the center positions of beams 0 to 3 and the terminal equipment.

[0385] When multiple beams have the same coverage radius, the distance between the center of the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams in the above scheme and the center of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam can be replaced by the arrangement of the multiple beams.

[0386] The reference beam mentioned above can be the beam carrying the first SSB, or it can be one of multiple beams.

[0387] Upon receiving the first SSB, the terminal device can determine the PCI of the first cell based on the parsing result of the first SSB. Therefore, the first cell can be understood as the cell associated with the first SSB. The first cell can be associated with multiple SSBs, and multiple SSBs can be associated with multiple beams. In other words, the first cell can be associated with multiple beams. The multiple SSBs mentioned here can include the first SSB, and the multiple beams can include the second beam.

[0388] Before determining the first RO resource, the terminal device can first determine multiple RO resources (also known as cell-level RO resources) of the first cell. As one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the cell-level RO resources based on the cell PRACH configuration mentioned earlier. The cell PRACH configuration table can use content from related technologies or a newly defined PRACH configuration table. The method for determining multiple RO resources of the first cell is similar to that described earlier and will not be repeated here.

[0389] After determining the cell-level RO resources, the first RO resource can be determined based on the initial information and mapping rules. There can be multiple mapping rules for RO resources, and the configuration parameters of the RO resources may differ under different mapping rules. The following provides an example introduction to various mapping rules for RO resources.

[0390] In some embodiments, step S1920 can be replaced by: determining a first RO resource from multiple RO resources of a first cell according to the first information and the fourth mapping rule; wherein, the fourth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to beam identifiers, and the multiple beams associated with the first cell include multiple beams associated with the first SSB. That is, the fourth mapping rule is a mapping rule between beams (i.e., narrow beams) and RO resources.

[0391] For example, the fourth mapping rule may include mapping based on beam identifiers according to one or more of the following: CB Preambles in each RO are incremented according to the preamble index; when RACH FDM is configured (i.e., multiple ROs in the frequency domain), the frequency domain index is incremented; when multiple ROs are configured within a PRACH time slot, the index within the PRACH time slot is incremented; when multiple PRACH time slots are configured, the PRACH time slot index is incremented. In other words, the mapping relationship between beam identifiers and RO resources satisfies the above rules.

[0392] Taking a first cell with 24 associated beams (beam#0 to beam#23) as an example, beam#0 to beam#23 can be mapped sequentially to multiple RO resources of the first cell. For example, one beam can be mapped to one RO resource of the first cell, which helps reduce the complexity of implementation.

[0393] In some embodiments, the first information may include the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources, which may include one-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping, or many-to-one mapping, etc. Configuring multiple mapping ratios helps improve the flexibility of the system; for example, different mapping ratios can be configured in different scenarios or for different user needs.

[0394] If the RO resources indicated by the PRACH configuration are sparse, the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can be small. This means that one RO resource can correspond to multiple beams, thus helping to reduce system access latency. If the RO resources indicated by the PRACH configuration are dense, the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can be small, thus helping to reduce the repetition period of RO resources corresponding to the same beam. If the RO resources indicated by the PRACH configuration are dense, the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can be large, resulting in a more concentrated distribution of RO resources corresponding to the same beam, which helps to increase the success rate of a single RO detection.

[0395] For example, the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can be less than 1 (meaning one beam corresponds to multiple RO resources), equal to 1 (meaning one beam corresponds to one RO resource), or greater than 1 (one RO resource corresponds to multiple beams). For instance, the range of values ​​for the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can be 1 / 8, 1 / 6, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 6, or 16. It should be understood that the above ranges are merely illustrative, and the range of values ​​for the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can include more or fewer values, or be other sets of values; this application does not limit this.

[0396] As an example, this mapping ratio can be configured using the parameter beam-perRACH-Occasion. As another example, this mapping ratio can also be configured using other combined parameters, such as a combination of the mapping ratio and the number of preambles.

[0397] Based on the aforementioned fourth mapping rule, the mapping relationship between multiple beams associated with the first cell and multiple RO resources of the first cell can be determined. Furthermore, the first RO resource can be identified from the multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the identifier of the first SIB.

[0398] As described above, the first information may include one or more of the following: the mapping ratio between RO resources and beams, the fourth mapping rule, and the identifier of the first beam. If the mapping ratio between RO resources and beams is default or predefined, the first information may not include that mapping ratio. If the fourth mapping rule is default or predefined, the first information may not include the fourth mapping rule. If multiple mapping rules exist, the first information may indicate the fourth mapping rule.

[0399] In some embodiments, step S1920 above can be replaced by: determining the first RO resource from the multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the first information and the fifth mapping rule; wherein, the fifth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to the multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the identifier of the SSB and the beam identifier, and the multiple beams associated with the first cell include multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

[0400] For example, the fifth mapping rule may include mapping based on SSB identifiers and beam identifiers according to one or more of the following: the CB Preamble in each RO increments in the order of the preamble index; when RACH FDM is configured (i.e., there are multiple ROs in the frequency domain), it increments in the frequency domain index; when multiple ROs are configured in the PRACH time slot, it increments in the PRACH time slot index; when multiple PRACH time slots are configured, it increments in the PRACH time slot index.

[0401] In the process of mapping RO resources according to the above rules, both SSB identifier and beam identifier are considered, or in other words, the input parameters of the above rules include both SSB identifier and beam identifier.

[0402] As an example, RO resource mapping based on SSB identifiers and beam identifiers, according to the fifth mapping rule, can include: first mapping the three beams associated with SSB#0, then mapping the three beams associated with SSB#1, and so on. That is, mapping the multiple beams associated with each SSB is done first, followed by mapping each individual SSB. In this case, the SSB identifier and beam identifier jointly determine the mapping order of the multiple beams.

[0403] In some embodiments, the mapping between beams associated with an SSB and RO resources can be achieved based on the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources. The details regarding the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can be found in the preceding text and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0404] In some embodiments, step S1920 above can be replaced by: determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from multiple RO resources of the first cell; determining the first RO resource from the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB according to the first information and the sixth mapping rule; wherein the sixth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the beam identifier.

[0405] For example, determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from multiple RO resources in the first cell can follow the mapping rules in related technologies, thereby helping to reduce the degree of modification to the protocol and facilitating implementation. The configuration method for the range of values ​​for the mapping ratio between SSB and RO resources can follow the values ​​in related technologies.

[0406] For example, the mapping ratio between SSB and RO resources can be newly defined.

[0407] For example, the mapping ratio between SSBs and RO resources uses a default value to save on indication overhead. This default value can be determined based on the beam configuration in the first cell. For instance, if the number of beams associated with an SSB in the first cell is large, the default value will be smaller, such as one SSB corresponding to multiple RO resources; if the number of beams associated with an SSB in the first cell is small, the default value can be larger, such as one RO resource corresponding to multiple SSBs.

[0408] For example, the mapping ratio between SSB and RO resources can have multiple values, which can be flexibly configured according to the usage scenario. For instance, if there are many beams associated with an SSB in the first cell, a smaller mapping ratio between SSB and RO resources can be configured, such as one SSB corresponding to multiple RO resources; if there are few beams associated with an SSB in the first cell, a larger mapping ratio between SSB and RO resources can be configured, such as one RO resource corresponding to multiple SSBs.

[0409] It should be understood that, compared with the range of values ​​for the mapping ratio of SSB to RO resources mentioned in related technologies, the newly defined range of values ​​for the mapping ratio of SSB to RO resources may include more or less content, or may include completely different content, and this application does not limit this.

[0410] After determining the mapping relationship between SSB and RO resources, the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB can be determined based on the first SSB index. For ease of description, the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB is referred to as the second RO resource.

[0411] The first RO resource can be determined from the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB based on the first information and the sixth mapping rule. The sixth mapping rule may include one or more of the following: the CB Preamble in each RO is incremented according to the order of the preamble index; when RACH FDM is configured (i.e., there are multiple ROs in the frequency domain), it is incremented according to the frequency domain index; when multiple ROs are configured in the PRACH time slot, it is incremented according to the index within the PRACH time slot; when multiple PRACH time slots are configured, it is incremented according to the PRACH time slot index; when an SSB is configured with multiple beams, it is incremented according to the beam index.

[0412] Determining the first RO resource from the second RO resource according to the above rules may include: mapping the M beams associated with the first SSB onto the second RO resource, and determining the first RO resource based on the identifier of the first SSB.

[0413] In some embodiments, the M beams associated with the first SSB can be uniformly mapped onto the second RO resource. Taking the second RO resource as having 6 ROs and M = 3 as an example, the second RO resource can be evenly divided into 3 parts, each part corresponding to 2 ROs. Each beam associated with the first SSB can correspond to 2 ROs in the second RO resource. For example, the second RO resource (RO#0~RO#6) can be divided into (RO#0, RO#1), (RO#2, RO#3), and (RO#4, RO#5). Then, the 3 beams associated with the first SSB can be mapped sequentially to the above 3 parts of the RO resource according to the beam index, that is, the 3 beams (beam#0~beam#2) can correspond to (RO#0, RO#1), (RO#2, RO#3), and (RO#4, RO#5) respectively.

[0414] If the first beam is beam#1, then the first RO resource is RO#2 and RO#3 in the second RO resource.

[0415] When the second RO resource cannot be equally divided into M parts, the unequally divided RO resources can be excluded from RACH transmission. In the example above, if the second RO resource includes RO#0 to RO#7, then the three beams can be mapped sequentially to RO#0 to RO#6, and RO#7 can be excluded from RACH transmission. Alternatively, the three beams can be mapped sequentially to RO#1 to RO#7, and RO#0 can be excluded from RACH transmission. RO resources not used for RACH transmission are located at the beginning or end of the second RO resource, which helps reduce implementation complexity. Furthermore, in this case, the resources not used for RACH are relatively concentrated, facilitating scheduling and use, such as for other uplink data transmission. It should be understood that the position of the unequally divided RO resources within the second RO resource is merely illustrative and is not limited in this application.

[0416] If the multiple beams associated with the first SSB adopt the above-described uniform mapping method, then the first information may include the number of beams associated with the first SSB, i.e., M as described above.

[0417] In some embodiments, the first information may include the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources, which may include one-to-one mapping, one-to-many mapping, or many-to-one mapping, etc. Configuring multiple mapping ratios helps improve the flexibility of the system; for example, different mapping ratios can be configured in different scenarios or for different user needs.

[0418] For example, the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can be less than 1 (meaning one beam corresponds to multiple RO resources), equal to 1 (meaning one beam corresponds to one RO resource), or greater than 1 (one RO resource corresponds to multiple beams). For instance, the range of values ​​for the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can be 1 / 8, 1 / 6, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 6, or 16. It should be understood that the above ranges are merely illustrative, and the range of values ​​for the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources can include more or fewer values, or be other sets of values; this application does not limit this.

[0419] For example, considering that an SSB is associated with multiple beams, the mapping ratio between the SSB and RO resources can be smaller than the mapping ratio between the beams and RO resources, so as to ensure that each of the multiple beams has available RO resources.

[0420] For details regarding the mapping ratio between beams and RO resources, please refer to the previous introduction. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0421] As mentioned earlier, the first RO resource can be determined based on the beam identifier. The identifiers of multiple beams associated with a single SSB can be different, or the identifiers of multiple beams associated with a single cell can be different. In other words, the beam identifier can be an SSB-level identifier or a cell-level identifier.

[0422] For example, the beam index can be i×M+j, where i is the SSB index, M is the number of beams associated with an SSB, and j takes the value [0,M-1], representing the group number of the M beams associated with an SSB. Taking the first cell as an example with 8 SSBs, each SSB associated with 3 beams, i can take the value 0 to 7, M = 3, then the beam index value ranges from 0 to 23.

[0423] For example, the beam index can be 0 to (M-1), where M is the number of beams associated with an SSB.

[0424] In some embodiments, the RO resources within the mapping period of beams and RO resources can satisfy at least one mapping of multiple beams associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, there may be remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell, i.e., resources that cannot complete one mapping of multiple beams associated with the first cell.

[0425] For example, the remaining resources mentioned above may not be used for RACH transmission, but rather for the transmission of other uplink information, thereby contributing to the fairness of access for terminal devices with different beam coverage.

[0426] For example, the remaining resources can correspond to a portion of the multiple beams associated with the first cell; that is, the remaining resources can be further mapped to beams for RACH transmission. This scheme helps to improve access capacity.

[0427] Regarding the second RO resource, after completing an integer multiple of the mapping period for the multiple beams associated with the first SSB, there may be remaining resources in the second RO resource, i.e., resources that cannot complete a single mapping of multiple beams. These remaining resources may or may not be used for RACH transmission. For example, these remaining resources may correspond to a portion of the multiple beams; that is, after an integer multiple of the mapping period, these remaining resources can continue to be associated and mapped to a portion of the multiple beams.

[0428] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB. Alternatively, the first information may include a second parameter indicating the number of contention-based preambles that can be used by the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB. For example, the second parameter may be CB-PreamblesPerBeam.

[0429] For example, the number of preambles that the first SSB can use can be evenly distributed among the multiple beams associated with the first SSB. If the first SSB can use 60 preambles, then the three beams associated with the first SSB can each use 20 preambles. For example, the preambles that the three beams associated with the first SSB can use are 0-19, 20-39, and 40-59, respectively.

[0430] The different preambles associated with the first SSB help the network side determine the beam corresponding to the terminal device based on the received preamble.

[0431] After receiving the RACH, the network device can determine the beam covering the terminal device from among the multiple beams associated with the first SSB as the first beam, based on the first RO resource. The network device can then determine the beam for communication with the terminal device based on the first beam. The beam mentioned here can be the regional-level narrow beam mentioned earlier.

[0432] In some embodiments, the network device can determine the mapping relationship between multiple beams associated with the first cell and RO resources, or the mapping relationship between multiple beams associated with the first SSB and RO resources, based on the first information and one or more of the mapping rules described above. Further, the network device can determine the first beam based on the location of the first RO resource and the aforementioned mapping relationship.

[0433] The method for determining the mapping relationship between multiple beams associated with the first cell and RO resources, or the method for determining the mapping relationship between multiple beams associated with the first SSB and RO resources, is similar to the determination method mentioned above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0434] It should be understood that before determining the mapping relationship between multiple beams and RO resources, the RO resources of the first cell can be determined first, such as determining the RO resources of the first cell based on the PRACH configuration mentioned above.

[0435] For example, a first beam is determined based on first information, a fourth mapping rule, and a first RO resource; wherein the fourth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the beam identifier, and the multiple beams associated with the first cell include multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

[0436] For example, a first beam is determined based on first information, a fifth mapping rule, and a first RO resource; wherein the fifth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the identifier of the SSB and the beam identifier, and the multiple beams associated with the first cell include multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

[0437] For example, the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB is determined from multiple RO resources of the first cell; the first beam is determined according to the first information, the sixth mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein, the sixth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the beam identifier.

[0438] Optionally, the network device may determine the first beam based on the location of the first RO resource and the preamble used by the terminal device.

[0439] In some embodiments, the terminal device may carry the identifier of the first beam when initiating RACH. The network device can determine the regional narrow beam used to communicate with the terminal device based on the beam identifier sent by the terminal device, which helps to reduce the complexity of processing.

[0440] As an example, Figure 19 The method shown can be applied to Figure 6 In the relevant technical scenarios shown.

[0441] The following is based on Figure 6 Taking the technical scenario shown as an example, combined with Figure 21 The above methods are described by way of example.

[0442] Figure 21 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 21The steps shown may include steps 1 through 3.

[0443] Step 1: The network device transmits the first SSB using a wide beam.

[0444] The first SSB may include a PSS, an SSS, and a MIB-E, or the first SSB may include an SSB (including a PSS / SSS and a MIB, i.e., an SSB as defined in the relevant art) and a MIB-E. The MIB-E may carry information necessary for initiating random access, as well as first information. The first information may, for example, include the RO resource configuration of the narrow beam mentioned above and information about the coverage area of ​​the narrow beam. The RO resource configuration of the narrow beam may include the RO resource configuration of multiple beams associated with the first cell.

[0445] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB.

[0446] The terminal device can determine the narrow beam covering the terminal device, i.e., the first beam, based on the coverage area information of the narrow beam and the location information of the terminal device. Based on this first information, the RO resource corresponding to the narrow beam covering the terminal device, i.e., the first RO resource, is determined.

[0447] Step 2: The network device receives PRACH on the first RO resource, and correspondingly, the terminal device sends PRACH on the first RO resource.

[0448] Step 3: The network device sends an SIB-R to the terminal device. The network device can use the same regional-level narrow beam as the first beam (i.e.,...). Figure 21 2) The regional narrow beam in the middle performs the subsequent communication process.

[0449] It should be noted that the order of appearance of the steps in the embodiments described above in this application does not represent the order in which the steps are executed. The steps in the embodiments described above in this application can also be executed in other orders, all of which are within the protection scope of this application.

[0450] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, or may be combined with other features in certain scenarios. This application does not limit this.

[0451] The method embodiments provided in this application have been described above. The apparatus embodiments provided in this application will be described below. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0452] Figure 22 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 22 As shown, the communication device 2200 may include a communication unit 2210 and a processing unit 2220. The communication unit 2210 can implement corresponding communication functions, which can be internal communication within the communication device 2200 or communication between the communication device 2200 and other devices; the processing unit 2220 can implement corresponding processing functions. The communication unit 2210 may also be referred to as a communication interface or transceiver unit. Optionally, the communication device 2200 may further include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 2220 can read the instructions and / or data from the storage unit to enable the device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0453] It should be understood that the communication device 2200 may be a terminal device, or a module or chip that performs the functions of a terminal device.

[0454] Communication unit 2210 can be used to receive a first synchronization signal block (SSB), which is associated with multiple system message blocks (SIBs).

[0455] The communication unit 2210 is further configured to receive a first SIB among the plurality of SIBs according to the first SSB, wherein the first SSB or the first SIB carries first information, the first information being used to determine a first random access channel timing (RO) resource specific to the first SIB, and the coverage area of ​​the first SIB is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB.

[0456] Processing unit 2220 can be used to determine the first RO resource based on the first information.

[0457] Communication unit 2210 is also used to transmit random access channel RACH on the first RO resource.

[0458] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate the first RO resource; or the first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and the first information is used to indicate the RO resource corresponding to the SIB associated with the multiple SSBs.

[0459] In some embodiments, determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: determining the first RO resource from a plurality of RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and a first mapping rule; wherein the first mapping rule includes mapping a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell to a plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to SIB identifiers, and the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell include the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0460] In some embodiments, determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: determining the first RO resource from multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and a second mapping rule; wherein the second mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier, and the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0461] In some embodiments, determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from a plurality of RO resources of the first cell; determining the first RO resource from the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB based on the first information and a third mapping rule; wherein the third mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the SIB identifier.

[0462] In some embodiments, the RO resources within a mapping period satisfy at least one mapping of a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, the remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell correspond to a portion of the SIBs associated with the first cell, or the remaining resources are not used for the transmission of the RACH.

[0463] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB, wherein the contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB are different.

[0464] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifier of the first SIB, or the first information includes the identifier of the first SIB and the mapping ratio between the SIB and RO resources.

[0465] It should be understood that the communication device 2200 can be a network device, or a module or chip performing network device functions. The network device mentioned here can be, for example, a service network device for a terminal device. Optionally, the network device can be a non-terrestrial network device.

[0466] The communication unit 2210 can be used to send a first synchronization signal block (SSB), which is associated with multiple system message blocks (SIBs); send a first SIB among the multiple SIBs, wherein the first SSB and / or the first SIB carries first information, which is used to determine a first random access channel timing (RO) resource specific to the first SIB, and the coverage area of ​​the first SIB is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB; and receive a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource.

[0467] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate the first RO resource; or the first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB, and the first information is used to indicate the corresponding RO resource in the SIB associated with the plurality of SSBs.

[0468] In some embodiments, the processing unit 2220 may be configured to determine the first SIB based on the first information, the first mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein the first mapping rule includes mapping a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell to a plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the SIB identifier, and the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell include the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0469] In some embodiments, the processing unit 2220 may be configured to determine the first SIB based on the first information, the second mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein the second mapping rule includes mapping a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell to a plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier, and the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell include the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB.

[0470] In some embodiments, the processing unit 2220 may be configured to determine the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from a plurality of RO resources of the first cell; determine the first SIB according to the first information and the third mapping rule and the first RO resource; wherein the third mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the SIB identifier.

[0471] In some embodiments, the RO resources within a mapping period satisfy at least one mapping of a plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, the remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell correspond to a portion of the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell, or the remaining resources are not used for the transmission of the RACH.

[0472] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB, wherein the contention-based preambles corresponding to the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB are different.

[0473] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifier of the first SIB, or the first information includes the identifier of the first SSB and the mapping ratio of SIB and RO resources.

[0474] The following describes another possible implementation of the communication device 2200.

[0475] It should be understood that the communication device 2200 may be a terminal device, or a module or chip that performs the functions of a terminal device.

[0476] The communication unit 2210 can be used to receive a first synchronization signal block (SSB), which is associated with multiple beams. The first SSB carries first information, which is used to determine a first random access channel (RO) resource specific to the first beam among the multiple beams. The terminal device is located in the coverage area of ​​the first beam, and the coverage area of ​​the first beam is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB.

[0477] Processing unit 2220 can be used to determine the first RO resource based on the first information.

[0478] Communication unit 2210 can also be used to transmit a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource. The first information is used to indicate the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams. Determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: determining the first beam based on the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the location of the terminal device; and determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information. In some embodiments, the first information indicates the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams by one or more of the following: the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; the radius of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; the arrangement of the plurality of beams; the center position of the coverage area of ​​a reference beam; or the distance between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; the angle between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; wherein the reference beam is the first beam or one of the plurality of beams. In some embodiments, a first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB, and the step of determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam according to the first information includes: determining the first RO resource from the plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the first information and a fourth mapping rule; wherein, the fourth mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of beams associated with the first cell to the plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the beam identifier, and the plurality of beams associated with the first cell include the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB.

[0479] In some embodiments, a first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information includes: determining the first RO resource from the multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and a fifth mapping rule; wherein the fifth mapping rule includes mapping the multiple beams associated with the first cell to the multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the beam identifier, and the multiple beams associated with the first cell include the multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

[0480] In some embodiments, a first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB. Determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information includes: determining the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from the multiple RO resources of the first cell; determining the first RO resource from the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB based on the first information and a sixth mapping rule; wherein the sixth mapping rule includes mapping the multiple beams associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the beam identifier. It should be understood that the communication device 2200 can be a network device, or a module or chip performing network device functions. The network device mentioned herein can be, for example, a serving network device for a terminal device. Optionally, the network device can be a non-terrestrial network device.

[0481] The communication unit 2210 can be used to transmit a first synchronization signal block (SSB), which is associated with multiple beams. The first SSB carries first information, which is used to determine a first random access channel (RO) resource specific to the first beam among the multiple beams. The terminal device is located in the coverage area of ​​the first beam, and the coverage area of ​​the first beam is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB. The terminal device receives a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource.

[0482] In some embodiments, a first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB, and the processing unit 2220 may be used to determine the first beam according to the first information, the fourth mapping rule and the first RO resource; wherein, the fourth mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of beams associated with the first cell to the plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the beam identifier, and the plurality of beams associated with the first cell include the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB.

[0483] In some embodiments, a first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB, and the processing unit 2220 may be used to determine the first beam according to the first information, a fifth mapping rule, and the first RO resource; wherein, the fifth mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of beams associated with the first cell to the plurality of RO resources of the first cell according to the identifier of the SSB and the beam identifier, and the plurality of beams associated with the first cell include the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB.

[0484] In some embodiments, a first cell determined according to the received first SSB is associated with a plurality of SSBs, the plurality of SSBs including the first SSB. The processing unit 2220 may be configured to determine the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB from a plurality of RO resources of the first cell; determine the first beam according to the first information and the sixth mapping rule and the first RO resource; wherein the sixth mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB to the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB according to the beam identifier.

[0485] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to indicate the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams, the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams being used by the terminal device to determine the first beam.

[0486] In some embodiments, the first information indicates the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams by one or more of the following: the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; the radius of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; the arrangement of the plurality of beams; the center position of the coverage area of ​​a reference beam; or the distance between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; the angle of the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams relative to the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; wherein the reference beam is the first beam or one of the plurality of beams.

[0487] As an example, when the communication device 2200 is deployed on the terminal side, the communication unit needs to receive messages such as MIB-E, SSB, SIB1, or SIB19 sent by the network side. The processing unit is used to obtain RO resource configuration information from the received information, and then map and associate one SSB wide beam with N narrow RO resources, or associate N SIB narrow beams with N narrow RO resources, according to the RO resource configuration information. The terminal can then determine the corresponding RO resource based on its own SSB, MIB-E, SIB1, or SIB19, and send PRACH on that RO resource to access the network.

[0488] As an example, when the communication device 2200 is deployed on the network side, the communication unit can use a wide beam to transmit SSB / MIB-E, and / or use a narrow beam to transmit SIB1 / SIB19, and drive the transceiver to send corresponding system messages carrying RO resource configuration. Additionally, the communication unit can also receive access request messages sent by the terminal on the corresponding time-frequency resources according to the system message configuration, and then the processing unit will process the access request from the terminal device.

[0489] For details regarding the steps or processes executed by each unit in the communication device 2200, please refer to the descriptions in the corresponding methods; they will not be elaborated here.

[0490] It should be understood that the "unit" in communication device 2200 can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. For example, the "unit" can refer to application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuits, processors (e.g., shared processors, proprietary processors, or group processors) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuits, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. Furthermore, communication unit 2210 can be replaced by transceiver circuitry (e.g., including receiving and transmitting circuitry), and processing unit 2220 can be replaced by a processor or processing circuitry.

[0491] Figure 23 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 2300 can be a terminal device / network device, or a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., in the terminal device / network device that implements the above-described methods. This device 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.

[0492] The communication device 2300 may include one or more processors 2310, which can also be referred to as processing units, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 2310 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, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0493] In an alternative design, the processor 2310 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 2310 to cause the communication device 2300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0494] In another alternative design, the communication device 2300 may include a communication interface 2320 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 2320 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.

[0495] Optionally, the communication device 2300 may include one or more memories 2330, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 2310, causing the communication device 2300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 2330 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 2310 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 2310 and the memories 2330 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0496] 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 method 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.

[0497] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located 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 the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0498] 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.

[0499] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0500] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes performed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0501] This application also provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface, the interface being used to send and / or receive signals, causing the processor to execute the various steps or processes executed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0502] The above-described device and method embodiments are completely corresponding, with corresponding modules or units performing corresponding steps. For example, a communication unit or communication interface performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiment, while other steps besides sending and receiving can be performed by a processing unit or processor.

[0503] 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. The embodiments of this application do not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0504] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," etc., are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and components may be located on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable storage media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0505] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0506] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be based on the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0507] 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.

[0508] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0509] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0510] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0511] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, essentially or in other words, the parts that contribute to the prior art, or parts of the technical solutions, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0512] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive the first synchronization signal block SSB, which is associated with multiple system message blocks SIB; According to the first SSB, the first SSB is received from the plurality of SIBs, wherein the first SSB and / or the first SIB carries first information, the first information being used to determine the first random access channel timing (RO) resource specific to the first SIB, and the coverage of the first SIB is smaller than the coverage of the first SSB. The first RO resource is determined based on the first information; Send a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the first RO resource; or The first cell determined by the received first SSB is associated with multiple SSBs, including the first SSB, and the first information is used to indicate the RO resources corresponding to the SIBs associated with the multiple SSBs.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: The first RO resource is determined from multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and the first mapping rule; The first mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SIB identifier, wherein the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: The first RO resource is determined from multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and the second mapping rule; The second mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier, wherein the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: The RO resource corresponding to the first SSB is determined from the multiple RO resources of the first cell; The first RO resource is determined from the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB based on the first information and the third mapping rule; The third mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB to the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB according to the SIB identifier.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, Within a mapping period, the RO resources satisfy at least one mapping of the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, the remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell correspond to a portion of the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell, or the remaining resources are not used for the transmission of the RACH.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The first information is also used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB, wherein the contention-based preambles corresponding to the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB are different.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3-7, characterized in that, The first information includes the identifier of the first SIB, or the first information includes the identifier of the first SIB and the mapping ratio between the SIB and RO resources.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The terminal device receives a first synchronization signal block (SSB), which is associated with multiple beams. The first SSB carries first information, which is used to determine a first random access channel opportunity (RO) resource specific to the first beam among the multiple beams. The terminal device is located in the coverage area of ​​the first beam, and the coverage area of ​​the first beam is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB. The first RO resource is determined based on the first information; Send a random access channel (RACH) on the first RO resource.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams, and determining the first RO resource based on the first information includes: The first beam is determined based on the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the location of the terminal device; The first RO resource corresponding to the first beam is determined based on the first information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first information indicates the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams by one or more of the following: The center location of the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams; The radius of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; The arrangement of the multiple beams; The center location of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; or The distance between the center of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; The angle between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; The reference beam is either the first beam or one of the plurality of beams.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The first cell, determined based on the received first SSB, is associated with multiple SSBs, including the first SSB. The step of determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information includes: The first RO resource is determined from multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and the fourth mapping rule; The fourth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the beam identifier, wherein the multiple beams associated with the first cell include the multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and the step of determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information includes: The first RO resource is determined from multiple RO resources of the first cell based on the first information and the fifth mapping rule; The fifth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the beam identifier. The multiple beams associated with the first cell include the multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

14. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and the step of determining the first RO resource corresponding to the first beam based on the first information includes: The RO resource corresponding to the first SSB is determined from the multiple RO resources of the first cell; The first RO resource is determined from the RO resource corresponding to the first SSB based on the first information and the sixth mapping rule; The sixth mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB to the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB according to the beam identifier.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send a first synchronization signal block (SSB), which is associated with multiple system message blocks (SIBs). The first SIB among the plurality of SIBs is transmitted, wherein the first SSB and / or the first SIB carries first information, the first information being used to determine a first random access channel timing (RO) resource specific to the first SIB, and the coverage area of ​​the first SIB is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB. Receive random access channel RACH on the first RO resource.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the first RO resource; or The first cell determined by the received first SSB is associated with multiple SSBs, including the first SSB, and the first information is used to indicate the corresponding RO resources in the SIBs associated with the multiple SSBs.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first SIB is determined based on the first information, the first mapping rule, and the first RO resource; The first mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SIB identifier, wherein the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first SIB is determined based on the first information, the second mapping rule, and the first RO resource; The second mapping rule includes mapping multiple SIBs associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the SIB identifier, wherein the multiple SIBs associated with the first cell include the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB.

19. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The RO resource corresponding to the first SSB is determined from the multiple RO resources of the first cell; The first SIB is determined based on the first information, the third mapping rule, and the first RO resource; The third mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of SIBs associated with the first SSB to the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB according to the SIB identifier.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, Within a mapping period, the RO resources satisfy at least one mapping of the plurality of SIBs associated with the first cell. After an integer multiple of the mapping period, the remaining resources in the RO resources of the first cell correspond to a portion of the SIBs associated with the first cell, or the remaining resources are not used for the transmission of the RACH.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17-20, characterized in that, The first information is also used to determine the number of contention-based preambles corresponding to the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB, wherein the contention-based preambles corresponding to the multiple SIBs associated with the first SSB are different.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17-21, characterized in that, The first information includes the identifier of the first SIB, or the first information includes the identifier of the first SSB and the mapping ratio between the SIB and RO resources.

23. A communication method, characterized in that, include: A first synchronization signal block (SSB) is sent, which is associated with multiple beams. The first SSB carries first information, which is used to determine a first random access channel (RO) resource specific to the first beam among the multiple beams. The terminal device is located in the coverage area of ​​the first beam, and the coverage area of ​​the first beam is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the first SSB. Receive random access channel RACH on the first RO resource.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: associating a first cell determined by the received first SSB with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB; The first beam is determined based on the first information, the fourth mapping rule, and the first RO resource; The fourth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the beam identifier, wherein the multiple beams associated with the first cell include the multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

25. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and the method further includes: The first beam is determined based on the first information, the fifth mapping rule, and the first RO resource; The fifth mapping rule includes mapping multiple beams associated with the first cell to multiple RO resources of the first cell according to the SSB identifier and the beam identifier. The multiple beams associated with the first cell include the multiple beams associated with the first SSB.

26. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The first cell is associated with multiple SSBs, the multiple SSBs including the first SSB, and the method further includes: The RO resource corresponding to the first SSB is determined from the multiple RO resources of the first cell; The first beam is determined based on the first information, the sixth mapping rule, and the first RO resource; The sixth mapping rule includes mapping the plurality of beams associated with the first SSB to the RO resources corresponding to the first SSB according to the beam identifier.

27. The method according to any one of claims 23-26, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams, which is used by the terminal device to determine the first beam.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that, The first information indicates the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams by one or more of the following: The center location of the coverage area of ​​the multiple beams; The radius of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams; The arrangement of the multiple beams; The center location of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; or The distance between the center of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; The angle between the center position of the coverage area of ​​the plurality of beams and the center position of the coverage area of ​​the reference beam; The reference beam is either the first beam or one of the plurality of beams.

29. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-8, or units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 9-14.

30. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 15-22, or units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 23-28.

31. A 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 claimed in any one of claims 1-14 or any one of claims 15-28.

32. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes computer program instructions that cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-14 or any one of claims 15-28.

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