Communication method, electronic device, and communication system
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-11
AI Technical Summary
[0028] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by an electronic device, can implement any one of the methods of the first to the second aspects.
Smart Images
Figure CN122554980A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, electronic device and communication system. Background Technology
[0002] In new radio (NR) systems, especially in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) systems, communication can be achieved using both wide and narrow beams. A base station can use a wide beam to transmit signals to user equipment (UEs) within its coverage area, while UEs within that wide beam can use narrow beams within the same coverage area to transmit signals back to the base station. UEs must first successfully access the base station by sending a random access preamble (RA preamble) before the base station and UEs can exchange information using the selected narrow beam. Therefore, improving the performance of random access is a crucial technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention
[0003] This application provides a communication method, electronic device, and communication system that can improve the performance of random access.
[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving first information transmitted by a first base station through a first wide beam to one or more UEs, the first information being used to indicate narrow beam information corresponding to the first wide beam, the one or more UEs including the first UE;
[0005] Based on the location information of the first UE and the first information, the desired narrow beam is selected from multiple narrow beams within the coverage area of the first wide beam.
[0006] According to the first preamble index, a random access preamble is sent to the first base station through the first wide beam. The first preamble index is the preamble index corresponding to the desired narrow beam.
[0007] In the technical solution of this application, the UE sends the preamble based on the unique preamble index corresponding to the selected desired narrow beam when sending the preamble. This allows the base station to deduce the narrow beam index corresponding to the preamble index after receiving these preambles, thereby knowing which narrow beam(s) the UE recommends (desires).
[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first preamble index is a segment of preamble index in the first synchronization signal block (SSB), the first SSB is the SSB corresponding to the first wide beam, and the first SSB includes multiple preamble index segments; each of the multiple narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the multiple preamble index segments, and / or, any combination of two adjacent narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the multiple preamble index segments. In this implementation, the SSB corresponding to the wide beam is divided into multiple preamble index segments, each preamble index segment corresponding to one narrow beam and / or a combination of two adjacent narrow beams. Therefore, as long as the preamble index segment used to transmit the preamble is known, the desired narrow beam selected by the UE can be determined based on this mapping (correspondence) relationship.
[0009] In one example, the total length of the preamble index and / or the length of each preamble index segment is determined based on the number of narrow beams and the exhaustive number of narrow beams to be included. In this example, the total length of the preamble index and the length of each preamble index segment for each SSB can be determined based on the total number of narrow beams and the total number of possible narrow beam inclusions.
[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first information is used to indicate the center location information and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam; and / or, the first information is used to indicate the horizontal angle information, elevation angle information, and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam. In this implementation, by indicating the center and coverage of each narrow beam, the geographical area of the coverage of each narrow beam on the ground can be determined. The center of the narrow beam can be indicated by the center geographical location information, or by spatial angles such as horizontal and elevation angles.
[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, selecting a desired narrow beam from multiple narrow beams within the coverage area of the first wide beam, based on the location information of the first UE and the first information, includes: determining the relative positional relationship between the first UE and each of the multiple narrow beams based on the location information of the first UE; if the first UE is only within the coverage area of one narrow beam, determining that narrow beam as the desired narrow beam; or, if the first UE is within the coverage area of multiple narrow beams, determining the one or two narrow beams whose center positions are closest to the first UE among the multiple narrow beams covering the first UE as the desired narrow beam. This method achieves a progressive determination of the desired narrow beam; for those covered by only one narrow beam, it is directly determined; for those simultaneously within the coverage area of multiple narrow beams, it is further determined by combining the center distance, making it more accurate and reasonable.
[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the above method further includes: receiving second information sent by the first base station to the first UE through the first narrow beam, the second information carrying a random access preamble identifier (RAPID), the RAPID corresponding to the first narrow beam, the first narrow beam being determined by the first base station according to the desired narrow beam.
[0013] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first base station, the method comprising: sending first information to one or more UEs via a first wide beam, the first information being used to indicate narrow beam information corresponding to the first wide beam; upon receiving a first random access preamble sent by the first UE, determining a desired narrow beam corresponding to the first preamble index from a plurality of narrow beams within the coverage area of the first wide beam according to a first preamble index corresponding to the first random access preamble, wherein the one or more UEs includes the first UE.
[0014] The description of the relevant technical effects in the second aspect can be found in the relevant content in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.
[0015] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first preamble index is a segment of the preamble index in the first synchronization signal block (SSB), the first SSB is the SSB corresponding to the first wide beam, and the first SSB includes multiple preamble index segments; each of the multiple narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the preamble index segments, and / or, any combination of two adjacent narrow beams in the multiple narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the preamble index segments.
[0016] In one example, the total length of the preamble index and / or the length of each preamble index segment is determined based on the number of narrow beams and the exhaustive number of narrow beams desired.
[0017] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first information is used to indicate the center position information and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam; and / or, the first information is used to indicate the horizontal angle information, elevation angle information and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam.
[0018] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the above method further includes: sending second information to the first UE through the first narrow beam, the second information carrying a random access preamble identifier (RAPID), the RAPID corresponding to the first narrow beam, the first narrow beam being determined by the first base station according to the desired narrow beam.
[0019] In one example, if the desired narrow beam consists of only one narrow beam, the first narrow beam is that narrow beam; or, if the desired narrow beam consists of two adjacent narrow beams, the first narrow beam is one of those adjacent narrow beams.
[0020] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit consisting of software and / or hardware for performing any one of the methods of the first to second aspects.
[0021] Fourthly, an electronic device is provided, including a memory, one or more processors, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the one or more processors execute the computer program, the electronic device is enabled to implement any one of the methods of the first to second aspects.
[0022] The electronic device can be a user equipment or a network device. When the electronic device is used to perform the steps performed by the user equipment in any one of the methods of the first aspect to the second aspect, the electronic device can be a user equipment. When the electronic device is used to perform the steps performed by the first base station in any one of the methods of the first aspect to the second aspect, the electronic device can be a network device (here, the first base station).
[0023] Fifthly, a communication system is provided, including a user equipment (UE) and a base station; the UE is capable of performing the steps performed by the UE in any one of the methods of the first to the second aspects; the base station is capable of performing the steps performed by the first base station in any one of the methods of the first to the second aspects.
[0024] In a sixth aspect, a chip is provided, including a processor for reading and executing a computer program stored in a memory, wherein when the computer program is executed by the processor, the electronic device in which the chip resides is able to implement any one of the methods of the first aspect to the second aspect.
[0025] Optionally, the chip also includes a memory electrically connected to the processor.
[0026] Optionally, the chip may also include a communication interface.
[0027] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program, which, when executed by an electronic device, can implement any one of the methods of the first to second aspects.
[0028] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by an electronic device, can implement any one of the methods of the first to the second aspects. Attached Figure Description
[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application.
[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application.
[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a method for mapping preamble indices to narrow beams one by one by segmentation, according to an embodiment of this application.
[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another method in this application for mapping preamble indices to narrow beams one by one by segmentation.
[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application.
[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0035] The embodiments of this application will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the satellite communication system in this scenario includes at least one satellite device and at least one user equipment (UE). For example, at least one satellite device includes satellites 1 to n, where n is a positive integer; at least one UE includes UE1 and UE2. It should be understood that in actual communication scenarios, there is no limitation on the specific number of devices included, nor on the specific type of UE.
[0037] Figure 1 Taking the example that each satellite includes an on-board base station deployed on that satellite, for example, satellite 1 includes base station 1, and satellite n includes base station n.
[0038] It should be understood that on-board base stations can also be other types of network equipment, as long as they can be used for satellite communication.
[0039] The communication system can be a fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), sixth-generation (6G), or long-term evolution (LTE) network that supports satellite communication scenarios.
[0040] In this application embodiment, the network device may include access network (AN) equipment and radio access network (RAN) equipment. The access network equipment, such as a base station (e.g., an access point), can refer to a device in the access network that communicates with a wireless terminal device via one or more cells over the air interface. For example, it can be an evolved Node B (NodeB, eNB, or e-NodeB), or it may include a next-generation node B (gNB) or a next-generation evolved node B (ng-eNB) or an enhanced next-generation node B (gNB) in a 5G system. It may also include centralized units (CU) and distributed units (DU) in a cloud radio access network (Cloud RAN) system, or various nodes or base stations in a 6G system. The network device may also be a mobility management entity (MME), or it may be an access and mobility management function in a 5G system. Functions, AMFs, etc., will not be listed one by one.
[0041] User equipment, also known as terminal equipment, can include mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops, XR terminals, in-vehicle terminals, etc. XR terminals can also include virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, and mixed reality (MR) terminals.
[0042] Figure 1 In a satellite communication scenario, there is at least one wide-beam coverage area on the ground, and each wide-beam coverage area includes several narrow-beam coverage areas. Here, we take wide-beam 1 through wide-beam 3 as examples. Taking wide-beam 1 as an example, its coverage area includes four narrow-beam coverage areas: narrow-beam 1 through narrow-beam 4. Therefore, for a given UE, based on its geographical location, it can be inferred which wide-beam(s) and / or narrow-beam coverage area it is within, or which beam's coverage area it is closest to. For example... Figure 1As shown, UE1 is within the coverage area of wide beam 1 and narrow beam 3, while UE2 is within the coverage area of wide beam 3. However, it should be understood that this application does not limit the number or coverage area of wide and narrow beams.
[0043] Assuming wide beam 1 is the wide beam corresponding to base station 1, base station 1 can send signals to all UEs within its coverage area through wide beam 1. UEs within wide beam 1 can send signals to base station 1 through one or more narrow beams within wide beam 1. In this communication scenario, assume base station 1 first broadcasts information A to all UEs within its coverage area through wide beam 1. This information A can be used to indicate narrow beam information (information of the narrow beams within wide beam 1). Assuming UE1 receives information A and, based on information A and its own geographical location information, determines to communicate with base station 1 using narrow beam 3, then UE1 will send a random access preamble (information B) to base station 1 to attempt to access base station 1. After successful access, base station 1 and UE1 will communicate through narrow beam 3. The transmission of the random access preamble directly affects the success rate of access. UE1 must not only send the random access preamble but also inform base station 1 that UE1 intends to access narrow beam 1 to avoid base station 1 being unsure which narrow beam to choose for subsequent communication with UE1.
[0044] To improve the performance of random access, this application proposes a novel scheme. By pre-establishing a mapping relationship between preamble indices and beam indices, the UE transmits the random access preamble according to the preamble index, implicitly carrying the beam index. This allows the base station, upon receiving the preamble, to determine which narrow beam the UE intends to use based on the mapping relationship, and subsequently utilize that narrow beam for communication with the UE. In this scheme, the UE does not need to explicitly carry the narrow beam identification information when transmitting the preamble; that is, it does not need to carry the random access preamble identity (RAPID). Instead, it only needs to transmit the preamble using the preamble index corresponding to the selected narrow beam. This allows the base station to lock onto the narrow beam selected by the UE based on the mapping relationship upon receiving the preamble transmitted by the UE. The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying figures, further illustrates this approach.
[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 The method shown can be understood as explaining the solution of this application from the perspective of the interaction between the first base station and the first UE. The first base station can be an on-board base station deployed on any of the aforementioned satellites, and the first UE can be any UE within the wide beam coverage area corresponding to the first base station.
[0046] S201. The first base station sends first information to one or more UEs through a first wide beam, wherein the one or more UEs includes the first UE.
[0047] The first information is used to indicate the narrow beam information corresponding to the first wide beam.
[0048] In one implementation, the first piece of information is a system message, such as a system information block (SIB).
[0049] In another implementation, the first information is used to indicate the center location and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam; and / or, the first information is used to indicate the horizontal angle and elevation angle of each narrow beam in the first wide beam. In this implementation, by indicating the center and coverage area of each narrow beam, the geographical area of the coverage area of each narrow beam on the ground can be determined. The center of the narrow beam can be indicated by the center geographical location information, or by spatial angles such as horizontal and elevation angles.
[0050] Location information can be in the form of latitude and longitude or geographic coordinates, without any limitations. Coverage information can be, for example, the coverage radius. However, it should be understood that other methods can also be used to indicate the coverage area, such as the circumference of a circle, although the coverage radius is simpler and more direct.
[0051] The first base station could be, for example, Figure 1 If any base station from base station 1 to base station n is selected, then the first wide beam is the wide beam corresponding to the first base station, and the one or more UEs are the UEs within the coverage area of the first wide beam.
[0052] The first UE receives the first information through the first wide beam.
[0053] S202, the first UE determines the desired narrow beam from multiple narrow beams within the coverage area of the first wide beam based on the first information.
[0054] In this application, the first UE mainly selects the desired narrow beam based on its own location information (the location information of the first UE) and the first information.
[0055] A desired narrow beam may include one narrow beam or multiple narrow beams. In existing communication scenarios, a desired narrow beam usually includes one narrow beam or two narrow beams.
[0056] In one implementation, step S202 may include: determining the relative positional relationship between the first UE and each of the plurality of narrow beams based on the location information of the first UE; and selecting the desired narrow beam based on the relative positional relationship.
[0057] In one example, if the first UE is only within the coverage area of one narrow beam, that narrow beam is identified as the desired narrow beam; or, if the first UE is within the coverage area of multiple narrow beams, the one or two narrow beams whose centers are closest to the first UE among the multiple narrow beams covering the first UE are identified as the desired narrow beam. This method achieves a progressive determination of the desired narrow beam: it directly determines the desired narrow beam if it is only covered by one narrow beam, and further determines it based on the center distance if it is simultaneously within the coverage area of multiple narrow beams, making it more accurate and reasonable.
[0058] In another example, the first UE identifies the narrow beam whose center is closest to the first UE among multiple narrow beams as the desired narrow beam. This method allows the first UE to select only one narrow beam as the desired narrow beam, making it simple and easy to implement.
[0059] It should also be understood that since the size of the UE is limited, when the UE is covered by multiple narrow beams, these narrow beams must be adjacent to each other, otherwise they cannot cover the same UE at the same time.
[0060] S203. The first UE sends the first random access preamble to the first base station through the first wide beam according to the first preamble index.
[0061] The first base station continuously receives random access preambles according to preset rules. During this period, it can receive the first random access preamble. After receiving the first random access preamble, it can parse the desired narrow beam index from it, that is, know the desired narrow beam selected by the first UE.
[0062] In one implementation, the first preamble index is a segment of the preamble index within the first synchronization signal block (SSB). The first SSB corresponds to the SSB of the first wide beam and includes multiple preamble index segments. Each of the multiple narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the preamble index segments, and / or, any combination of two adjacent narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the preamble index segments. In this implementation, the SSB corresponding to the wide beam is divided into multiple preamble index segments, each corresponding to one narrow beam and / or a combination of two adjacent narrow beams. Therefore, knowing which preamble index segment was used to transmit the preamble allows the UE to determine its desired narrow beam based on this mapping (correspondence).
[0063] The following text Figure 3 and Figure 4 This can be seen as an example of the above implementation method.
[0064] However, it should be understood that if the UE can only recommend one narrow beam at a time, then each SSB only needs to divide the preamble index corresponding to each narrow beam, and there is no need to consider how to indicate the combination of two narrow beams.
[0065] In one example, the total length of the preamble index and / or the length of each preamble index segment is determined based on the number of narrow beams and the exhaustive number of narrow beams to be included. In this example, the total length of the preamble index and the length of each preamble index segment for each SSB can be determined based on the total number of narrow beams and the total number of possible narrow beam inclusions.
[0066] The term "exhaustive count" refers to the number of possible configurations of the desired narrow beam. For example, if the desired narrow beam includes only one narrow beam, the exhaustive count is the number of narrow beams included in the wide beam. If the desired narrow beam can include one or more narrow beams, then the exhaustive count is the sum of the number of narrow beams included in the wide beam and the exhaustive count of each combination of these narrow beams according to the number of narrow beams the desired narrow beam can include. (Refer to the following text...) Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 The corresponding number of exhaustive searches is 4. Figure 4 The corresponding exhaustive search count is 8.
[0067] S204. The first base station determines the desired narrow beam according to the first random access preamble.
[0068] Upon receiving the first random access preamble sent by the first UE, the desired narrow beam corresponding to the first preamble index is determined from multiple narrow beams within the coverage area of the first wide beam, based on the first preamble index corresponding to the first random access preamble, wherein the first UE is included among one or more UEs.
[0069] Since the preamble index and the narrow beam index have a mutually known mapping relationship, the first base station can infer the desired narrow beam based on the preamble index of these preambles after receiving the preamble.
[0070] It should also be understood that in this application, the mapping relationship needs to be known to both parties in advance. For example, assuming that in the current wide and narrow beam communication scenario, each wide beam includes 4 narrow beams, and each UE can recommend 1 or 2 narrow beams, then it can be agreed as follows: Figure 4As shown in (c), each SSB includes 8 preamble indices, each corresponding to either one narrow beam or a combination of two narrow beams. This mapping rule can be backed up and stored separately on both the UE and the base station sides. Following this agreed-upon mapping rule, the UE implicitly informs the base station of the recommended narrow beam, while the base station learns the recommended narrow beam by parsing the preamble indices.
[0071] After the first base station determines the desired narrow beam, it can use any one of the narrow beams (e.g., the first narrow beam) to conduct subsequent information interaction with the first UE. This can be understood as establishing a communication connection between the first base station and the first UE using the first narrow beam, thereby enabling the two to conduct subsequent communication through the first narrow beam.
[0072] S205. The first base station sends second information to the first UE through a first narrow beam, wherein the first narrow beam is any narrow beam corresponding to the desired narrow beam.
[0073] In other words, the first narrow beam is determined based on the desired narrow beam.
[0074] The second information is any information other than the first information. It can be seen that the second information is not transmitted via broadcast, and is transmitted through a narrow beam rather than a wide beam. The second information may carry a random access preamble identity (RAPID), which corresponds to the first narrow beam.
[0075] Since the desired narrow beam can include one or more narrow beams, if the desired narrow beam includes one narrow beam, the base station can directly use that narrow beam for communication. If the desired narrow beam includes multiple narrow beams, the base station also needs to select one of them for communication.
[0076] In one implementation, if the desired narrow beam includes only one narrow beam, the first narrow beam is that narrow beam; or, if the desired narrow beam includes two adjacent narrow beams, the first narrow beam is one of those adjacent narrow beams. In this implementation, when the desired narrow beam has only one narrow beam, that narrow beam is the first narrow beam; when the desired narrow beam has two narrow beams, one of the two options is chosen.
[0077] When making a selection, the first base station can be selected based on the number of UEs currently covered by the two narrow beams, or whether it has been occupied by UEs, or how many UEs have already used it.
[0078] The first UE receives the second information through the first narrow beam.
[0079] Figure 2 The method shown mainly involves sending a preamble based on the unique preamble index corresponding to the selected desired narrow beam when the UE sends the preamble. This allows the base station to deduce the narrow beam index corresponding to the preamble index after receiving these preambles, thereby knowing which narrow beam(s) the UE recommends (desires).
[0080] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a method for mapping preamble indices to narrow beams one by one by segmentation, according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 The method shown obtains the preamble index, enabling the user equipment to implicitly carry narrow beam indication information when sending the preamble. Figure 3 Take the example of a beam that is expected to consist of only a narrow beam.
[0081] like Figure 3 As shown in (a), it is assumed that the wide beam #0 contains four narrow beams, namely narrow beam #0 to narrow beam #3. However, it should be understood that the number of narrow beams contained in each wide beam can be other than that in the current NR NTN system. It is only based on the current NR NTN system that a wide beam contains four narrow beams. In other existing or future communication systems, there may be other numbers of narrow beams. There is no limitation. Figure 3 For example, the UE may only suggest one narrow beam.
[0082] like Figure 3 As shown in (a), assume UE1 is within the coverage area of narrow beam #0. When UE1 receives the first information sent by the base station corresponding to wide beam #0 to multiple UEs within wide beam #0, it can determine narrow beam #0 as the desired narrow beam based on the narrow beam information indicated by the first information (information of the four narrow beams in wide beam #0) and the location information of UE1. The explanation of the first information can be found above and will not be repeated here.
[0083] like Figure 3 As shown in (b), each random access occasion (RA occasion) is 64 bits (0-63) and includes four synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). Each SSB corresponds to a wide beam; here, SSB#0 corresponds to wide beam #0 as an example. Each SSB can include a range of available contention-based preamble indices, allowing preambles to be transmitted under different preamble indices.
[0084] A single RA occasion can use up to 64 bits as the RA preamble index.
[0085] Below is an example of RA preamble and SSB.
[0086]
[0087]
[0088] As can be seen from the code above, 1-63 in this example are all random access preambles, and the SSB can be of type enumeration (ENUMERATED) or int (INTEGER), etc. Figure 3 In the example shown, ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB can be represented as ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-Preambles PerSSB:4,10, meaning that each RA occasion includes 4 SSBs, and 10 bits in each SSB are the available preambles index, and so on. Figure 4 In the example shown, ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB can be represented as ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB:4,16, meaning that each RA occasion includes 4 SSBs, and 16 bits in each SSB are the available Preambles index.
[0089] In this application, the available preamble index range in each SSB is divided into N segments, with each segment corresponding to a narrow beam index, thus establishing a mapping relationship between the narrow beam index and the preamble index. Therefore, when a UE selects any preamble index to send an RA preamble, the base station can, upon receiving the RA preamble sent by the UE, deduce the corresponding narrow beam index based on the preamble indexes of these RA preambles, thereby determining the UE's desired narrow beam.
[0090] like Figure 3 As shown in (b), the first 10 bits of each SSB are taken as the available preamble index range, based on... Figure 3 In the scenario shown in (a), each wide beam comprises four narrow beams. Therefore, the first 10 bits of each SSB are divided into four segments, each segment corresponding to a narrow beam index, thus obtaining... Figure 3 The division shown in (c) is as follows. Figure 3As shown in (c), the first 10 bits of SSB#0 are divided into 4 segments: 0-1, 2-3, 4-6, and 7-8. Segment 0-1 corresponds to narrow beam #0. Figure 3 In section (c), it is represented as beam#0), and sections 2-3 correspond to narrow beam #1. Figure 3 In (c), it is represented as beam#1), and segments 4-6 correspond to narrow beam #2. Figure 3 In (c), it is represented as beam#2), and segments 7-8 correspond to narrow beam #3. Figure 3 (c) is represented as beam#3). Figure 3 As shown in (a), the desired narrow beam determined by UE1 is narrow beam #0, and the corresponding preamble index range is segment 0-1 of SSB#0. Therefore, when UE1 transmits the RA preamble, it can use segment 0-1 of the SSB#0 preamble index to transmit the RA preamble. Assuming... Figure 3 In case (a), there is another UE2 within the coverage area of narrow beam #2. Therefore, when UE2 receives the first information sent by the base station through wide beam #0, it determines that narrow beam #2 is the desired narrow beam. Figure 3 In section (c), it can be determined that the corresponding preamble index range is segment 4-6 of SSB#0. Therefore, when UE2 sends the RA preamble to the base station, it can use the preamble index segment 4-6 of SSB#0 to send the RA preamble.
[0091] like Figure 3 As shown in (c), the segmentation does not necessarily have to be even. As long as it can be divided into N relatively uniform segments based on the maximum range of preamble index available for each SSB, the number of N matches the number of narrow beams contained in the wide beam corresponding to that SSB.
[0092] Figure 3 SSB#1-SSB#3 correspond to other wide beams, which are similar to wide beam #0 and will not be described in detail here.
[0093] It should also be understood that Figure 3 This example assumes the UE will only recommend one narrow beam, meaning the UE's desired narrow beam only includes one narrow beam. However, in real-world scenarios, there might be situations where the UE's desired narrow beam includes multiple narrow beams. The following section will discuss this further. Figure 4 Please provide an explanation.
[0094] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another method in this application for mapping preamble indices to narrow beams one by one by segmentation. Figure 3The method shown obtains the preamble index, enabling the user equipment to implicitly carry narrow beam indication information when sending the preamble. Figure 4 Take, for example, the desired beam consisting of two adjacent narrow beams.
[0095] To facilitate understanding the solution, Figure 4 Adopted with Figure 3 For similar wide-beam scenarios, the same content can be referenced. Figure 3 I will not go into details.
[0096] like Figure 4 As shown in (a), UE1 is within the coverage area of narrow beam #0 and narrow beam #3, and is near the boundary of the coverage area of narrow beam #2. Assuming that when UE1 receives the first information sent by the base station corresponding to wide beam #0 to multiple UEs within wide beam #0, it can determine narrow beam #0 and narrow beam #3 as the desired narrow beams based on the narrow beam information indicated by the first information (information of the four narrow beams in wide beam #0) and the location information of UE1.
[0097] like Figure 4 As shown in (b), the available preamble index range for each SSB is defined as the range from 0 to 15. Based on the assumption that each wide beam includes four narrow beams, and considering the UE's recommended expectation that the narrow beam includes one narrow beam or two adjacent narrow beams, the available preamble index range for each SSB is divided into eight segments, each corresponding to either one narrow beam or a combination of adjacent narrow beams, as shown below. Figure 4 As shown in (c).
[0098] like Figure 4 As shown in (c), the first 16 bits of SSB#0 are divided into 8 segments: 0-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, and 14-15. Segment 0-1 corresponds to narrow beam #0. Figure 4 In section (c), it is represented as beam#0), and sections 2-3 correspond to narrow beam #1. Figure 4 In (c), it is represented as beam#1), and segments 4-5 correspond to narrow beam #2. Figure 4 In (c), it is represented as beam#2), and segments 6-7 correspond to narrow beam #3. Figure 4 In section (c), denoted as beam #3, segments 8-9 correspond to the combination of narrow beam #0 and narrow beam #1 (that is, segments 8-9 correspond to the adjacent narrow beams #0 and #1), segments 10-11 correspond to the combination of narrow beam #1 and narrow beam #2, segments 12-13 correspond to the combination of narrow beam #2 and narrow beam #3, and segments 14-15 correspond to the combination of narrow beam #3 and narrow beam #0. (Combined...) Figure 4As shown in (a), UE1 determines the desired narrow beam as the adjacent narrow beams #0 and #3. The corresponding preamble index range is segments 14-15 of SSB#0. Therefore, when UE1 transmits the RA preamble, it can use segments 14-15 of the SSB#0 preamble index to transmit the RA preamble. Assuming... Figure 4 In case (a), there is another UE2 that is only within the coverage area of narrow beam #2. Therefore, when UE2 receives the first information sent by the base station through wide beam #0, it determines that narrow beam #2 is the desired narrow beam. Figure 4 From (c), we can determine that the corresponding preamble index range is segment 4-5 of SSB#0. Therefore, when UE2 sends the RA preamble to the base station, it can use segment 4-5 of the SSB#0 preamble index to send the RA preamble. Assume... Figure 4 In case (a), there is another UE3 within the coverage area of narrow beam #2 and narrow beam #3. When UE3 receives the first information sent by the base station through wide beam #0, it determines that narrow beam #2 and narrow beam #3 are the desired narrow beams. Figure 4 In section (c), it can be determined that the corresponding preamble index range is segment 12-13 of SSB#0. Therefore, when UE3 sends RA preamble to the base station, it can use segment 12-13 of SSB#0 as the preamble index to send RA preamble.
[0099] SSB#1-SSB#3 correspond to other wide beams, similar to SSB#0, and will not be described in detail here.
[0100] Compare Figure 3 and Figure 4 It can be seen that the range of preamble indices identified as available in each SSB has changed, due to... Figure 3 Each time, only one narrow beam needs to be implicitly indicated, and each wide beam only includes 4 narrow beams. Therefore, the first 10 bits are used (but it should be understood that the range of 0-7 or other suitable ranges can also be used; there is no limitation). Figure 4 Each time, it may be necessary to implicitly indicate one narrow beam, or it may be necessary to implicitly indicate two narrow beams, so the first 15 bits of each SSB were selected. When segmenting, it is also sufficient to divide it into relatively uniform N segments based on the maximum range of preamble indexes available for each SSB, and the number of N matches the total number of narrow beams that need to be implicitly indicated and their possible combinations.
[0101] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4It can be seen that the number of narrow beams contained in each wide beam, as well as the desired number of beams, will affect the range of bits selected in the SSB as the preamble index, and also affect the segmentation of the preamble index range. This is because it is necessary to ensure that after segmentation, each narrow beam (or each combination of adjacent narrow beams) can uniquely correspond to only one segment of the preamble index. It should also be understood that... Figure 3 and Figure 4 This is merely an example of the scheme in this application. There are no limitations on the specific values involved, such as the number of narrow beams contained in each wide beam, the length of each preamble index, etc., which will not be listed one by one.
[0102] The methods of the embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts of the above embodiments are shown sequentially, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order shown in the figures. Unless explicitly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some steps in the flowcharts of the above embodiments may include multiple steps or multiple stages. These steps or stages are not necessarily completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be performed alternately or in turn with other steps or at least a portion of the steps or stages of other steps. The apparatus of the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0103] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the device 1000 includes a transceiver unit 1001 and a processing unit 1002. The device 1000 can be a user equipment or network device, such as the UE and base station described above; it can also be integrated into the user equipment or network device. The device 1000 can be used to perform the steps of any of the methods described above.
[0104] When the device 1000 is used to implement the functions implemented by the user equipment in any of the above methods, the device 1000 can be used to execute the steps executed by the user equipment in any of the above methods. For example, the transceiver unit 1001 can be used to execute steps S201, S203, and S205, and the processing unit 1002 can be used to execute step S202. When the device 1000 is used to implement the functions implemented by the first base station in any of the above methods, the device 1000 can be used to execute the steps executed by the first base station in any of the above methods. For example, the transceiver unit 1001 can be used to execute steps S201, S203, and S205, and the processing unit 1002 can be used to execute step S204. Other cases will not be listed one by one.
[0105] Device 1000 can also be used to perform Figure 3 and Figure 4 The steps for determining the preamble index range and segmentation are not repeated here.
[0106] In one implementation, the device 1000 may further include a storage unit for storing relevant data. This storage unit may be integrated into any of the aforementioned units, or it may be a unit independent of all the aforementioned units.
[0107] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 As shown, the device 2000 includes a processor 2001 and an interface circuit 2002. The processor 2001 and the interface circuit 2002 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 2002 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 2000 may also include a memory 2003 for storing instructions executed by the processor 2001, or storing input data required by the processor 2001 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 2001 executes instructions.
[0108] When the communication device 2000 is used to implement any of the methods described above, the processor 2001 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1002, and the interface circuit 2002 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1001.
[0109] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a user equipment (UE), the UE chip implements the functions of the UE in the above method embodiments. The UE chip receives information from the network device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the UE, and then sent to the UE chip by these modules. The UE chip sends information to the network device, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the UE, and then sent to the network device by these modules.
[0110] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from the user equipment, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent to the network device chip by these modules. The network device chip sends information to the user equipment, which can be understood as the information being forwarded to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent to the user equipment by these modules.
[0111] The processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.
[0112] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of this application. For details on their specific functions and technical effects, please refer to the method embodiments section, and they will not be repeated here.
[0113] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments 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. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.
[0114] This application also provides an electronic device, comprising: one or more processors, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors. When the one or more processors execute the computer program, the electronic device enables the electronic device to implement the steps in any of the above methods. When the electronic device is used to execute the steps performed by a user equipment in the above methods, the electronic device is a user equipment; when the electronic device is used to execute the steps performed by a network device in the above methods, the electronic device is that network device. That is, the electronic device can be the aforementioned UE, the first MME, or the first satellite, respectively used to execute the steps required by each of the three.
[0115] This application also provides a communication system including a user equipment (UE), a first mobility management entity (MME), and a first satellite; the UE is capable of performing the steps performed by the UE in any of the above methods; the first MME is capable of performing the steps performed by the first MME in any of the above methods; and the first satellite is capable of performing the steps performed by the first satellite in any of the above methods.
[0116] The first satellite may include a second MME and a first base station, which are used to perform the steps executed by the second MME and the first base station in any of the above methods, respectively.
[0117] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by an electronic device, can implement the steps in the above-described method embodiments.
[0118] Computer-readable media can include at least: any entity or device capable of carrying computer program code to a photographic / electronic device, recording media, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution media. Examples include USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, or optical discs. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media cannot be electrical carrier signals or telecommunication signals.
[0119] This application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when executed by an electronic device, can implement the steps described in the various method embodiments above. The computer program includes computer program code, which may be in the form of source code, object code, executable file, or some intermediate form.
[0120] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.
[0121] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples 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 implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.
[0122] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus / device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus / device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or 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.
[0123] 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.
[0124] It should be understood that, when used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or a collection thereof.
[0125] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.
[0126] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0127] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.
[0128] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. A communication method applied to a first user equipment (UE), characterized in that, include: The system receives first information transmitted by a first base station to one or more UEs via a first wide beam. The first information is used to indicate narrow beam information corresponding to the first wide beam, and the one or more UEs include the first UE. Based on the location information of the first UE and the first information, a desired narrow beam is selected from multiple narrow beams within the coverage area of the first wide beam. According to the first preamble index, a random access preamble is sent to the first base station through the first wide beam, wherein the first preamble index is the preamble index corresponding to the desired narrow beam.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first preamble index is a segment of the preamble index in the first synchronization signal block SSB. The first SSB is the SSB corresponding to the first wide beam. The first SSB includes multiple segments of the preamble index. Each of the plurality of narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the preamble index in the plurality of preamble indexes, and / or, any combination of two adjacent narrow beams in the plurality of narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the preamble index in the plurality of preamble indexes.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The total length of the multiple preamble index segments and / or the length of each preamble index segment are determined based on the number of the multiple narrow beams and the exhaustive number of the desired narrow beams.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the center position information and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam; and / or, the first information is used to indicate the horizontal angle information, elevation angle information and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam.
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The step of selecting a desired narrow beam from multiple narrow beams within the coverage area of the first wide beam, based on the location information of the first UE and the first information, includes: The relative positional relationship between the first UE and each of the plurality of narrow beams is determined based on the position information of the first UE. If the first UE is only within the coverage area of a narrow beam, then that narrow beam is determined as the desired narrow beam; or, When the first UE is within the coverage area of multiple narrow beams, the one or two narrow beams whose center positions are closest to the first UE among the multiple narrow beams covering the first UE are determined as the desired narrow beams.
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives second information sent by the first base station to the first UE through a first narrow beam. The second information carries a random access preamble identifier (RAPID), which corresponds to the first narrow beam. The first narrow beam is determined by the first base station based on the desired narrow beam. 7.A communication method applied to a first base station, the method comprising: include: First information is sent to one or more UEs via a first wide beam, the first information being used to indicate narrow beam information corresponding to the first wide beam; Upon receiving a first random access preamble sent by a first UE, a desired narrow beam corresponding to the first preamble index is determined from a plurality of narrow beams within the coverage area of the first wide beam, based on the first preamble index corresponding to the first random access preamble, wherein the first UE is included among the one or more UEs.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first preamble index is a segment of the preamble index in the first synchronization signal block SSB. The first SSB is the SSB corresponding to the first wide beam. The first SSB includes multiple segments of the preamble index. Each of the plurality of narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the preamble index in the plurality of preamble indexes, and / or, any combination of two adjacent narrow beams in the plurality of narrow beams corresponds to a segment of the preamble index in the plurality of preamble indexes.
9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The total length of the multiple preamble index segments and / or the length of each preamble index segment are determined based on the number of the multiple narrow beams and the exhaustive number of the desired narrow beams.
10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the center position information and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam; and / or, the first information is used to indicate the horizontal angle information, elevation angle information and coverage information of each narrow beam in the first wide beam.
11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second information sent to the first UE via the first narrow beam carries a random access preamble identifier (RAPID), which corresponds to the first narrow beam. The first narrow beam is determined by the first base station based on the desired narrow beam.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein, When the desired narrow beam includes only one narrow beam, the first narrow beam is that narrow beam; or, when the desired narrow beam includes two adjacent narrow beams, the first narrow beam is one of the adjacent narrow beams.
13. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: one or more processors, and memory; The memory is coupled to the one or more processors, the memory being used to store computer program code, the computer program code including computer instructions, the one or more processors invoking the computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.
14. A communication system, characterized by The communication system includes a first base station and one or more user equipment (UEs), wherein the one or more UEs include a first UE, the first base station is used to perform the steps performed by the first base station in the method of any one of claims 1 to 12, and the first UE is used to perform the steps performed by the first UE in the method of any one of claims 1 to 12.
15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.