A communication method and device

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a 5G communication system or a 6G communication system for supporting a higher data rate than a 4G communication system such as long term evolution (LTE). According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a communication method and apparatus are provided. In one example aspect, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system is provided, including: receiving a downlink reference signal; obtaining, based on the downlink reference signal, first uplink configuration information related to a first uplink signal and / or a first uplink signal resource for requesting a first system information block, the first uplink configuration information including first information indicating whether the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource is used for requesting random access; transmitting the first uplink signal; receiving, based on the first information, the first system information block, or receiving the first system information block and a random access response.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication, and more specifically, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Given the successive generations of wireless communication development, these technologies have primarily been developed for human-oriented services such as voice calls, multimedia services, and data services. With the commercialization of 5th-generation (5G) communication systems, the number of connected devices is expected to grow exponentially. These will increasingly connect to communication networks. Examples of the Internet of Things (IoT) can include vehicles, robots, drones, home appliances, displays, smart sensors connected to various infrastructures, construction machinery, and factory equipment. Mobile devices are expected to evolve in various forms, such as augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, and holographic devices. Efforts are underway to develop improved 6G communication systems to provide a wide range of services by connecting hundreds of billions of devices and things in the sixth-generation (6G) era.

[0003] The 6G communication system, expected to be commercially available around 2030, will offer significant improvements in all aspects compared to existing 5G systems. Its peak speed will reach at least 50 Gbit / s, user experience speed will reach at least 300 Mbit / s, air interface latency will be less than 1 ms, and air interface reliability will reach 10... -5 In addition to the basic communication indicators mentioned above, 6G communication systems will also have sensing capabilities, AI-related capabilities, and better security, interoperability, and sustainability.

[0004] To achieve the aforementioned performance indicators in 6G communication systems, more advanced air interface and network technologies are needed. Currently, the evolution of extreme multiple input multiple output (MIMO) is being considered, including the use of very large-scale antenna arrays, the development and evolution of distributed antenna systems, and the design of MIMO air interface algorithms assisted by artificial intelligence (AI). This technology can achieve higher spectral efficiency, greater coverage, and more precise positioning and sensing capabilities. Furthermore, technologies that contribute to improving high-frequency coverage, such as metamaterial-based lenses and antennas, novel antenna architectures, and reconfigurable intelligence surfaces (RIS), also require further evolution and development.

[0005] To meet the new functions added to the 6G communication system, it is necessary to develop new technologies in areas such as network energy saving, air interface security, and network security, and at the same time, it is necessary to study the feasibility of integrated technologies such as communication and sensing integration.

[0006] In addition, to improve spectrum efficiency and overall network performance, the following technologies have been developed for 6G communication systems: full-duplex technology to enable uplink and downlink transmissions to use the same frequency resources simultaneously; network technologies that utilize satellites, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), etc., in a comprehensive manner; improved network architecture to support mobile base stations, etc., and to enable network operation optimization and automation; dynamic spectrum sharing technology based on spectrum usage prediction and conflict avoidance; the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in wireless communication to improve overall network operation by utilizing AI from the design phase of 6G development and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions; and next-generation distributed computing technologies that overcome the computing power limitations of user equipment (UE) by leveraging ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources (such as mobile edge computing (MEC), cloud, etc.) achievable on the network. Furthermore, efforts are continuing to enhance connectivity between devices, optimize networks, promote the software-defined networking of network entities, and increase the openness of wireless communications by designing new protocols to be used in 6G communication systems, developing mechanisms for achieving hardware-based secure environments and secure data use, and developing technologies for maintaining privacy.

[0007] The research and development of 6G communication systems, encompassing hyper-connectivity for both person-to-machine (P2M) and machine-to-machine (M2M) interactions, is expected to deliver the next wave of hyper-connected experiences. Specifically, services such as truly immersive extended reality (XR), high-fidelity mobile holograms, and digital replicas are anticipated to be provided through 6G communication systems. Furthermore, services such as remote surgery for enhanced security and reliability, industrial automation, and emergency response will be available via 6G communication systems, enabling the technology to be applied across a wide range of sectors including industry, healthcare, automotive, and home appliances. Summary of the Invention

[0008] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a method executed by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0009] Receive downlink reference signal;

[0010] Based on the downlink reference signal, first uplink configuration information related to the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource used to request the first system information block is obtained. The first uplink configuration information includes first information indicating whether the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource is used to request random access.

[0011] Send the first uplink signal;

[0012] Based on the first information, receive the first system information block, or receive the first system information block and a random access response.

[0013] In one implementation, the downlink reference signal includes first configuration information, which includes information related to resources used to receive the first uplink configuration information.

[0014] Obtaining the first uplink configuration information includes: receiving the first uplink configuration information based on the first configuration information.

[0015] In one implementation, when the downlink reference signal includes state information indicating that the network is in a first state, the UE receives the first uplink configuration information based on the first configuration information.

[0016] In one implementation, if the downlink reference signal does not include state information indicating that the network is in a first state, the UE receives the first system information block based on the first configuration information.

[0017] In one implementation, the first uplink configuration information is included in the downlink reference signal.

[0018] In one implementation, the downlink reference signal is a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SSB), and the first uplink configuration information is included in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) of the SSB.

[0019] In one implementation, the SSB also includes state information indicating whether the network is in a first state.

[0020] When the status information indicates that the network is in a first state, the UE receives first uplink configuration information according to the PBCH resources corresponding to the first state.

[0021] In one implementation, the first portion of the downlink reference signal includes state information indicating whether the network is in a first state, and the first uplink configuration information is included in the second portion of the downlink reference signal.

[0022] The first part and the second part are frequency-division multiplexed on the same time domain resources, or time-division multiplexed on the same frequency domain resources.

[0023] In one implementation, the second part includes at least two sub-parts, which are frequency-division multiplexed or time-division multiplexed with the first part.

[0024] In one implementation, obtaining the first uplink configuration information includes:

[0025] Receive second downlink information related to the first uplink configuration information.

[0026] The second downlink information includes third information indicating the first uplink configuration information, or

[0027] The second downlink information includes scheduling information for the downlink channel used to receive the first uplink configuration information.

[0028] The third information indicates one of a plurality of first uplink configuration information.

[0029] In one implementation, the downlink reference signal includes first configuration information.

[0030] Wherein, when the status information indicates that the network is in a first state, the UE receives the second downlink information according to the first configuration information.

[0031] Wherein, when the status information indicates that the network is not in the first state, the UE receives the first system information block according to the first configuration information.

[0032] In one implementation, the downlink channel is a physical downlink shared channel including a second system information block, wherein the information bits carried by the second system information block are less than the information bits carried by the first system information block.

[0033] In one implementation, the method further includes: sending a third uplink signal to request the first uplink configuration information.

[0034] In one implementation, the downlink reference signal includes state information indicating whether the network is in a first state;

[0035] Specifically, when the status information indicates that the network is in a first state, the UE sends the third uplink signal.

[0036] In one implementation, the UE transmits the first uplink signal based on a first reference time unit and a first time offset.

[0037] The first reference time unit is related to the time unit at which the UE receives the first uplink configuration information.

[0038] The first time offset is determined based on the first uplink configuration information, or it is predetermined or pre-configured.

[0039] In one implementation, the method further includes:

[0040] Based on the first information, first uplink resource configuration information related to the first uplink signal resource used to send the first uplink signal is obtained, wherein if the first information indicates that the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource is used to request random access, then the first uplink resource configuration information is the resource configuration information in the first resource configuration information; otherwise, the first uplink resource configuration information is the resource configuration information in the second resource configuration information, or

[0041] If the first information indicates that the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource is used to request random access, then the first uplink resource configuration information is the third resource configuration information corresponding to the first parameter set; otherwise, the first uplink resource configuration information is the third resource configuration information corresponding to the second parameter set.

[0042] In one implementation, when the first information indicates that the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource is used to request random access:

[0043] The first uplink resource configuration information includes configuration information for a resource group, wherein the resource group includes the first uplink resource and the second uplink resource of the second uplink signal.

[0044] The second uplink signal corresponds to the uplink signal in the Type 2 random access process.

[0045] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a method executed by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0046] Receive a first system information block, the first system information block includes configuration information of a resource group, the resource group includes a first uplink resource for requesting a first uplink signal for random access and a second uplink resource for a second uplink signal, the second uplink signal corresponding to the uplink signal in type 2 random access;

[0047] Based on the configuration information of the resource group, message A in type 2 random access is sent. Message A includes a first uplink signal and a second uplink signal.

[0048] The first uplink signal and the second uplink resource are associated within the resource group.

[0049] In one implementation, the location of the resource group is determined based on the resource location of the received downlink reference signal, as well as a first time offset and / or a first frequency offset.

[0050] The first time offset is determined based on the index information of the downlink reference signal.

[0051] The first frequency offset is determined based on the cell ID.

[0052] In one implementation, the frequency domain starting position of the resource group is the lowest frequency position among the first uplink resource and the second uplink resource.

[0053] In one implementation, the configuration information of the resource group includes information for indicating a pattern of the resource group.

[0054] In one implementation, the pattern of the resource group includes at least one of the following:

[0055] This includes a first uplink resource and a second uplink resource;

[0056] This includes one primary uplink resource and multiple secondary uplink resources;

[0057] This includes multiple first uplink resources and one second uplink resource;

[0058] This includes multiple first uplink resources and multiple second uplink resources.

[0059] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a method executed by a network-side device in a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0060] Send downlink reference signal and first uplink configuration information, the first uplink configuration information being related to a first uplink signal and / or first uplink signal resources for requesting a first system information block, the first uplink configuration information including first information indicating whether the first uplink signal and / or first uplink signal resources are used to request random access;

[0061] Receive the first uplink signal;

[0062] Based on the first information, send the first system information block, or send the first system information block and a random access response.

[0063] In one implementation, the downlink reference signal includes first configuration information, which includes information related to resources used to receive the first uplink configuration information.

[0064] In one implementation, when the downlink reference signal includes state information indicating that the network is in a first state, the first uplink configuration information is received based on the first configuration information.

[0065] In one implementation, if the downlink reference signal does not include state information indicating that the network is in a first state, the first system information block is received based on the first configuration information.

[0066] In one implementation, the first uplink configuration information is included in the downlink reference signal.

[0067] In one implementation, the downlink reference signal is a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SSB), and the first uplink configuration information is included in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) of the SSB.

[0068] In one implementation, the SSB also includes state information indicating whether the network is in a first state.

[0069] When the status information indicates that the network is in a first state, first uplink configuration information is received according to the PBCH resources corresponding to the first state.

[0070] In one implementation, the first portion of the downlink reference signal includes state information indicating whether the network is in a first state, and the first uplink configuration information is included in the second portion of the downlink reference signal.

[0071] The first part and the second part are frequency-division multiplexed on the same time domain resources, or time-division multiplexed on the same frequency domain resources.

[0072] In one implementation, the second part includes at least two sub-parts, which are frequency-division multiplexed or time-division multiplexed with the first part.

[0073] In one implementation, the first uplink configuration information is obtained based on the second downlink information.

[0074] The second downlink information includes third information indicating the first uplink configuration information, or

[0075] The second downlink information includes scheduling information for the downlink channel used to receive the first uplink configuration information.

[0076] The third information indicates one of a plurality of first uplink configuration information.

[0077] In one implementation, the downlink reference signal includes first configuration information.

[0078] Specifically, when the status information indicates that the network is in a first state, the second downlink information is received according to the first configuration information.

[0079] Wherein, if the status information indicates that the network is not in the first state, the first system information block is received according to the first configuration information.

[0080] In one implementation, the downlink channel is a physical downlink shared channel including a second system information block, wherein the information bits carried by the second system information block are less than the information bits carried by the first system information block.

[0081] In one implementation, the method further includes: receiving a third uplink signal for requesting the first uplink configuration information.

[0082] In one implementation, the downlink reference signal includes state information indicating whether the network is in a first state;

[0083] Specifically, when the status information indicates that the network is in the first state, the third uplink signal is sent.

[0084] In one implementation, the first uplink signal is transmitted based on a first reference time unit and a first time offset.

[0085] The first reference time unit is related to the time unit in which the first uplink configuration information is received.

[0086] The first time offset is determined based on the first uplink configuration information, or it is predetermined or pre-configured.

[0087] In one implementation, when the first information indicates that the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource is used to request random access:

[0088] The first uplink resource configuration information includes configuration information for a resource group, wherein the resource group includes the first uplink resource and the second uplink resource of the second uplink signal.

[0089] The second uplink signal corresponds to the uplink signal in the Type 2 random access process.

[0090] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a method executed by a network-side device in a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0091] Based on the first configuration information, a first system information block is sent. The first system information block includes configuration information of a resource group. The resource group includes a first uplink resource for requesting a first uplink signal for random access and a second uplink resource for a second uplink signal. The second uplink signal corresponds to the uplink signal in type 2 random access.

[0092] Receive message A in type 2 random access based on the configuration information of the resource group, wherein message A includes a first uplink signal and a second uplink signal.

[0093] The first uplink signal and the second uplink resource are associated within the resource group.

[0094] In one implementation, the location of the resource group is determined based on the resource location of the downlink reference signal transmitted by the network side and received, as well as a first time offset and / or a first frequency offset.

[0095] The first time offset is determined based on the index information of the downlink reference signal.

[0096] The first frequency offset is determined based on the cell ID.

[0097] In one implementation, the frequency domain starting position of the resource group is the lowest frequency position among the first uplink resource and the second uplink resource.

[0098] In one implementation, the configuration information of the resource group includes information for indicating a pattern of the resource group.

[0099] In one implementation, the pattern of the resource group includes at least one of the following:

[0100] This includes a first uplink resource and a second uplink resource;

[0101] This includes one primary uplink resource and multiple secondary uplink resources;

[0102] This includes multiple first uplink resources and one second uplink resource;

[0103] This includes multiple first uplink resources and multiple second uplink resources.

[0104] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a user equipment (UE) in a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0105] A transceiver is configured to transmit and / or receive signals;

[0106] A controller is configured to control the UE to perform the method described according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0107] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a network-side device in a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0108] A transceiver is configured to transmit and / or receive signals;

[0109] The controller is configured to control the network-side device to perform the method described according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0110] To gain a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like parts:

[0111] Figure 1An example wireless network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0112] Figure 2 An example base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0113] Figure 3a An example user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0114] Figure 3b A schematic diagram of a four-step random access process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0115] Figure 3c A schematic diagram of the frequency domain resource group is shown;

[0116] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a method according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0117] Figures 5-6 A schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a UE and a cell according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0118] Figures 7-9 A schematic diagram showing the time-frequency domain relative position of the time-frequency resource group and the downlink reference signal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is provided.

[0119] Figures 10-25 Various example diagrams of time-frequency resource group patterns according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0120] Figures 26-28 The second part of the downlink reference signal is shown in a schematic diagram;

[0121] Figure 29 A schematic diagram of the structure of a user equipment according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0122] Figure 30 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network-side device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0123] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is provided to aid in a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of this disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. This description includes various specific details to aid understanding but should be considered exemplary only. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted.

[0124] The terms and wording used in the following description and claims are not limited to their dictionary meanings, but are merely used by the inventors to enable a clear and consistent understanding of this disclosure. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of this disclosure is for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the purpose of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0125] It should be understood that the singular forms of “one,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, the reference to “component surface” includes one or more such surfaces.

[0126] The terms “comprising” or “may include” refer to the presence of a corresponding disclosed function, operation, or component that may be used in the various embodiments of this disclosure, rather than limiting the presence of one or more additional functions, operations, or features. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” or “having” may be interpreted as indicating certain characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof, but should not be construed as excluding the possibility of the presence of one or more other characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0127] The term "or" as used in the various embodiments of this disclosure includes any of the listed terms and all combinations thereof. For example, "A or B" may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

[0128] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this disclosure (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as understood by one of those skilled in the art as described herein. Common terms as defined in dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context in the relevant technical field and should not be interpreted ideally or overly formally unless expressly defined in this disclosure.

[0129] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5th Generation (5G), or New Radio (NR), etc. Furthermore, the technical solutions of this application can be applied to future-oriented communication technologies.

[0130] Before proceeding with the following detailed description, it may be advantageous to define certain words and phrases used throughout the patent literature. The term “connection” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, regardless of whether those elements are physically in contact with each other. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and “transmit,” and their derivatives encompass both direct and indirect communication. The terms “comprise” and “include,” and their derivatives mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is concurrent, meaning both and / or. The phrase “associated with,” and its derivatives mean including, being included in, interconnected with, containing, being contained within, connected to or connected with, coupled to or coupled with, able to communicate with, cooperate with, intertwine, juxtapose, proximate, bound to or bound with, having, possessing attributes, having a relationship with, or having a relationship with, etc. The term “controller” means any device, system, or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller may be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software and / or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller, whether local or remote, can be centralized or distributed. The phrase "at least one" when used to list items means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items can be used, and it is possible that only one item in the list is needed. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C; A and B; A and C; B and C; and only A, only B, and only C. Similarly, the term "set" means one or more. Therefore, a set of items can be a single item or a set of two or more items.

[0131] Furthermore, the various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each function being formed by computer-readable program code and embodied in a computer-readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, associated data, or portions thereof suitable for implementation in appropriate computer-readable program code. The phrase "computer-readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase "computer-readable medium" includes any type of medium accessible by a computer, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of storage. "Non-transitory" computer-readable media excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transmit transient electrical or other signals. Non-transitory computer-readable media includes media in which data can be permanently stored and media such as rewritable optical discs or erasable memory devices in which data can be stored and later rewritten.

[0132] Definitions for certain other words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in many, if not the most, instances, such definitions apply to both prior and future use of the words and phrases defined in this way.

[0133] The figures and various embodiments included herein, used to illustrate the principles of this disclosure, are merely illustrative and should not be construed in any way as limiting the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged wireless communication system.

[0134] The following Figures 1 to 30 Various embodiments of this disclosure implemented in wireless communication systems are described. Figure 1 The description up to Figure 3 does not imply any physical or architectural limitations on the ways in which different embodiments can be implemented. Different embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged communication system.

[0135] Figure 1 An example wireless network according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 1 The embodiments of the wireless network shown are for illustrative purposes only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0136] like Figure 1As shown, the wireless network includes a base station (next generation nodeB, gNB or gNodeB) 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103. gNB 101 communicates with gNB 102 and gNB 103. gNB 101 also communicates with at least one network 130 such as the Internet, Internet Protocol (IP) networks, or other data networks.

[0137] gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 to multiple first user equipments (UEs) within coverage area 120 of gNB 102. The multiple first UEs include UE 111, which may be located in a small business (SB); UE 112, which may be located in an enterprise (E); UE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); UE 114, which may be located in a first residence (R1); UE 115, which may be located in a second residence (R2); and UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M) such as a cellular phone, wireless laptop, or wireless personal digital assistant (PDA). gNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 to multiple second UEs within coverage area 125 of gNB 103. The multiple second UEs include UE 115 and UE 116, and subscriber stations (SS, such as UEs) 117, 118, and 119. In some embodiments, one or more of gNBs 101 and 103 may communicate with each other and UE 111116 using existing wireless communication technologies, and one or more of UEs 111 and 119 may communicate directly with each other (e.g., UE 117 and 119) using other existing or proposed wireless communication technologies.

[0138] Depending on the network type, the term "base station" or "BS" can refer to any component (or set of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as a transmit point (TP), transmit-receive point (TRP), enhanced (or "evolved") base station (eNodeB or eNB), 5G base station (gNB), macro cell, femtocell, wireless fidelity (WiFi) access point (AP), or other wireless-capable devices. A base station can provide wireless access according to one or more wireless communication protocols, such as 3GPP 5G new radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE A), high-speed packet access (HSPA), WiFi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. For convenience, various names for base station type devices and functions may be used interchangeably in this patent document to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. Furthermore, depending on the network type, the term "User Equipment" (UE) can refer to any component such as a mobile station (MS), user station (SS), remote terminal, wireless terminal, receiving point, or user device. For convenience, various names for user equipment type devices and functions may be used interchangeably in this patent document to refer to remote wireless devices that wirelessly access the BS regardless of whether the UE is a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or smartphone) or is generally considered a fixed device (such as a desktop computer or vending machine).

[0139] The dashed lines indicate the approximate extent of coverage areas 120 and 125, which are shown as roughly circular for illustrative and explanatory purposes only. It should be clearly understood that coverage areas such as 120 and 125 associated with the gNB can have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending on the configuration of the gNB and variations in the wireless environment associated with natural and man-made obstacles.

[0140] As described in more detail below, one or more of UEs 111 and 119 include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more of gNBs 101 and 103 include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof.

[0141] although Figure 1 An example of a wireless network is shown, but more can be found on... Figure 1Various modifications can be made. For example, wireless network 100 can include any number of gNBs and any number of UEs in any suitable arrangement. Furthermore, gNB 101 can communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access to network 130. Similarly, each gNB 102 or 103 can communicate directly with network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadband access to network 130. Additionally, gNBs 101, 102, and / or 103 can provide access to other or additional external networks, such as external telephone networks or other types of data networks.

[0142] Figure 2 An example base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 The embodiment of gNB 102 shown is for illustrative purposes only, and Figure 1 gNBs 101 and 103 can have the same or similar configurations. However, gNBs come in a variety of configurations, and Figure 2 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope to any particular implementation of gNB.

[0143] like Figure 2 As shown, gNB 102 includes multiple antennas 200a 200n, multiple radio frequency (RF) transceivers 201a 201n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 203, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 204. gNB 102 also includes a controller / processor 205, a memory 206, and a backhaul or network interface 207.

[0144] RF transceivers 201a and 201n receive incoming RF signals, such as signals transmitted by the UE in network 100, from antennas 200a and 200n. RF transceivers 201a and 201n down-convert the incoming RF signals to generate intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signal is sent to RX processing circuitry 204, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. RX processing circuitry 204 sends the processed baseband signal to controller / processor 205 for further processing.

[0145] TX processing circuit 203 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, web data, email, or interactive video game data) from controller / processor 205. TX processing circuit 203 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. RF transceivers 201a and 201n receive the processed baseband or IF signal from TX processing circuit 203 and up-convert the baseband or IF signal into an RF signal transmitted via antennas 201a and 201n.

[0146] The controller / processor 205 may include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the gNB 102. For example, the controller / processor 205 may control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceivers 201a 201n, the RX processing circuit 204, and the TX processing circuit 203, according to known principles. The controller / processor 205 may also support additional functions, such as more advanced wireless communication capabilities.

[0147] For example, the controller / processor 205 can support beamforming or directional routing operations, where outgoing signals from multiple antennas 200a 200n are weighted differently to effectively redirect the outgoing signals in the desired direction. Any of a variety of other functions can be supported in the gNB 102 via the controller / processor 205.

[0148] The controller / processor 205 is also capable of executing programs and other processes located in the memory 206, such as the operating system (OS). The controller / processor 205 can move data into or out of the memory 206 as needed by the executing process.

[0149] The controller / processor 205 is also connected to a backhaul or network interface 207. The backhaul or network interface 207 allows the gNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems via a backhaul connection or over a network. Interface 207 can support communication via any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). For example, when the gNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as a cellular communication system supporting 5G, LTE, or LTE A), interface 207 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate with other gNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the gNB 102 is implemented as an access point, interface 207 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate via a wired or wireless local area network or via a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as the Internet). Interface 207 includes any suitable structure that supports communication via wired or wireless connections such as Ethernet or RF transceivers.

[0150] Memory 206 is connected to controller / processor 205. A portion of memory 206 may include random access memory (RAM), and another portion of memory 206 may include flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0151] although Figure 2 An example of gNB 102 is shown, but it is possible to see more. Figure 2 Various changes can be made. For example, gNB 102 can include any number of Figure 2 Each component is shown in the diagram. As a specific example, an access point may include multiple interfaces 207, and the controller / processor 205 may support routing functionality to route data between different network addresses. As another specific example, although shown as a single instance of TX processing circuitry 203 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 204, gNB102 may include multiple instances of each (such as one per RF transceiver). For example, Figure 2 The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added as needed.

[0152] Figure 3a An example user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3a The embodiment of UE 116 shown is for illustrative purposes only, and Figure 1 UEs 111, 115, 117, and 119 can have the same or similar configurations. However, UEs appear in multiple configurations, and Figure 3a This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope to any particular implementation of the UE.

[0153] like Figure 3a As shown, UE 116 includes an antenna 301, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 302, a TX processing circuit 303, a microphone 304, and a receive (RX) processing circuit 305. UE 116 also includes a speaker 306, a controller or processor 307, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 308, an input device 309, a touchscreen display 310, and memory 311. Memory 311 includes an OS 312 and one or more applications 313.

[0154] RF transceiver 302 receives incoming RF signals transmitted by gNB of network 100 from antenna 301. RF transceiver 302 down-converts the incoming RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to RX processing circuitry 305, which generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. RX processing circuitry 305 sends the processed baseband signals to speaker 306 (e.g., for voice data) or processor 307 for further processing (e.g., for web browsing data).

[0155] TX processing circuit 303 receives analog or digital voice data from microphone 304 or other outgoing baseband data (such as web data, email, or interactive video game data) from processor 307. TX processing circuit 303 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. RF transceiver 302 receives the processed baseband or IF signal from TX processing circuit 303 and up-converts the baseband or IF signal into an RF signal transmitted via antenna 301.

[0156] Processor 307 may include one or more processors or other processing devices and executes OS 312 stored in memory 311 to control the overall operation of UE 116. For example, processor 307 may control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by RF transceiver 302, RX processing circuitry 305, and TX processing circuitry 303 according to known principles. In some embodiments, processor 307 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0157] Processor 307 is also capable of executing other processes and programs located in memory 311, such as processes for CSI reporting on the uplink channel. Processor 307 can move data into or out of memory 311 as needed for executing processes. In some embodiments, processor 307 is configured to execute application 313 based on OS 312 or in response to signals received from gNB or operator. Processor 307 is also coupled to I / O interface 308, which provides UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices such as laptops and laptops. I / O interface 308 is the communication path between these accessories and processor 307.

[0158] The processor 307 is also connected to the touchscreen display 310. The user of the UE 116 can use the touchscreen display 310 to input data into the UE 116. The touchscreen display 310 can be a liquid crystal display, a light-emitting diode display, or other display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics such as those from a website.

[0159] Memory 311 is connected to processor 307. A portion of memory 311 may include RAM, and another portion of memory 311 may include flash memory or other ROM.

[0160] although Figure 3a An example of UE 116 is shown, but it is possible to modify it. Figure 3a Make various changes. For example, Figure 3a The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added as needed. As a specific example, processor 307 can be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Moreover, although... Figure 3a The UE 116 is shown configured as a mobile phone or smartphone, but the UE can be configured to operate as other types of mobile or fixed devices.

[0161] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0162] The text and accompanying drawings are provided by way of example only to aid the reader in understanding this disclosure. They are not intended and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Although certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, based on the content disclosed herein, that changes may be made to the illustrated embodiments and examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0163] Those skilled in the art will understand that, unless specifically stated otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the,” and “the” used herein may also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the term “comprising” as used in this application means the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that when we say an element is “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. Furthermore, “connected” or “coupled” as used herein can include wireless connections or wireless coupling. The term “and / or” as used herein includes all or any units and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0164] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have the same meaning as in the context of the prior art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless specifically defined as herein.

[0165] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "terminal" and "terminal device" as used herein include both devices that receive wireless signals, devices that only possess wireless signal receiver capabilities without transmission capabilities, and devices with receiving and transmitting hardware, devices that have receiving and transmitting hardware capable of bidirectional communication over a bidirectional communication link. Such devices may include: cellular or other communication devices having a single-line display, a multi-line display, or a cellular or other communication device without a multi-line display; PCS (Personal Communications Service) that can combine voice, data processing, fax, and / or data communication capabilities; PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) that may include a radio frequency receiver, pager, Internet / intranet access, web browser, notepad, calendar, and / or GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver; and conventional laptop and / or handheld computers or other devices that have and / or include radio frequency receivers. As used herein, "terminal" or "terminal device" can be portable, transportable, installed in a means of transportation (air, sea, and / or land), or suitable and / or configured to operate locally, and / or in a distributed manner, operating in any other location on Earth and / or in space. "Terminal" or "terminal device" as used herein can also be a communication terminal, an internet access terminal, or a music / video playback terminal, such as a PDA, a MID (Mobile Internet Device), and / or a mobile phone with music / video playback capabilities, or a smart TV, set-top box, etc.

[0166] Without departing from the scope of this invention, the term "send" in this invention may be used interchangeably with "transmit," "report," "notification," etc.

[0167] The text and accompanying drawings are provided by way of example only to aid the reader in understanding this disclosure. They are not intended and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Although certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, based on the content disclosed herein, that changes may be made to the illustrated embodiments and examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0168] Transmissions in a wireless communication system include: transmission from the base station (gNB) to the user equipment (UE) (referred to as downlink transmission), and the corresponding time slot is called downlink time slot; transmission from the UE to the base station (referred to as uplink transmission), and the corresponding time slot is called uplink time slot.

[0169] In wireless communication systems, such as LTE or NR, a 2-step or 4-step random access procedure is used to establish a link between the device and the base station. The base station periodically sends synchronization signals and broadcast channels to the user via a synchronization signal block (SSB, PBCH block, or first downlink reference signal). This period is called the synchronization signal block period (SSB periodicity) or synchronization signal block group period (SSB burstperiodicity). Simultaneously, the base station configures a physical random access channel configuration period (PRACH configuration period), within which a certain number of random access transmission opportunities (also called random access opportunities, PRACH transmission occasions, RO) are configured.

[0170] In New Radio (NR) communication systems, the performance of random access directly impacts user experience before radio resource control is established, such as during the random access process. In traditional wireless communication systems, such as LTE and LTE-Advanced, or in 5G or NR systems, random access is applied to various scenarios, including initial link establishment, cell handover, uplink re-establishment, and RRC connection reconstruction. It is categorized into contention-based random access and contention-free random access based on whether users exclusively possess preamble resources. In contention-based random access, multiple users may choose the same preamble sequence from the same preamble resource during uplink link establishment, potentially leading to multiple users sending the same preamble sequence to the base station. Therefore, conflict resolution mechanisms are a crucial research area in random access. Reducing the probability of conflicts and quickly resolving existing conflicts are key indicators affecting random access performance.

[0171] Figure 3b A schematic diagram of a four-step random access procedure according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, a contention-based random access procedure is divided into four steps, such as... Figure 3bAs shown. In the first step, the UE randomly selects a preamble sequence from the preamble sequence (which can also be interchangeably referred to as "preamble code" in this document) resource pool and sends it to the base station. The base station performs correlation detection on the received signal to identify the preamble sequence sent by the UE. In the second step, the base station sends a Random Access Response (RAR) to the UE. The RAR may contain a random access preamble sequence identifier, a timing advance instruction determined based on the delay estimation between the UE and the base station, a Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI), and / or time-frequency resources allocated for the UE's next uplink transmission (time-frequency resources can refer to time-domain resources and / or frequency-domain resources). The UE searches for the PDCCH carrying this feedback based on the RAR-RNTI associated with the timing of sending the random access preamble sequence. The RA-RNTI associated with the PRACH timing (e.g., RO) for transmitting the random access preamble sequence can be based on the index of the first OFDM symbol of the PRACH timing, the index of the first time slot of the PRACH timing in the system frame, the index of the PRACH timing in the frequency domain, and the UL carrier used for random access preamble transmission. For example, the RA-RNTI can be calculated using the following formula:

[0172] RA-RNTI=1+s_id+14×t_id+14×80×f_id+14×80×8×

[0173] ul_carrier_id,

[0174] Wherein, s_id is the index of the first OFDM symbol of the PRACH timing (0≤s_id<14), t_id is the index of the first slot of the PRACH timing in the system frame (0≤t_id<80), where, for μ={0,1,2,3}, the subcarrier spacing used to determine t_id is based on the value of μ, for μ={5,6}, t_id is the index of the 120kHz slot containing the PRACH timing in the system frame (0≤t_id<80), f_id is the index of the PRACH timing in the frequency domain (0≤f_id<8), and ul_carrier_id is the UL carrier used for random access preamble transmission (0 for NUL carriers, 1 for SUL carriers).

[0175] In the third step, the user sends a third message (Message 3, Msg3) to the base station based on the information in the RAR. Msg3 contains the user terminal identifier and RRC link request information, among other things. This user terminal identifier is unique to the user and is used to resolve conflicts. In the fourth step, the base station sends a conflict resolution identifier to the user, which includes the identifier of the user terminal that won the conflict resolution. After detecting its own identifier, the user upgrades its temporary C-RNTI to a C-RNTI and sends an ACK signal to the base station, completing the random access procedure and waiting for the base station's scheduling. Otherwise, the user will begin a new random access procedure after a delay.

[0176] For a contention-free random access procedure, since the base station knows the user's identifier, it can allocate a preamble sequence for the user. Therefore, when sending a preamble sequence, the user does not need to randomly select a sequence but will use the allocated preamble sequence. After detecting the allocated preamble sequence, the base station sends a corresponding random access response, including timing advance and uplink resource allocation information. After receiving the random access response, the user considers uplink synchronization complete and waits for further scheduling by the base station. Therefore, a contention-free random access procedure consists of only two steps: step one is sending the preamble sequence; step two is sending the random access response.

[0177] For example, the random access procedure is applicable to the following scenarios:

[0178] 1. Initial access under RRC_IDLE;

[0179] 2. Re-establish the RRC connection;

[0180] 3. Cell handover;

[0181] 4. The process of downlink data arriving and requesting random access in RRC connected state (when uplink is asynchronous);

[0182] 5. Uplink data arrival and random access request process in RRC connected state (when the uplink is asynchronous or no resources are allocated to the scheduling request in the PUCCH resource);

[0183] 6. Positioning.

[0184] In the configured ROs, valid ROs can be determined based on the RO validity determination method. A valid RO is one that ensures all SSBs can be mapped to their corresponding valid ROs within an association period (a certain time period or length). Within an SSB-to-RO mapping loop, all SSBs within an SSB period are mapped to the required random access resources. An association period can contain one or more mapping loops. An SSB-to-RO association pattern period contains one or more association periods, and the SSB-to-RO association pattern is identical in each association pattern period.

[0185] A base station can configure a random access configuration period (e.g., a PRACH configuration period) within which a certain number of Resource Allocations (ROs) are configured. Valid ROs are determined from these configured ROs using a specific validity determination method or rule. The goal is to ensure that all Service Blocks (SSBs) are mapped to their corresponding valid ROs within an association period (a certain time length), and that all SSBs within an SSB period are mapped to the required random access resources within an SSB-to-RO mapping loop. An association period can contain one or more mapping loops. An SSB-to-RO association pattern period contains one or more association periods, and the SSB-to-RO mapping pattern is identical in each association pattern period.

[0186] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the frequency domain resource unit (also called a frequency resource unit, frequency domain unit, or frequency unit) can be: a subcarrier, a subcarrier group (composed of multiple subcarriers), a resource block (RB), also called a physical resource block (PRB), a resource block group (composed of multiple RBs), a band portion (BWP), a band portion group (composed of multiple BWPs), a band / carrier, a band group / carrier group; it can also be an absolute frequency domain unit, such as 1 Hz, 1 kHz, etc.; the frequency domain unit can also be a combination of multiple granularities, such as M1 PRBs plus M2 subcarriers, etc.

[0187] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time-domain resource unit (also referred to as a time-domain unit, time resource unit, or time unit) can be: an OFDM symbol, an OFDM symbol group (composed of multiple OFDM symbols), a slot, a slot group (composed of multiple slots), a subframe, a subframe group (composed of multiple subframes), a system frame, or a system frame group (composed of multiple system frames); it can also be an absolute time unit, such as 1 millisecond, 1 second, etc.; the time unit can also be a combination of multiple granularities, such as N1 slots plus N2 OFDM symbols, etc. It can also be the duration of an OOK (On-Off Keying) chip.

[0188] In the embodiments described in this invention, the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) can be used to schedule DL transmissions on the PDSCH and UL transmissions on the PUSCH, wherein the downlink control information (DCI) on the PDCCH includes:

[0189] - Downlink allocation, which includes at least modulation and coding formats, resource allocation, and hybrid ARQ information related to DL-SCH;

[0190] - Uplink scheduling permission, which includes at least modulation and coding formats, resource allocation, and hybrid ARQ information related to UL-SCH.

[0191] Besides scheduling, PDCCH can also be used for:

[0192] - Activate and deactivate configured PUSCH transports using the configured authorization;

[0193] - Activation and deactivation of PDSCH semi-persistent transport;

[0194] - Notify one or more UEs of their slot format;

[0195] - Notify one or more UEs of the PRB and OFDM symbols, where the UEs may assume that no transmission is directed to the UE;

[0196] - Transmit TPC commands for PUCCH and PUSCH;

[0197] - One or more TPC commands for SRS transmission are sent by one or more UEs;

[0198] - Switch the active bandwidth portion of the UE;

[0199] - Initiate the random access procedure;

[0200] - Instruct the UE to monitor the PDCCH during the next DRX on duration;

[0201] - In the context of IAB, indicate the availability of soft symbols for IAB-DU;

[0202] - Trigger a single HARQ-ACK codebook feedback;

[0203] - Operations for shared spectrum channel access include at least one of the following:

[0204] - Triggers a switch in the search space set group;

[0205] - Indicate the available RB set and channel occupancy duration to one or more UEs;

[0206] - Indicates downlink feedback information for the configured authorized PUSCH (CG-DFI).

[0207] In describing wireless communication systems and in this disclosure described below, higher-layer signaling or higher-layer signaling can be a signaling method for transmitting information from a base station to a terminal via a downlink data channel of the physical layer or from a terminal to a base station via an uplink data channel of the physical layer, and examples of signaling methods can include signaling methods for transmitting information via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) signaling, or medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0208] In the following description of this disclosure, higher-layer signaling may be signaling corresponding to at least one or a combination of one or more of the following signaling.

[0209] -MIB (Master Information Block)

[0210] -SIB (System Information Block) or SIB X (X = 1, 2, ...)

[0211] -RRC signaling

[0212] -MAC CE

[0213] Physical layer (Layer 1 (L1)) signaling can be signaling corresponding to at least one or a combination of one or more of the following signaling.

[0214] -PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel)

[0215] -DCI (Downlink Control Information)

[0216] -UE-specific DCI

[0217] -Group Public DCI

[0218] -Public DCI

[0219] - Scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI used to schedule downlink or uplink data)

[0220] - Non-scheduled DCI (e.g., DCI other than the DCI used to schedule downlink or uplink data)

[0221] -PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel)

[0222] -UCI (Uplink Control Information)

[0223] In embodiments of this disclosure, uplink control signaling may include physical layer signaling and / or higher layer signaling. As described above, physical layer signaling may include UCI and / or PUCCH, and higher layer signaling may include RRC signaling and / or MAC CE.

[0224] In embodiments of this disclosure, downlink control signaling may include physical layer signaling and / or higher layer signaling. As described above, physical layer signaling may include one or more of PDCCH, DCI, UE-specific DCI, group common DCI, common DCI, scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI for scheduling downlink or uplink data), and unscheduled DCI. Higher layer signaling may include one or more of MIB, SIB, or SIB X (X = 1, 2, ...), RRC signaling, or MAC CE. Therefore, "configure or indicate X via downlink control signaling" will be understood as configuring or indicating X via physical layer signaling, or configuring or indicating X via higher layer signaling, or configuring or indicating X via a combination of higher layer signaling and physical layer signaling.

[0225] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a "frequency domain resource group" refers to a continuous segment of spectrum resources. The UE can transmit or receive physical channels and / or physical signals on a frequency domain resource group. It can be understood that a frequency domain resource group is a continuous segment of spectrum resources that the UE can use to transmit or receive signals. Figure 3c As shown, the first downlink frequency domain resource group has a bandwidth of X MHz and includes X0 subcarriers, and the second downlink frequency domain resource group has a bandwidth of Y MHz and includes Y0 subcarriers. In some embodiments, there is a certain interval, for example, Z MHz, between the highest index subcarrier of the first downlink frequency domain resource group and the lowest index subcarrier of the second downlink frequency domain resource group. In some embodiments, the highest index subcarrier of the first downlink frequency domain resource group and the lowest index subcarrier of the second downlink frequency domain resource group may be continuous.

[0226] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the frequency domain resource group can also be equivalently replaced by one or a combination of at least one of the following: carrier, bandwidth part, carrier segment or carrier segment, etc.

[0227] In the following text, for ease of description, the first downlink frequency domain resource group may be simply referred to as the first frequency domain resource group, and the second downlink frequency domain resource group may be simply referred to as the second frequency domain resource group. Alternatively, the first frequency domain resource group may include the first uplink frequency domain resource group and the first downlink frequency domain resource group, and the second frequency domain resource group may include the second uplink frequency domain resource group and the second downlink frequency domain resource group.

[0228] The method for activating network broadcast signal transmission (e.g., system information block, such as SIB1) based on user request signals provided in this disclosure can at least solve the problem of high network power consumption caused by periodic broadcast signal transmission in cells, and reduce the impact on user random access performance due to non-periodic broadcast signal transmission. In the description of this disclosure, broadcast signals transmitted based on UE request signals can be referred to as on-demand broadcast signals (e.g., on-demand SIB1 or OD-SIB1), or network on-demand broadcast signals, or other similar descriptions; a request for such a signal can be correspondingly referred to as a request for on-demand broadcast signals or a request for on-demand broadcast signals, etc. It should be understood that, for ease of description, SIB1 is used as a non-limiting example of a broadcast signal requested by a UE in this disclosure. This is merely exemplary, and the technical solutions of this disclosure can also be applied to situations where the UE requests other types of broadcast signals; all these alternative methods are within the scope intended to be covered by this disclosure.

[0229] Network (or network-side) energy saving is an important research direction in communication systems. In some communication systems, the network side needs to periodically send broadcast signals to provide users with necessary information about the cell, such as information required for user access. However, the periodic transmission of broadcast signals by the communication system prevents the network from entering deep sleep even when there are no users or the user load is low, thus hindering the achievement of high-gain network energy saving. Therefore, how to further improve network energy saving while ensuring user access performance is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0230] This disclosure provides a method for activating a network to send a broadcast signal based on a user request signal. This method allows the network to avoid periodically sending broadcast signals, thereby saving energy. When a user equipment (UE) needs a broadcast signal, it can request a broadcast signal from the network side to activate or trigger the network side to send the requested broadcast signal, thereby reducing the impact on the normal operation of the UE side (e.g., initiating random access based on information in the broadcast signal).

[0231] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a method for the network side to indicate to the UE whether a request signal for requesting a broadcast signal can be used to initiate random access. In this method, the network side can determine, based on the actual network state or the state of the network side, whether the UE's request for a broadcast signal and the initiation of random access can be combined into one action, and indicate this to the UE (e.g., through a first indication or first information, which will be described in detail below). When the network side configures or instructs the UE to combine the UE's request for a broadcast signal and the initiation of random access into one action, the UE can simultaneously perform both functions by sending a single signal. In this way, while achieving network-side energy savings, the time point at which the UE can initiate random access can be advanced as much as possible, potentially reducing the random access latency on the UE side. On the other hand, since combining the request for a broadcast signal and the initiation of random access into a single signal trigger can reduce signaling overhead and simplify signaling procedures, etc.

[0232] Furthermore, according to the method of this disclosure embodiment, the network side can also flexibly configure (e.g., through a first indication, which will be described in detail below) whether the two actions of the UE requesting a broadcast signal and initiating random access can be combined into one action, depending on the actual network state or the state of the network side. For example, the network side can indicate to the UE that the two actions of the UE requesting a broadcast signal and initiating random access cannot be combined into one action. For example, the network side can indicate to the UE through the first indication that the signal used to request a broadcast signal cannot be used to initiate random access, thereby better ensuring the performance of the UE receiving the requested broadcast signal.

[0233] The method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure enables a UE to initiate random access while sending a request for a broadcast signal. This can solve the problem of high network power consumption caused by the periodic transmission of broadcast signals in the cell, while ensuring user access performance.

[0234] It should be noted that the problems that this disclosure can solve are not limited to those mentioned in the above and below descriptions, but can also solve all problems that can be practically solved based on the technical essence of this disclosure.

[0235] The following description of several exemplary embodiments illustrates the technical solutions of this disclosure and the technical effects produced by these solutions. It should be noted that the following embodiments can be referenced, learned from, or combined with each other. Identical terms, similar features, and similar implementation steps in different embodiments will not be repeated.

[0236] Furthermore, in some cases, random access resources may be configured for other features (e.g., network energysaving (NES)). Aspects of performing random access need to be considered when random access resources are configured for other features (e.g., NES). According to example embodiments of this disclosure, methods for requesting SIB1 transmission in systems where uplink resources (e.g., random access resources) are configured for other features (e.g., NES) include random access configuration, random access resource determination, SSB-RO (SSB-RO) mapping, etc.

[0237] On the other hand, in scenarios where the network transmits SIB1 on demand, if the network side is configured so that the UE's signal requesting SIB1 can also be used to initiate random access, then determining the uplink resources used for requesting SIB1 and initiating random access is also a problem that needs to be solved. The uplink resources used for requesting SIB1 can also be referred to as uplink resources for requesting SIB1 transmission, uplink resources for requesting to transmit SIB1, or uplink resources for transmitting uplink wake-up signals, or similar expressions.

[0238] In one implementation, by designing a scheme to obtain configuration information of uplink resources used for requesting SIB1 and initiating random access from the local cell, the UE can determine the uplink resources used for requesting SIB1 and initiating random access in a simpler and more accurate manner. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information of uplink resources used for requesting SIB1 and initiating random access in the cell can be determined based on the cell's downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS (channel state information reference signal)). In this way, at least one of the following effects can be achieved: the UE can use the information available in the local cell to determine the resources used for requesting SIB1 and initiating random access in the local cell, thereby simplifying UE operation, reducing signaling overhead, reducing random access latency, improving the accuracy of the determined uplink resource location, and increasing energy-saving gains in single-cell scenarios.

[0239] In the embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: information configured by the base station, information indicated in received signaling, information configured by higher layers, and pre-configured information. Further, it can be a set of configuration information obtained through the above methods; it can also be multiple sets of configuration information obtained through the above methods, from which the UE or node can select a set of configuration information to use according to predefined conditions; or it can be a set of configuration information obtained through the above methods, and this set of configuration information contains multiple subsets, from which the UE or node can select a subset to use according to predefined conditions.

[0240] This disclosure provides a method executed by a UE in a communication system, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the method includes steps S410, S420, S430, etc. It should be noted that at least one of the above operations may be omitted, or additional operations may be included, such as one or more operations of the methods described in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0241] In this embodiment of the disclosure, for ease of description, uplink resources related to a specific feature (e.g., NES) can be referred to as first-type uplink resources or first uplink resources. These first uplink resources can be random access resources, including a first-type random access preamble (referred to as a first preamble) and a first-type PRACH occasion (RO) (referred to as a first RO). Conversely, conventional uplink resources can be referred to as ordinary uplink resources, second-type uplink resources, or second uplink resources. These second uplink resources can be random access resources, including a second-type random access preamble (referred to as a second preamble) and a second-type PRACH occasion (RO) (referred to as a second RO). Alternatively, the first uplink resource can also be other uplink resources related to a specific feature. For example, the first uplink resource can be an uplink resource dedicated to requesting SIB1, or an uplink resource dedicated to requesting SIB1 and initiating random access. For example, the first uplink resource can be a random access resource dedicated to requesting SIB1 or sending an uplink wake-up signal, which can be used for random access. In embodiments of this disclosure, when the UE is configured with a first indication that the signal requesting SIB1 can also be used to send an uplink wake-up signal, the first uplink resource can also be considered as an uplink resource for initiating random access.

[0242] In one implementation, random access resources can be used to activate or request the network to send a broadcast signal and initiate random access. This is merely an example; the resources that can be used to activate or request the network to send a broadcast signal are not limited to random access resources, but can also be other types of uplink resources pre-configured by the network, such as PUCCH or PUSCH resources. The first type of random access resource in the embodiments of this disclosure can be replaced by a first type of uplink resource, or a first uplink resource, which is used to activate or request the network to send a broadcast signal, or to activate or request the network to send a broadcast signal and initiate random access.

[0243] To reduce energy consumption and random access latency caused by periodically transmitting broadcast signals (e.g., System Information Block 1, SIB1) at the base station, the base station (or network) can configure resources (referred to as first uplink resources) for the UE to request the network to transmit broadcast signals and initiate random access. These resources may include Type I random access resources or other uplink resources. For example, the UE can simultaneously request the network to transmit broadcast signals and initiate random access on the same resource. In this way, when the UE needs a certain broadcast signal (e.g., SIB1) and expects to initiate random access, it can use this resource to request the transmission of the broadcast signal from the network and initiate random access. The network side does not need to periodically transmit the broadcast signal, thus saving energy on the network side. Furthermore, the UE does not need to receive the broadcast signal, obtain the relevant random access configuration, and then initiate random access, thereby reducing random access latency.

[0244] In scenarios where there is no periodic SIB1 broadcast in the cell, the UE can quickly determine the first uplink resource, such as the PRACH and PUSCH resources, by using the time-frequency position of the downlink reference signal. This resource is used to initiate the SIB1 request and / or initiate a random access procedure, reducing the latency of UE accessing the system, reducing system signaling overhead, and helping the network and UE save energy.

[0245] In one example approach, if a UE needs to request the network to send a broadcast signal for a specific cell (e.g., SIB1), the UE can obtain relevant information from other cells and use that information to determine the uplink resources needed to request the broadcast signal from the network.

[0246] In another example approach, if the UE needs to request the network to send a broadcast signal for a specific cell (e.g., SIB1), the UE can obtain the relevant information from the downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB) periodically sent by the network and use that information to determine the uplink resources for requesting the broadcast signal from the network.

[0247] In the description of this disclosure, for ease of description, the signal used to request the network side to send a broadcast signal is referred to as the first uplink signal. When the first uplink signal can be used to initiate random access, the uplink signal that, together with the first uplink signal, constitutes msgA in the two-step random access process (e.g., PUSCH in msgA) is referred to as the second uplink signal.

[0248] In the description of this disclosure, for ease of description, at least one of the following will be referred to as first uplink configuration information: configuration information related to the first uplink signal (e.g., including information about whether the first uplink signal can also be used to initiate random access (e.g., a first indication)), information related to the transmission of the first uplink signal and first uplink resources, and configuration information related to the second uplink signal.

[0249] In the description of this disclosure, for ease of description, SIB1 is used as a non-limiting example of a broadcast signal requested by a UE.

[0250] In the description of this disclosure, the description indicating "whether" can also be replaced by the description indicating "yes" or "no". For example, an indication of whether the network side is in an energy-saving state can also be described as indicating that the network side is in an energy-saving state, or it can also be described as indicating that the network side is not in an energy-saving state or is in a non-energy-saving state, and so on.

[0251] In some implementations, for example, the first uplink configuration information includes configuration information related to the UE initiating a four-step random access procedure and requesting SIB1 via the first uplink signal, or configuration information related to the UE initiating a two-step random access procedure and requesting, for example, SIB1 via the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal. In other words, the first uplink configuration information enables the UE to obtain the necessary configuration information for requesting SIB1 and initiating random access via the first uplink signal. For example, the first uplink configuration information may include at least some of the following: configuration related to the first uplink signal, configuration related to the transmission resources of the first uplink signal, and configuration related to random access. For example, according to this configuration information, the UE can receive SIB1 at the appropriate location, or listen to the PDCCH that schedules SIB1, or receive a RAR that includes SIB1, or listen to the PDCCH that schedules a RAR that includes SIB1, or receive both SIB1 and RAR, or listen to the PDCCH that schedules both SIB1 and RAR.

[0252] In some embodiments, the UE can obtain first uplink configuration information based on a downlink reference signal. For example, the UE can obtain configuration information related to receiving the first uplink configuration information based on the downlink reference signal, and use this obtained configuration information to receive or listen to the first uplink configuration information. For example, the downlink reference signal includes a network-side power-saving status indication and the first configuration information. The network-side power-saving status indication is used to indicate whether the network side is in a power-saving state (e.g., it can also be referred to as a first state). When the network side is in a non-power-saving state (e.g., the network side can periodically send SIB1), the first configuration information includes configuration information related to the UE listening to or receiving SIB1; when the network side is in a power-saving state (e.g., the network side does not periodically send SIB1, and the UE needs to request SIB1 to be sent), the first configuration information includes configuration information related to the UE listening to or receiving the first uplink configuration information. Based on the power-saving status indication in the downlink reference signal indicating that the network side is power-saving, the UE can listen to or receive the first uplink configuration information based on the first configuration information. In this way, fields or resources in the downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB) related to the PDCCH of the periodic SIB1 configuration can be reused to send configurations related to the first uplink configuration information (e.g., receive resource configuration, listen-related configuration, etc.), thereby improving resource utilization or saving signaling overhead.

[0253] In some implementations, the UE can obtain first uplink configuration information based on a downlink reference signal. For example, the first uplink configuration information is included in the downlink reference signal, and the UE obtains the first uplink configuration information by receiving the downlink reference signal. In one implementation, the first part of the downlink reference signal includes a network-side power-saving status indication to indicate whether the network is in a power-saving state. For example, the UE can determine whether the network is in a power-saving state based on the first part of the downlink reference signal, wherein the first part includes a network power-saving status indication, for example, the first part may be a part of the PBCH in the downlink reference signal, and for example, the frequency resources occupied by the first part (e.g., the number of PRBs) are preset or predetermined in the protocol. If the network is in a power-saving state, the UE can obtain the first uplink configuration information in the second part of the received downlink reference signal or in the second part of the downlink reference signal received in a subsequent (e.g., the next) downlink reference signal period, for example, the second part may be a part of the PBCH in the downlink reference signal.

[0254] Accordingly, when the network side is in an energy-saving state, it can send an indication indicating that the network side is in an energy-saving state in the first part of the downlink reference signal, and send first uplink configuration information in the second part of the downlink reference signal (e.g., a part of the PBCH). In one implementation, when the network side is in an energy-saving state, the second part of the downlink reference signal may include additional resources for sending the first uplink configuration information. For example, the additional resources may be predetermined or configured through other parts of the downlink reference signal. For example, when the UE is in an energy-saving state on the network side, it can be assumed that the downlink reference signal includes the second part, and the UE can receive the downlink reference signal including the second part in a subsequent (e.g., the next) downlink reference signal period, wherein the frequency resources occupied by the second part may be greater than or less than the frequency resources of the first part of the downlink reference signal; or, a part of the second part may occupy a frequency resource greater than the frequency resources of the first part of the downlink reference signal, and another part may occupy a frequency resource less than the frequency resources of the first part of the downlink reference signal; or, the time resources of the second part may be greater than the time resources of the first part of the downlink reference signal, for example, after the time unit in which the first part is located (e.g., the next time unit).

[0255] In one possible implementation, the frequency resources occupied by the first part of the downlink reference signal can be the frequency resources corresponding to frequency indices 1 / 2*(NM) to 1 / 2*(N+M)-1, and the frequency resources occupied by the second part can be the frequency resources corresponding to frequency indices 0 to (NM) / 2-1, NM / 2 to N-1, where N is the number of frequency resources occupied by the downlink reference signal, M is the number of frequency resources occupied by the first part, M and N are positive integers, M is less than or equal to N, and the frequency indices start from 0 and increase sequentially from the lowest frequency resource to the highest frequency resource. For example, if the number of frequency resources occupied by the downlink reference signal is N PRBs, the corresponding frequency indices are 0 to N-1.

[0256] like Figure 26An example of a downlink reference signal or a portion of a downlink reference signal is shown. This example illustrates one time unit (e.g., a symbol) of the downlink reference signal, where the number of frequency resources N = 8, and the number of frequency resources occupied by the first part M = 4. The index of the frequency resources corresponding to the first part is 1 / 2*(8-4)~1 / 2*(8+4)-1, that is, the index of the frequency resources occupied by the first part is 2~5; the index of the frequency resources corresponding to the second part is 0~(8-4) / 2-1, 8-4 / 2~8-1, that is, the index of the frequency resources occupied by the second part is 0~1, 6~7. Specifically, in time unit 1, the frequency resources of the first part of the downlink reference signal occupy 4 frequency units (e.g., RB), and the corresponding RB indices are 2, 3, 4, 5; the frequency resources of the second part of the downlink reference signal occupy 4 frequency units (e.g., RB), and the corresponding RB indices are 0, 1, 6, 7.

[0257] It should be understood that Figure 26 The diagram shows only a portion of the downlink reference signal, not the complete illustration. Besides the first and second portions shown, the downlink reference signal may include other portions, such as synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS)), other types of reference signals, reference signals that can be used for channel estimation, and so on. For example, the first and second portions shown in the diagram may be included in the PBCH of the SSB, or the first or second portion may be partially included in the PBCH, with the remaining portion transmitted via additional resources.

[0258] In this way, the UE can determine whether it needs to receive the second part by receiving the first part. For example, if it is determined that the network is in an energy-saving state based on the received first part, the UE can expect that the second part of the current downlink reference signal or the second part of the next downlink reference signal includes the first uplink configuration information, and thus perform necessary receiving, detection, decoding, or other operations on the first uplink configuration information; otherwise, if it is determined that the network is not in an energy-saving state based on the received first part, the UE can expect that the second part of the current downlink reference signal or the second part of the next downlink reference signal does not include the first uplink configuration information, and thus does not need to perform corresponding receiving, detection, decoding, or other operations on the first uplink configuration information.

[0259] In another possible implementation, the frequency resources occupied by the first part of the downlink reference signal can be the frequency resources corresponding to frequency indices 0 to 1 / 2*N-1, and the frequency resources occupied by the second part can be the frequency resources corresponding to frequency indices 1 / 2*N to 1 / 2*N+M-1, where M is the number of frequency resources occupied by the first part, N is the number of frequency resources occupied by the downlink reference signal, M and N are positive integers, M is less than or equal to N, and the frequency indices start from 0 and increase sequentially from the lowest frequency resource to the highest frequency resource. For example, the number of frequency resources occupied by the downlink reference signal is N PRBs, and the corresponding frequency indices are 0 to N-1.

[0260] like Figure 27 An example of a downlink reference signal or a portion of a downlink reference signal is shown. This example implements one time unit (e.g., a symbol) of the downlink reference signal, where the number of frequency resources N = 8, the number of frequency resources occupied by the first part M = 4, and the index of the frequency resources corresponding to the first part is 0 to 1 / 2*N-1, that is, the index of the frequency resources occupied by the second part is 0 to 3; the index of the frequency resources corresponding to the second part is 1 / 2*N to 1 / 2*N+M-1, that is, the index of the frequency resources occupied by the second part is 4 to 7; specifically, in time unit 1, the frequency resources of the first part of the downlink reference signal occupy 4 frequency units (e.g., RB), and the corresponding RB indices are 0, 1, 2, 3; the frequency resources of the second part of the downlink reference signal occupy 4 frequency units (e.g., RB), and the corresponding RB indices are 4, 5, 6, 7.

[0261] It should be understood that Figure 27 The diagram shows only a portion of the downlink reference signal, not the complete illustration. Besides the first and second portions shown, the downlink reference signal may include other portions, such as synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS)), other types of reference signals, reference signals that can be used for channel estimation, and so on. For example, the first and second portions shown in the diagram may be included in the PBCH of the SSB, or the first or second portion may be partially included in the PBCH, with the remaining portion transmitted via additional resources.

[0262] In this way, the UE can determine whether it needs to receive the second part by receiving the first part. For example, if it is determined that the network is in an energy-saving state based on the received first part, the UE can expect that the second part of the current downlink reference signal or the second part of the next downlink reference signal includes the first uplink configuration information, and thus perform necessary receiving, detection, decoding, or other operations on the first uplink configuration information; otherwise, if it is determined that the network is not in an energy-saving state based on the received first part, the UE can expect that the second part of the current downlink reference signal or the second part of the next downlink reference signal does not include the first uplink configuration information, and thus does not need to perform corresponding receiving, detection, decoding, or other operations on the first uplink configuration information.

[0263] In another possible implementation, the first and second parts of the downlink reference signal may occupy the same frequency resources, but the first and second parts may occupy different time-domain resources. For example, the first part occupies time unit 1, and the second part occupies time unit 2, where time unit 2 is after the time unit. For example, time unit 1 and time unit 2 are consecutive in time. The number of frequency-domain resources occupied by the downlink reference signal is equal to the number of frequency-domain resources occupied by the first part and / or the second part. For example, M = N, where M is the number of frequency resources occupied by the first part or the second part. The frequency resources occupied by the first and second parts of the downlink reference signal are, for example, the frequency resources corresponding to frequency indices 0 to 1 / 2*N-1, where N is the number of frequency resources occupied by the downlink reference signal. M and N are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N. The frequency indices start from 0 and increase sequentially from the lowest frequency resource to the highest frequency resource. For example, the number of frequency resources occupied by the downlink reference signal is N PRBs, and the corresponding frequency indices are 0 to N-1.

[0264] like Figure 28 An example of a downlink reference signal or a portion of a downlink reference signal is shown, which implements two time units (e.g., symbols) of the downlink reference signal (indexed as 0, 1, 2 in ascending order of time units). The number of frequency resources of the downlink reference signal is N = 4, and the first and second parts occupy different time units. Figure 28 The first part occupies time unit 1, and the second part occupies time unit 2. The number of frequency resources occupied by the first part and the second part is the same, which is M=4. Then the index of the frequency resource corresponding to the first part or the second part is 0 to 1 / 2*N-1, that is, the index of the frequency resource occupied is 0 to 3. Specifically, in time unit 1, the frequency resources of the first part of the downlink reference signal occupy 4 frequency units (e.g., RB), and the corresponding RB index is 0, 1, 2, 3; in time unit 2, the frequency resources of the second part of the downlink reference signal occupy 4 frequency units (e.g., RB), and the corresponding RB index is 0, 1, 2, 3.

[0265] It should be understood that Figure 28 The diagram shows only a portion of the downlink reference signal, not the complete illustration. Besides the first and second portions shown, the downlink reference signal may include other portions, such as synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS)), other types of reference signals, reference signals that can be used for channel estimation, and so on. For example, the first and second portions shown in the diagram may be included in the PBCH of the SSB, or the first or second portion may be partially included in the PBCH, with the remaining portion transmitted via additional resources.

[0266] In this way, the UE can determine whether it needs to receive the second part by receiving the first part. For example, if it is determined that the network is in an energy-saving state based on the received first part, the UE can expect that the second part of the current downlink reference signal or the second part of the next downlink reference signal includes the first uplink configuration information, and thus perform necessary receiving, detection, decoding, or other operations on the first uplink configuration information; otherwise, if it is determined that the network is not in an energy-saving state based on the received first part, the UE can expect that the second part of the current downlink reference signal or the second part of the next downlink reference signal does not include the first uplink configuration information, and thus does not need to perform corresponding receiving, detection, decoding, or other operations on the first uplink configuration information.

[0267] In some embodiments, the UE can determine whether it needs to request first uplink configuration information based on a network-side power-saving state indication in a downlink reference signal. For example, if the network side is determined to be in a power-saving state based on the network-side power-saving state indication, the UE can request the network side to send first uplink configuration information via a third uplink signal. The network side can respond to the third uplink signal by sending second downlink information to the UE, which can be used by the UE to determine the first uplink configuration information.

[0268] For example, the second downlink information includes a first uplink configuration information used to indicate one of a plurality of predetermined first uplink configuration information. Alternatively, the second downlink information may indicate physical resources or downlink channels that include the first uplink configuration information. For example, the second downlink information includes configuration information for a downlink channel, and the UE can receive the first uplink configuration information by receiving the downlink channel. For example, the downlink channel is a downlink physical shared channel, and the UE can receive a system information block that includes the first uplink configuration information in the downlink physical shared channel. The system information block occupies fewer physical resources than SIB1, and may be referred to as a lightweight SIB or SIB0. Accordingly, the downlink channel and the second downlink information or the resource or channel in which the second downlink information is located may be referred to as SIB0 PDSCH and SIB0 PDCCH, respectively. In one implementation, the configuration related to listening to or receiving the second downlink information can be obtained based on the first configuration information. When the network side is in a non-energy-saving state (e.g., the network side can periodically send SIB1), the first configuration information includes configuration information related to the UE listening to or receiving SIB1. When the network side is in an energy-saving state (e.g., the network side does not periodically send SIB1), the first configuration information includes configuration related to listening to or receiving the second downlink information.

[0269] In some implementations, based on the obtained first uplink configuration information, the UE determines the resources used to transmit the uplink signal and whether the first uplink signal can be used to initiate random access. For example, if it is determined that the first uplink signal can be used to initiate random access, the UE assumes or expects to be able to listen to, detect, or receive the random access response RAR and SIB1 after transmitting the first uplink signal. For example, if it is determined that the first uplink signal can be used to initiate random access, the UE assumes or expects to be able to listen to, detect, or receive the random access response RAR including SIB1 after transmitting the first uplink signal, or listen to, detect, or receive RAR and SIB1 separately, or listen to, detect, or receive SIB1 including RAR. The configuration information of the resources used to listen to, detect, or receive RAR and / or SIB1 can be determined based on at least one of the aforementioned downlink reference signal, second downlink information, first configuration information, downlink channel corresponding to the second downlink information, and first uplink configuration information, or it can be predetermined (e.g., protocol-preset, pre-configured, etc.).

[0270] In some embodiments, the system information blocks (e.g., SIB1) periodically transmitted by the network side include resource configuration information for ROs and POs for two-step random access, wherein the resource configuration information corresponds to joint configuration information for ROs and POs. In one implementation, the resource configuration information includes configuration information for resource groups related to ROs and POs, which include resources for ROs and POs. In this way, the resources of ROs and POs can be jointly configured, saving signaling overhead. Furthermore, the ROs and POs in the configured resource groups are interconnected, which simplifies the UE's operation when transmitting msgA.

[0271] It should be understood that, in the exemplary description of the embodiments of this disclosure, for ease of description, the description of the scheme is based on whether the first uplink signal can be used for random access. However, this is merely exemplary, and the described scheme can also be applied to whether the first uplink signal resource can be used for random access, or whether the first uplink signal and the first uplink signal resource can be used for random access. For example, based on the first uplink configuration information, the UE can determine whether the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource can be used for random access, and accordingly adopt the schemes described in the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0272] Furthermore, although some embodiments of this disclosure include a first indication (or first information) in the first uplink configuration information to indicate whether the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource can be used for random access, this is merely exemplary. The information regarding whether the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource can be used for random access can also be predetermined, for example, preset by the protocol or pre-configured.

[0273] In addition to the solutions described in some embodiments of this disclosure, in some implementations, some uplink resource configurations among the multiple uplink resource configurations can be used when the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource can be used for random access. For example, these uplink resource configurations can be used to simultaneously initiate random access and request SIB1 transmission; or, each uplink resource configuration among the multiple uplink resource configurations includes a field for indicating whether the uplink resource configuration is used when the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource can be used for random access. For example, the field is used to indicate whether the uplink resource configuration can be used to simultaneously initiate random access and request SIB1 transmission.

[0274] It should be understood that in the exemplary description of the embodiments of this disclosure, for ease of description, the start position or end position of the resource or location is sometimes used when describing the location of the resource or location. Such descriptions are merely exemplary and are not intended to be limiting. The start position mentioned in the description of this disclosure can be replaced by the end position, center position, or other position, and vice versa. For example, a description of an end position can also be replaced by a start position, center position, or other position, as long as the use of the position can achieve the function required by the corresponding technology.

[0275] This disclosure provides a method executed by a UE in a communication system, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the method includes steps S410, S420, S430, etc. It should be noted that at least one of the above operations may be omitted, or additional operations may be included, such as one or more operations of the methods described in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0276] In step S410, the UE receives a downlink reference signal and obtains cell-related configuration information.

[0277] For example, the configuration information related to this cell includes configuration information related to the first uplink resource;

[0278] In step S420, the UE sends a first uplink signal or a first uplink signal and a second uplink signal according to the configuration information related to the first uplink resource.

[0279] For example, the time-frequency resource group used to send the first uplink signal, or the time-frequency resource group used to send the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal, is determined according to the configuration information related to the first uplink resource. The first uplink signal is used by the UE to request the cell to send OD-SIB1 and / or perform a random access procedure.

[0280] In step S430, the UE receives first downlink information, which includes OD-SIB1 and / or information related to the random access response.

[0281] For example, if it is determined that the first uplink signal can be used to initiate random access, the UE assumes or expects to be able to listen to or detect the random access response RAR and SIB1 after sending the first uplink signal. For example, if it is determined that the first uplink signal can be used to initiate random access, the UE assumes or expects to be able to listen to or detect the random access response RAR including SIB1 after sending the first uplink signal, or listen to the RAR and SIB1 separately, or listen to the SIB1 including the RAR.

[0282] In this embodiment of the disclosure, in step S410, the UE receives a downlink reference signal sent by the serving cell to perform cell search. The downlink reference signal includes at least one of the following: Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), PSS, and SSS. For example, the downlink reference signal is SSB. Optionally, the serving cell is PCell. The UE is in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, or in RRC_CONNECTED state when running T311.

[0283] Various optional details of this disclosure will now be described in conjunction with various exemplary embodiments.

[0284] [First Uplink Configuration Information]

[0285] In one implementation, the cell-related configuration information includes at least one or more of the following combinations:

[0286] 1) First uplink configuration information;

[0287] 2) Indicators related to the energy-saving status of the community;

[0288] 3) First configuration information, used to determine the relevant configuration for monitoring the second downlink information.

[0289] The first uplink configuration information includes at least one or more of the following combinations:

[0290] 1) Configuration information related to the first uplink signal;

[0291] 2) Configuration information related to the second uplink signal;

[0292] 3) Configuration information related to the first uplink resource.

[0293] [Function of the first uplink signal]

[0294] In one implementation, the configuration information associated with the first uplink signal may include a 1-bit indication (e.g., referred to as the first indication) to indicate whether the first uplink signal can be used to initiate a random access procedure. For example, '0' indicates that the first uplink signal can only be used for OD-SIB1 transmission requests, and '1' indicates that the first uplink signal can be used for both OD-SIB1 requests and initiating a random access procedure. The random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure or a two-step random access procedure.

[0295] The advantage of introducing this first indication is that it can ensure that the network can flexibly configure uplink resources according to different scenarios. For example, when the first uplink signal can be used to initiate random access and request OD-SIB1 transmission at the same time, it can reduce the signaling overhead related to configuring OD-SIB1 request and random access at the same time.

[0296] In one implementation, the configuration information related to the first uplink resource may include an n-bit indication (second indication) for indicating one of 2^n predefined first uplink resource configuration indices, wherein the first uplink resource is used to transmit the first uplink signal.

[0297] In one implementation, the configuration information related to the first uplink signal also includes at least one of the following: preamble index, preamble root sequence index, number of preambles, and preamble format.

[0298] In one possible implementation, the protocol predefines two first uplink resource configuration tables, such as Table 1 and Table 2. Table 1 corresponds to the configuration of the first uplink resources corresponding to the first uplink signal used only for OD-SIB1 transmission requests, while Table 2 corresponds to the configuration of the first uplink resources corresponding to the first uplink signal used for both OD-SIB1 transmission requests and initiating random access procedures. The configurations of the first uplink resources corresponding to the indices in Table 1 and Table 2 indicated by the second indication can be completely different or partially the same. The UE can determine the table corresponding to the first uplink resource configuration based on the first indication; for example, if the first indication is '0', it indicates Table 1; if the first indication is '1', it indicates Table 2.

[0299] In one possible implementation, the protocol predefines a first uplink resource configuration table, where each index in the table corresponds to a first uplink configuration (e.g., a row in the table). All or some configuration parameters in each row have two possible values: Optional Value 1 and Optional Value 2. These correspond to the configuration of the first uplink resource used only for the first uplink signal requesting OD-SIB1 transmission and the configuration of the first uplink resource used for both the OD-SIB1 transmission request and the initiation of a random access procedure, respectively. The UE can determine which of these two possible values ​​to select as the first uplink resource configuration based on a first indication; for example, if the first indication is '0', it indicates Optional Value 1; and if the first indication is '1', it indicates Optional Value 2.

[0300] [Obtain relevant configuration information about the community based on its energy efficiency status]

[0301] In one implementation, a cell energy-saving status-related indicator is used to indicate whether the cell is in an energy-saving state. For example, a 1-bit indicator is used to indicate whether the cell is in an energy-saving or non-energy-saving state. For instance, when the cell is in an energy-saving state, the UE assumes that the current cell's SIB1 is not periodically transmitted, or that SIB1 is not in a transmission state; when the cell is in a non-energy-saving state, the UE assumes that the current cell's SIB1 is periodically transmitted, or that SIB1 is in a transmission state.

[0302] In one implementation, when the cell is in an energy-saving state, before sending the first uplink signal, the UE requests the cell to send the first uplink configuration information, wherein the UE determines whether the cell is in an energy-saving state based on the indication related to the cell's energy-saving state.

[0303] In one possible implementation, such as Figure 5 As shown, the UE sends a third uplink signal to obtain the first uplink configuration information. Based on this first uplink configuration information, the UE sends the first uplink signal again. The third uplink signal can be a pre-defined dedicated uplink reference signal used to request the cell to send the first uplink configuration information. For example, the third uplink signal can be a low-complexity sequence-based reference signal. The advantage of requesting the cell to send the first uplink configuration information based on the third uplink signal is that the cell can flexibly schedule downlink resources according to its load to send the non-periodic first uplink configuration information, which helps save network energy. For instance, in this implementation, there is no need to periodically send the first uplink configuration information via the downlink reference signal. The UE can determine whether to request the first uplink configuration information via the third uplink signal based on the cell energy-saving status indication in the downlink reference signal, achieving on-demand request of the first uplink configuration information and thus better saving signaling overhead.

[0304] In one implementation, after the UE transmits a third uplink signal, it listens for second downlink information, such as downlink control information. The configuration for listening to the second downlink information can be provided, for example, by first configuration information, which is included in the downlink reference signal. In another implementation, the first configuration information can be implemented by reusing configuration information related to SIB1. For example, when the cell periodically transmits SIB1, the first configuration information in the downlink reference signal includes configuration related to SIB1 reception; when the cell is in power-saving mode or does not periodically transmit SIB1, the first configuration information in the downlink reference signal includes configuration related to the reception of the second downlink information. This first configuration information includes configurations related to the common search space (CSS) and associated control resource set (CORESET) for listening to the second downlink information; the format of the second downlink information can be DCI format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1, and the DCI format can be scrambled according to SI-RNTI.

[0305] In one possible implementation, the second downlink information includes a field for indicating configuration information related to the first uplink configuration information. For example, the field is n bits and can be used to indicate one of 2^n configuration indices related to the first uplink configuration information (e.g., protocol-predefined or pre-configured).

[0306] In another possible implementation, the second downlink information also includes a field for indicating the power related to the first uplink signal transmission. This field can indicate the power ramp step size, for example, the field is n bits and can be used to indicate one of 2^n power ramp step size indices predefined by the protocol.

[0307] In another possible implementation, such as Figure 6As shown, the UE receives a downlink channel including first uplink configuration information based on the second downlink information. For example, the downlink channel is a PDSCH including SIB0, where SIB0 includes the first uplink configuration information. The UE transmits a first uplink signal based on the first uplink configuration information provided by SIB0. Optionally, the frequency domain resources where the PDSCH including SIB0 and the PDCCH including the second downlink information are located can be frequency-division multiplexed with the frequency domain resources where the downlink reference signal is located. In one implementation, after the UE transmits a third uplink signal to request the first uplink configuration information, the base station can transmit the next downlink reference signal in a frequency-division multiplexed manner with the PDSCH including SIB0 and the PDCCH including the second downlink information. In another implementation, the UE does not need to transmit a third uplink signal to request the first uplink configuration information; the base station determines whether to transmit the PDSCH including SIB0 and the PDCCH including the second downlink information in a frequency-division multiplexed manner with the downlink reference signal based on the cell's energy-saving status. For example, if the base station determines that the cell is in an energy-saving state, it includes an indication of the cell being in an energy-saving state in the downlink reference signal and transmits a channel including first uplink configuration information in frequency division multiplexing with the downlink reference signal. This channel including the first uplink configuration information is, for example, a PDSCH including the first uplink configuration information, or a PDSCH including the first uplink configuration information and a corresponding PDCCH. For example, the first uplink configuration information can be included in SIB0, and the PDSCH including the first uplink configuration information can be referred to as a PDSCH including SIB0, where SIB0 represents a system information block containing fewer information bits than SIB1, or a system information block received by the UE before receiving SIB1 that includes a request for SIB1 to send relevant configuration information, or a system information block broadcast when the cell is in an energy-saving state. It is understood that SIB0 is merely an example name, and other names can be used, such as lightweight SIB, or the first uplink configuration information can be included in other information elements or higher-layer parameters transmitted via the PDSCH, rather than in the system information block.

[0308] In one implementation, when the cell is in a non-energy-saving state, the UE listens to first downlink information based on first configuration information and receives SIB1 PDSCH based on the detected first downlink information. The first configuration information for a non-energy-saving cell differs from the first configuration information for a cell in an energy-saving state. In one implementation, the first configuration information is included in the downlink reference signal. Depending on the cell's state (e.g., energy-saving or non-energy-saving), the first configuration information may include different information content or be interpreted differently by the UE. Alternatively, in a cell energy-saving state, the field in the downlink reference signal originally used to carry configuration information for listening to or receiving periodic SIB1 is reused to carry the aforementioned first configuration information for listening to or receiving second downlink information. Alternatively, the field in the downlink reference signal carrying the first configuration information carries different first configuration information depending on the cell's state. For example, in a cell energy-saving state, the first configuration information carried in this field includes information related to listening to or receiving second downlink information; in a cell non-energy-saving state, the first configuration information carried in this field includes information related to listening to or receiving periodic SIB1.

[0309] In one implementation, the UE sends a first uplink signal at a time interval after a first time point, wherein the first time point can be a combination of one or more of the following:

[0310] 1) The received downlink reference signal or the start or end position of the time slot or radio frame in which the downlink reference signal is located, or the start position of the next time slot or radio frame in which the downlink reference signal is located;

[0311] 2) The start or end position of the second downlink information received, or the time slot or radio frame in which the second downlink information is located, or the start position of the next time slot or radio frame in which the second downlink information is located;

[0312] 3) The position after the received SIB0 or ​​the start or end position of the time slot or radio frame in which the SIB0 is located, or the start position of the next time slot or radio frame in which the SIB0 is located.

[0313] The time interval can be determined based on the time offset (or time deviation) included in the configuration information related to the first uplink signal; or it can be a time interval predefined by the protocol, which is related to the subcarrier spacing, for example.

[0314] [Configuration of the first uplink resource (e.g., the combined resource of PRACH and PUSCH)]

[0315] In one implementation, after the UE sends a first uplink signal, it sends a second uplink signal, wherein the first uplink signal can be a PRACH preamble and the second uplink signal can be a PUSCH. For example, the first and second uplink signals constitute message A (msgA) in a two-step random access procedure, and the time-frequency resources used to send the first and second uplink signals constitute a time-frequency resource group, which is associated with a downlink reference signal.

[0316] In one implementation, the configuration information related to the first uplink resource also includes configuration information related to the time-frequency resource group, wherein the time-frequency resource group is used to transmit the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal.

[0317] In one implementation, the configuration information related to the first uplink resource also includes an n-bit indication (e.g., referred to as a third indication) for indicating one of 2^n time-frequency resource group configuration indices predefined by the protocol, wherein the time-frequency resource group is used to transmit the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal.

[0318] In one implementation, the first uplink signal is illustrated by the PRACH preamble, and the second uplink signal is illustrated by the PUSCH preamble. The PRACH preamble can be used as an uplink-wakeup signal (UL-WUS) to request the base station to send on-demand system information block 1 (OD-SIB1). It should be noted that, without loss of generality, the first uplink signal and / or the second uplink signal can also be other uplink channels and signals, which will not be elaborated here.

[0319] In one implementation, a method for joint resource configuration of PRACH and PUSCH is provided. The time-frequency resources related to PRACH and PUSCH are treated as a whole, forming a time-frequency resource group. This group includes a PRACH occasion (RO) for transmitting the PRACH preamble and a PUSCH occasion (PO) for transmitting the PUSCH. The advantage of this joint resource configuration method is that it reduces the signaling overhead required for separately configuring PRACH and PUSCH. This allows the UE to obtain the PRACH and PUSCH-related configurations based on the downlink reference signal in OD-SIB1 scenarios without needing to go through SIB1. This configuration is used to request the base station to transmit OD-SIB1 and / or perform random access procedures, achieving energy savings, especially in single-cell scenarios, and reducing the latency of UE random access. In addition, managing PRACH and PUSCH as a time-frequency resource group avoids resource fragmentation caused by independent configuration of PRACH and PUSCH, such as time-domain or frequency-domain overlap or guard interval redundancy. This reduces the possibility of PRACH or PUSCH resources becoming invalid due to resource conflicts and improves resource utilization.

[0320] It should be understood that although exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described using time-frequency resource groups including RO and PO as an example, this is merely exemplary. These exemplary descriptions and illustrations also apply to situations where the time-frequency resource group includes other types of uplink resources, such as resource groups that include resources for other types of uplink wake-up signals and PUSCH channels.

[0321] The relationship between downlink reference signals and time-frequency resource groups

[0322] As an example, Figure 7 The illustration shows the determination of the time-frequency resource location of a time-frequency resource group based on a downlink reference signal, wherein the time offset of the time domain start position of the time-frequency resource group relative to the start position of the downlink reference signal is a first time offset, which includes one or more time units; and the frequency offset of the frequency domain start position of the time-frequency resource group relative to the lowest frequency of the downlink reference signal is a first frequency offset, which includes one or more frequency units.

[0323] As an example, Figure 8 This illustrates a scenario where the locations of multiple consecutive time-frequency resource groups in the time domain are determined based on a downlink reference signal. Figure 8 It includes two time-domain contiguous time-frequency resource groups, where the first time offset and the first frequency offset can be referenced. Figure 7 The explanation of the example will not be repeated here. The time interval between two adjacent time-frequency resource groups in a plurality of consecutive time-frequency resource groups in the time domain is G1, which includes one or more time units.

[0324] As an example, Figure 9 This illustrates a scenario where the locations of multiple consecutive time-frequency resource groups in both the time and frequency domains are determined based on a downlink reference signal, wherein the first time offset, the first frequency offset, and the guard interval G1 can be referenced. Figure 8 The explanation of the example will not be repeated here. Within a first-time instance (e.g., a first-time instance being the duration or time domain resource occupied by a time-frequency resource group), there are multiple frequency-division multiplexed time-frequency resource groups (…). Figure 9 It includes two frequency division multiplexing time-frequency resource groups, and the frequency domain interval between two adjacent time-frequency resource groups in the frequency domain is the guard band GB1, which includes one or more frequency units.

[0325] In one possible implementation Figures 7-9 The first time offset is the time offset between the starting position of the time unit where the downlink reference signal is located and the starting position of the time unit where the time-frequency resource group is located. The time unit can be a time slot, a subframe, or a radio frame.

[0326] In one possible implementation, Figures 7-9 The first frequency offset can also be the frequency offset between the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group and the center frequency of the downlink reference signal; or it can be the frequency offset between the center frequency of the time-frequency resource group and the center frequency of the downlink reference signal.

[0327] Methods for determining the first time offset

[0328] In one possible implementation, the first time offset can be a value preset by the protocol.

[0329] In one implementation, the index of the downlink reference signal can be obtained from the broadcast information carried in the downlink reference signal, such as the index of the downlink reference signal carried in the master information block (MIB) and / or the index of the downlink reference signal carried in the reference signal included in the downlink reference signal (e.g., the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of the physical broadcast channel (PBCH)).

[0330] In one possible implementation, the first time offset can be determined based on the index of the downlink reference signal. For example, the first time offset = downlink reference signal index mod K; or, the first time offset = downlink reference signal index mod K + t_0, where mod is the modulo operator, the parameter K is a positive integer, such as K = 4, and t_0 is one or more time units, such as t_0 = 2 time slots.

[0331] In one possible implementation, the time-domain start position of the time-frequency resource group can be determined based on the index of the downlink reference signal. For example, the time-domain start position of the time-frequency resource group = the start position of the downlink reference signal + the downlink reference signal index mod K; or, the time-domain start position of the time-frequency resource group = the start position of the downlink reference signal + the downlink reference signal index mod K + t_0, where mod is the modulo operator, the parameter K is a positive integer, such as K = 4, and t_0 is one or more time units, such as t_0 = 2 time slots. The start position of the downlink reference signal can be the start position of the time unit in which the downlink reference signal is located, such as the start position of the time slot in which it is located.

[0332] The advantage of determining the first time offset or the time-domain start position of the time-frequency resource group based on the downlink reference signal index is that by dividing the downlink reference signal index into K groups, it can be implicitly ensured that the first time offset or the time-domain start position of the time-frequency resource group corresponding to the downlink reference signal index of different groups are different. Furthermore, (optionally) the introduction of t_0 can ensure that the minimum value of the first time offset is f = t_0, thereby effectively reducing the probability of conflict when different UEs, such as UEs that select different downlink reference signal indices, use the time-frequency resource group.

[0333] Methods for determining the first frequency offset

[0334] In one possible implementation, the first frequency offset can be a value preset by the protocol.

[0335] In one possible implementation, the first frequency offset can be obtained based on the physical cell identity (PCI). For example, the first frequency offset = (PCI mod M) * N; or, the first frequency offset = f_0 + (PCI mod M) * N, where parameters M and N are positive integers, such as M = 16, N = 2, and f_0 is one or more frequency domain cells. In one implementation, M may be related to the number of cell groups, N may be related to the minimum frequency domain spacing between time-frequency resource groups corresponding to different cell groups, and f_0 may be related to the minimum value of the first frequency offset.

[0336] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group can be obtained based on the frequency domain position of the downlink reference signal and a first frequency offset. In one implementation, the first frequency offset can be obtained based on PCI, and the center frequency of the downlink reference signal can be used as the reference position for the first frequency offset. Thus, the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group can be obtained based on PCI and the center frequency of the downlink reference signal. For example, the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group = the center frequency of the downlink reference signal + the first frequency offset. Depending on the different settings of the first frequency offset, the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group = the center frequency of the downlink reference signal + (PCI mod M) * N; or, the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group = the center frequency of the downlink reference signal + f_0 + (PCI mod M) * N, where parameters M and N are positive integers, such as M = 16 and N = 2; where the center frequency of the downlink reference signal can also be replaced by the lowest or highest frequency of the downlink reference signal, or other frequencies of the downlink reference signal can be used as a reference.

[0337] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group can be obtained based on the center frequency of the PCI and the downlink reference signal. For example, the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group = the center frequency of the downlink reference signal + (PCI mod M) * N; or, the frequency domain starting position of the time-frequency resource group = the center frequency of the downlink reference signal + (PCI mod M) * N + f_0, where the parameters M and N are positive integers, such as M = 16 and N = 2; the center frequency of the downlink reference signal can also be replaced by the lowest frequency of the downlink reference signal.

[0338] The advantage of determining the first frequency offset or the frequency domain start position of the time-frequency resource group based on the PCI and downlink reference signal is that by dividing the PCI into M PCI groups, it can be ensured that the first frequency offset or the frequency domain start position of the time-frequency resource group corresponding to the cell ID of different groups are different. The value of N can ensure that the interval between different PCI groups is at least N frequency units, and (optionally) the introduction of f_0 can ensure that the minimum value of the first frequency offset is f_0, thereby effectively reducing the probability of time-frequency resource group collision between cells, reducing the latency of UE random access, and helping the network and UE save energy.

[0339] In one implementation, one or more of the parameters K, M, N, t_0, f_0 can be preset by the protocol; or,

[0340] Included in the first or second downlink information; or,

[0341] This is included in the cell-related configuration information obtained based on the downlink reference signal.

[0342] [The pattern of the time and frequency resource group]

[0343] In one implementation, the time-frequency resource group includes a combination of at least one or more of the following:

[0344] 1) One or more ROs;

[0345] 2) One or more POs;

[0346] 3) Protection interval G2 between RO and PO in the time domain;

[0347] 4) Guard interval G3 between two adjacent POs in the time domain;

[0348] 5) Guard band (GB) between two adjacent POs in the frequency domain;

[0349] As a time-frequency resource group, the pattern, or writing structure or type of the time-frequency resource group includes at least one or more of the following combinations.

[0350] 1) Includes one RO and one PO (first pattern);

[0351] 2) Includes one RO and multiple PO;

[0352] 3) Includes multiple ROs and one PO;

[0353] 4) Includes multiple RO and multiple PO;

[0354] If a time-frequency resource group includes one RO or multiple POs, then the pattern of the time-frequency resource group also includes at least one or more of the following combinations:

[0355] 1) Includes one RO and multiple time-division multiplexed POs (second pattern);

[0356] 2) Includes one RO and multiple frequency division multiplexed POs (third pattern);

[0357] 3) Includes one RO, and multiple time-division multiplexed and frequency-division multiplexed POs (fourth pattern);

[0358] If a time-frequency resource group includes multiple ROs or one PO, the pattern of the time-frequency resource group also includes at least one or more of the following combinations:

[0359] 1) Includes multiple frequency division multiplexing (RO) arrays and one frequency division multiplexing (PO) array (fifth pattern);

[0360] 2) Includes multiple time-division multiplexed ROs and one PO (sixth pattern);

[0361] 3) Includes multiple time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing ROs, and one PO (seventh pattern);

[0362] If a time-frequency resource group includes multiple ROs or multiple POs, then the pattern of the time-frequency resource group also includes at least one or more of the following combinations:

[0363] 1) Includes multiple frequency division multiplexing (RO) and multiple time division multiplexing (PO) (eighth pattern);

[0364] 2) Includes multiple frequency division multiplexing (RO) and multiple frequency division multiplexing (PO) (nine pattern);

[0365] 3) Includes multiple time-division multiplexed ROs and multiple time-division multiplexed POs (tenth pattern);

[0366] 4) Includes multiple time-division multiplexed ROs and multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs (pattern 11);

[0367] 5) Includes multiple frequency division multiplexing ROs, and multiple time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing POs (the twelfth pattern);

[0368] 6) Includes multiple time-division multiplexed ROs, and multiple time-division multiplexed and frequency-division multiplexed POs (pattern thirteen);

[0369] 7) Includes multiple time-division multiplexed and frequency-division multiplexed ROs, and multiple time-division multiplexed POs (pattern fourteen).

[0370] 8) Includes multiple time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing ROs, and multiple frequency-division multiplexing POs (pattern 15).

[0371] 9) Includes multiple time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing ROs, and multiple time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing POs (sixteenth pattern).

[0372] In one implementation, when a time-frequency resource group includes multiple point objects (POs), each of the multiple POs occupies the same number of time units and frequency domain units.

[0373] In one implementation, when a time-frequency resource group includes multiple ROs, each of the multiple ROs occupies the same number of time units and frequency domain units.

[0374] In one implementation, a RO and a PO in a time-frequency resource group occupy the same or different number of time-domain units in the time domain.

[0375] In one implementation, a RO and a PO in a time-frequency resource group occupy the same or different number of frequency domain cells in the frequency domain.

[0376] In one implementation, ROs and POs in a time-frequency resource group have the same or different starting frequencies in the frequency domain (e.g., the lowest frequency of ROs or POs). If the starting frequencies (e.g., the lowest frequencies, denoted as RO lowest frequencies) of one or more ROs included in a time-frequency resource group are different from the starting frequencies (e.g., the lowest frequencies, denoted as PO lowest frequencies) of one or more POs included in the time-frequency resource group, for example, if the lowest frequencies of ROs and POs differ by a frequency offset (denoted as second frequency offset), which includes one or more frequency units, then the frequency lower of the lowest frequencies of ROs and POs is considered as the starting position in the frequency domain of the time-frequency resource group. For example, if the lowest frequency of ROs is lower than the lowest frequency of POs, then the lowest frequency of ROs is considered as the starting position in the frequency domain of the time-frequency resource group.

[0377] As an example, Figure 10 A possible time-frequency resource grouping pattern (referred to as the first pattern) is shown, comprising a PRACH occasion (RO) and a PUSCH occasion (PO), wherein the time interval between the RO and the PO is a guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units. It should be understood that the size ratios of RO, PO, etc., shown in the accompanying drawings are merely exemplary and do not imply a relationship between the number of time-domain units or frequency-domain units occupied by RO and PO. For example, the number of time-domain units occupied by RO may be greater than, equal to, or less than the number of time-domain units occupied by PO, and the number of frequency-domain units occupied by RO may be greater than, equal to, or less than the number of frequency-domain units occupied by PO.

[0378] As an example, Figure 11 Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as the second pattern) is shown, which includes one RO and multiple time-division multiplexed POs, wherein the time interval between the first PO and the RO in the time domain is a guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units; the multiple POs are time-division multiplexed POs, and the guard interval between adjacent POs in the time domain is G3, occupying one or more time units.

[0379] As an example, Figure 12 Another possible time-frequency resource grouping pattern (written as the third pattern) is shown, which includes one RO and multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs, wherein the multiple POs are multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs in a second time instance, the second time instance being the time length or time-domain resource occupied by a PO; the time interval between the second time instance and the RO is a guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units; the frequency domain spacing between adjacent POs in the frequency domain (in a second time instance) is a guard band (GB), occupying one or more frequency units;

[0380] As an example, Figure 13 Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as the fourth pattern) is shown, which includes one RO and multiple time-division multiplexed and frequency-division multiplexed POs, wherein the multiple POs are included in multiple second time instances, wherein each second time instance includes multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs; the time interval between the first second time instance in the multiple second time instances and the RO is a guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units; the guard band between adjacent POs in the frequency domain (in a second time instance) is GB, occupying one or more frequency units; the guard interval between adjacent second time instances in the time domain is G3, occupying one or more time units.

[0381] As an example, Figure 14 Another possible time-frequency resource grouping pattern (written as Pattern 5) is shown, which includes multiple frequency-division multiplexed ROs and one PO, wherein the multiple ROs are multiple frequency-division multiplexed ROs in a third time instance, the third time instance being the time length or time-domain resource occupied by an RO, the frequency domain spacing between two frequency-division multiplexed ROs that are frequency-adjacent in the third time instance is GB2, including one or more frequency units; the time interval between the third time instance and the PO is a guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units.

[0382] As an example, Figure 15 Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as the sixth pattern) is shown, which includes multiple time-division multiplexed ROs and one PO, wherein the multiple ROs are multiple time-division multiplexed ROs, the time interval between two adjacent ROs in the time domain is G6, which includes one or more time units; the time interval between the last RO and the PO in the time domain is a guard interval G2, which occupies one or more time units.

[0383] As an example, Figure 16 Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as Pattern Seven) is shown, which includes multiple time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing ROs, wherein the multiple ROs are included in multiple third time instances, wherein each third time instance includes multiple frequency-division multiplexing ROs, the frequency domain interval between two adjacent frequency-division multiplexing ROs in a third time instance is GB2, including one or more frequency units; the time interval between two adjacent third time instances in the time domain is G6, including one or more time units; the time interval between the last third time instance and the PO in the time domain is a guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units.

[0384] As an example, Figure 17Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as Pattern 8) is shown, which includes multiple frequency-division multiplexed ROs and multiple time-division multiplexed POs, wherein the multiple ROs are multiple frequency-division multiplexed ROs in a third time instance, the frequency domain spacing between two frequency-division multiplexed ROs that are adjacent in the frequency domain in a third time instance is GB2, which includes one or more frequency units; the multiple POs are time-division multiplexed POs; the guard interval between adjacent POs in the time domain is G3, which occupies one or more time units; the time interval between the third time instance and the first PO in the time domain is the guard interval G2, which occupies one or more time units;

[0385] As an example, Figure 18 Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as Pattern 9) is shown, which includes multiple frequency-division multiplexing ROs and multiple frequency-division multiplexing POs, wherein the multiple ROs are multiple frequency-division multiplexing ROs in a third time instance, the frequency domain spacing between two frequency-adjacent frequency-division multiplexing ROs in the third time instance is GB2, including one or more frequency units; the multiple POs are multiple frequency-division multiplexing POs in a second time instance, the frequency domain spacing between two frequency-division multiplexing POs in the second time instance is GB, including one or more frequency units; the guard interval between adjacent POs in the time domain is G3, occupying one or more time units; the time interval between the third time instance and the first PO in the time domain is the guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units.

[0386] As an example, Figure 19 Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as the tenth pattern) is shown, which includes multiple time-division multiplexed ROs and multiple time-division multiplexed POs. The guard interval between adjacent POs in the time domain is G3, occupying one or more time units; the guard interval between adjacent ROs in the time domain is G6, occupying one or more time units; the time interval between the third time instance in the time domain and the first PO in the time domain is the guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units; the time interval between the last RO in the time domain and the first PO in the time domain is the guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units.

[0387] As an example, Figure 20Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as Pattern 11) is shown, which includes multiple time-division multiplexed ROs and multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs, wherein the multiple POs are multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs in a second time instance, the guard band between adjacent POs in the frequency domain is GB, occupying one or more frequency units; the guard interval between adjacent ROs in the time domain is G6, occupying one or more time units; the time interval between the last RO and the second time instance in the time domain is the guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units.

[0388] As an example, Figure 21 Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as Pattern Twelve) is shown, which includes multiple frequency-division multiplexed ROs and multiple time-division multiplexed and frequency-division multiplexed POs, wherein the multiple ROs are multiple frequency-division multiplexed ROs in a third time instance; the multiple POs are included in multiple second time instances, wherein each second time instance includes multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs; the time interval between the first second time instance and the third time instance in the time domain is a guard interval G2; the frequency domain interval between two adjacent frequency-division multiplexed ROs in the third time instance is GB2, including one or more frequency units; the guard interval between adjacent second time instances in the time domain is G3, occupying one or more time units; the guard band between adjacent POs in the frequency domain in a second time instance is GB, occupying one or more frequency units.

[0389] As an example, Figure 22 Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as Pattern Thirteen) is shown, which includes multiple time-division multiplexed ROs and multiple time-division multiplexed and frequency-division multiplexed POs, wherein the multiple ROs are multiple time-division multiplexed ROs, the time interval between two adjacent ROs in the time domain is G6, and includes one or more time units; the multiple POs are included in multiple second time instances, wherein each second time instance includes multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs; the time interval between the first second time instance and the last RO in the time domain is a guard interval G2; the guard interval between adjacent second time instances in the time domain is G3, occupying one or more time units; the guard band between adjacent POs in the frequency domain in a second time instance is GB, occupying one or more frequency units.

[0390] As an example, Figure 23Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as Pattern Fourteen) is shown, which includes multiple time-division multiplexed and frequency-division multiplexed ROs and multiple time-division multiplexed POs, wherein the multiple ROs are multiple time-division multiplexed ROs, the time interval between two adjacent ROs in the time domain is G6, and includes one or more time units; the multiple POs are included in multiple second time instances, wherein each second time instance includes multiple frequency-division multiplexed POs; the time interval between the first second time instance and the last RO in the time domain is a guard interval G2; the guard interval between adjacent second time instances in the time domain is G3, occupying one or more time units; the guard band between adjacent POs in the frequency domain in a second time instance is GB, occupying one or more frequency units.

[0391] As an example, Figure 24 Another possible time-frequency resource grouping pattern (written as Pattern Fifteen) is shown, which includes multiple time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing ROs and multiple frequency-division multiplexing POs, wherein the multiple ROs are included in multiple third time instances, wherein each third time instance includes multiple frequency-division multiplexing ROs, the frequency domain spacing between two adjacent frequency-division multiplexing ROs in the frequency domain of a third time instance is GB2, including one or more frequency units; the time interval between two adjacent third time instances in the time domain is G6, including one or more time units; the multiple POs are multiple frequency-division multiplexing POs in a second time instance, the frequency domain spacing between two adjacent frequency-division multiplexing POs in the frequency domain of a second time instance is GB, including one or more frequency units; the time interval between the last third time instance and the second time instance in the time domain is a guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units.

[0392] As an example, Figure 25Another possible time-frequency resource group pattern (written as Pattern Sixteen) is shown, which includes multiple time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing ROs and multiple time-division multiplexing and frequency-division multiplexing POs, wherein the multiple ROs are included in multiple third time instances, wherein each third time instance includes multiple frequency-division multiplexing ROs, the frequency domain interval between two adjacent frequency-division multiplexing ROs in the frequency domain of a third time instance is GB2, including one or more frequency units; the time interval between two adjacent third time instances in the time domain is G6, including one or more time units; the multiple POs are included in multiple second time instances, wherein each second time instance includes multiple frequency-division multiplexing POs; (in a second time instance) the guard band between adjacent POs in the frequency domain is GB, occupying one or more frequency units; the guard interval between adjacent second time instances in the time domain is G3, occupying one or more time units; the time interval between the last third time instance in the time domain and the first second time instance in the time domain is the guard interval G2, occupying one or more time units.

[0393] In one implementation, the guard interval G4 (occupying one or more time units) is located at the end of the time-frequency resource group, that is, after the last second time instance in the time domain of the time-frequency resource group. Optionally, G4 can be 0, or G4 is not included in the time-frequency resource group.

[0394] In one implementation, the configuration information related to the first uplink resource also includes a combination of at least one or more of the following:

[0395] 1) First time deviation;

[0396] 2) First frequency offset;

[0397] 3) The number of time-frequency resource groups in a first-time instance;

[0398] 4) The number of time-division multiplexed time-frequency resource groups in the time domain, or the number of time-frequency resource groups related to the uplink and downlink reference signals in the time domain, or the number of first-time instances;

[0399] 5) One or more of the following protection intervals: G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5;

[0400] 6) Protection of one or more of the following frequency bands: GB, GB1, and GB2;

[0401] 7) In a first-time instance, the guard band between adjacent time-frequency resource groups in the frequency domain;

[0402] 8) The position of the starting symbol of the time-frequency resource group in its respective time slot;

[0403] 9) The number of time units occupied by a time-frequency resource group;

[0404] 10) The number of time-division multiplexed POs or the number of second time instances in a time-frequency resource group;

[0405] 11) The number of time-division multiplexed ROs or the number of third-time instances in a time-frequency resource group;

[0406] 12) The number of frequency division multiplexing points (POs) in a second-time instance;

[0407] 13) The number of ROs in a third-time instance of frequency division multiplexing;

[0408] 14) The number of frequency domain units and time domain units occupied by a PO in a time-frequency resource group;

[0409] 15) The number of frequency domain units and time domain units occupied by a RO in a time-frequency resource group;

[0410] 16) In a second time instance, the position of the starting symbol of PO in its time slot;

[0411] 17) In a third time instance, the position of the starting symbol of RO in its time slot;

[0412] 18) The frequency domain offset between the lowest frequency of RO and the lowest frequency of PO in a time-frequency resource group;

[0413] In one implementation, at least one or more of the following combinations may be predefined by the protocol:

[0414] 1) One or more of the following protection intervals: G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6;

[0415] 2) Protection of one or more of the following frequency bands: GB, GB1, and GB2;

[0416] 3) In the time-frequency resource group, the frequency domain offset between the starting frequency of RO and the starting frequency of PO;

[0417] In one implementation, the UE determines a pattern of resources (e.g., RO and PO) for PRACH and PUSCH based on a fourth instruction, which includes, but is not limited to, the first to sixteenth patterns described in this invention. The UE obtains the fourth instruction through at least one of the following methods:

[0418] 1) Obtained based on the configuration information related to the first uplink resource;

[0419] 2) The fourth indicator field in the second downlink information;

[0420] 3) The fourth indicator field in the first downlink information;

[0421] For example, according to an example embodiment of this disclosure, the fourth indication for determining the patterns of RO and PO can be obtained through configuration information related to the first uplink resource in the first uplink configuration information, or through second downlink information sent in response to a UE's request for the first uplink configuration information. Furthermore, according to an example embodiment of this disclosure, the fourth indication for determining the patterns of RO and PO can be obtained through first downlink information for receiving SIB1 periodically transmitted by the cell; for example, the fourth indication can be included in SIB1. Alternatively, according to an example embodiment of this disclosure, the fourth indication for determining the patterns of RO and PO can be obtained through first downlink information for receiving SIB1 on demand by the cell; for example, the fourth indication can be included in the on-demand transmitted SIB1.

[0422] In one possible implementation, the fourth indication has n bits for indicating one of 2^n PRACH and PUSCH patterns predefined by the protocol. For example, a 2-bit indication can indicate one of four PRACH and PUSCH patterns. As an example, these four patterns can be at least one of the first to sixteenth patterns included in this invention, but are not limited to this.

[0423] In one implementation, the configuration of the PUSCH-related DMRS code division multiplexing (CDM) group in the time-frequency resource group involved in the configuration information related to the second uplink signal can be determined according to the PCI. For example, when the PCI is even, the implicit indication of the DMRS CDM group is 0; when the PCI is odd, the implicit indication of the DMRS CDM group is 1.

[0424] In one implementation, the initialization data scrambling associated with the PUSCH in the time-frequency resource group uses PCI obtained from the downlink reference signal.

[0425] [Limitations on UE sending the first and second uplink signals]

[0426] In one implementation, the UE does not expect to send a first uplink signal in one time-frequency resource group and a second uplink signal in another time-frequency resource group. For example, the UE only sends the first uplink signal and the second uplink signal in one time-frequency resource group.

[0427] In one implementation, within a time-frequency resource group, the UE can transmit a second uplink signal in one or more of the following ways:

[0428] 1) Select all POs within this time-frequency resource group to send the second uplink signal;

[0429] 2) Select the PO associated with the first uplink signal to send the second uplink signal.

[0430] In one implementation, within a time-frequency resource group, a first uplink signal is associated with a PO within that time-frequency resource group.

[0431] In one possible implementation, the method for associating the first uplink signal with the PO is to index the N_p PRACH preambles corresponding to one or more valid ROs within a time-frequency resource group:

[0432] First, within a single RO, they are arranged in ascending order of the preamble index;

[0433] Second, the ROs of frequency division multiplexing are sorted in ascending order of frequency resource index;

[0434] Third, the ROs of time-division multiplexing are sorted in ascending order of time resource index within the first time instance;

[0435] Mapped to valid PUSCH timings and their associated DMRS resources within this time-frequency resource group:

[0436] First, sort the frequency division multiplexing POs in ascending order of frequency resource index f_id;

[0437] Second, sort the PO in ascending order of DMRS resource index, where the DMRS resource index DMRS_id is first sorted in ascending order of DMRS port index, and then sorted in ascending order of DMRS sequence index;

[0438] Third, the time-division multiplexed POs are sorted in ascending order of time resource index t_id within the first time instance;

[0439] Fourth, sort the Ns second-time instances in ascending order of their indices.

[0440] Where N_p = ceil(T_preamble / T_pusch), T_preamble is the total number of valid ROs in a time-frequency resource group multiplied by the number of preambles for each valid PRACH timing, and T_pusch is the total number of valid POs configured for each PUSCH in a time-frequency resource group multiplied by the number of DMRS resource indexes for each valid PO.

[0441] In one implementation, unless otherwise specified, all ROs involved are valid ROs, and all POs involved are valid POs.

[0442] Figure 29 A schematic diagram of the structure of a user equipment 2900 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. (Reference) Figure 29The user equipment 2900 includes a transceiver 2901 and a controller 2902. The transceiver 2901 is configured to transmit data or signals and receive data or signals. The controller 2902 is coupled to the transceiver 2901 and configured to perform control to cause the user equipment 2900 to perform methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In one implementation, the user equipment 2900 may further include a memory (not shown) storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the controller 2902, allow the user equipment 2900 to perform at least one method corresponding to the above embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0443] Figure 30 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network-side device 3000 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. (See reference...) Figure 30 The network-side device 3000 includes a transceiver 3001 and a controller 3002. The transceiver 3001 is configured to transmit or receive data or signals. The controller 3002 is coupled to the transceiver 3001 and configured to perform control to cause the network-side device 3000 to perform methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In one implementation, the network-side device 3000 may further include a memory (not shown) storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the controller 3002, allow the network-side device 3000 to perform at least one method corresponding to the above embodiments of the present disclosure. The network-side device may include, for example, a base station or other network-side devices.

[0444] Those skilled in the art will understand that the illustrative embodiments described above are not intended to be limiting. It should be understood that any two or more of the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in any combination. Furthermore, other embodiments may be utilized and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that aspects of this disclosure, as generally described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.

[0445] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and steps described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above in the form of sets of functions. Whether such sets of functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described sets of functions in different ways for each specific application, but such design decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this application.

[0446] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in this application may be implemented or performed using 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 device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternatives, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0447] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in this application may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read and write information to / from the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0448] In one or more exemplary designs, the functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, the latter including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0449] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention, which is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method executed by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system, comprising: Receive downlink reference signal; Based on the downlink reference signal, first uplink configuration information related to the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource used to request the first system information block is obtained. The first uplink configuration information includes first information indicating whether the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource is used to request random access. Send the first uplink signal; Based on the first information, receive the first system information block, or receive the first system information block and a random access response.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The downlink reference signal includes first configuration information, which includes information related to resources used to receive the first uplink configuration information. Obtaining the first uplink configuration information includes: receiving the first uplink configuration information based on the first configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, When the downlink reference signal includes state information indicating that the network is in a first state, the UE receives the first uplink configuration information based on the first configuration information.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, If the downlink reference signal does not include state information indicating that the network is in a first state, the UE receives the first system information block based on the first configuration information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first uplink configuration information is included in the downlink reference signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The downlink reference signal is a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SSB), and the first uplink configuration information is included in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) of the SSB.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The SSB also includes status information indicating whether the network is in a first state. When the status information indicates that the network is in a first state, the UE receives first uplink configuration information according to the PBCH resources corresponding to the first state.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The first part of the downlink reference signal includes state information indicating whether the network is in a first state, and the first uplink configuration information is included in the second part of the downlink reference signal. The first part and the second part are frequency-division multiplexed on the same time domain resources, or time-division multiplexed on the same frequency domain resources.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The second part includes at least two sub-parts, which are frequency-division multiplexed or time-division multiplexed with the first part.

10. The method according to claim 1, in, Obtain the first uplink configuration information, including: Receive second downlink information related to the first uplink configuration information. The second downlink information includes third information indicating the first uplink configuration information, or The second downlink information includes scheduling information for the downlink channel used to receive the first uplink configuration information. The third information indicates one of a plurality of first uplink configuration information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The downlink reference signal includes first configuration information. Wherein, when the status information indicates that the network is in a first state, the UE receives the second downlink information according to the first configuration information. Wherein, when the status information indicates that the network is not in the first state, the UE receives the first system information block according to the first configuration information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, further comprising: A third uplink signal is sent to request the first uplink configuration information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The downlink reference signal includes state information indicating whether the network is in a first state; Specifically, when the status information indicates that the network is in a first state, the UE sends the third uplink signal.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, in, In cases where the first information indicates that the first uplink signal and / or the first uplink signal resource is used to request random access: The first uplink resource configuration information includes configuration information for a resource group, wherein the resource group includes the first uplink resource and the second uplink resource of the second uplink signal. The second uplink signal corresponds to the uplink signal in the Type 2 random access process.

15. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system, comprising: Receive a first system information block, the first system information block includes configuration information of a resource group, the resource group includes a first uplink resource for requesting a first uplink signal for random access and a second uplink resource for a second uplink signal, the second uplink signal corresponding to the uplink signal in type 2 random access; Based on the configuration information of the resource group, message A in type 2 random access is sent. Message A includes a first uplink signal and a second uplink signal. The first uplink signal and the second uplink resource are associated within the resource group.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, The location of the resource group is determined based on the resource location of the received downlink reference signal, as well as a first time offset and / or a first frequency offset. The first time offset is determined based on the index information of the downlink reference signal. The first frequency offset is determined based on the cell ID.

17. A method performed by a network-side device in a communication system, comprising: Send downlink reference signal and first uplink configuration information, the first uplink configuration information being related to a first uplink signal and / or first uplink signal resources for requesting a first system information block, the first uplink configuration information including first information indicating whether the first uplink signal and / or first uplink signal resources are used to request random access; Receive the first uplink signal; Based on the first information, send the first system information block, or send the first system information block and a random access response.

18. A method performed by a network-side device in a communication system, comprising: Send a first system information block, which includes configuration information of a resource group. The resource group includes a first uplink resource for requesting a first uplink signal for random access and a second uplink resource for a second uplink signal. The second uplink signal corresponds to the uplink signal in type 2 random access. Receive message A in type 2 random access based on the configuration information of the resource group, wherein message A includes a first uplink signal and a second uplink signal. The first uplink signal and the second uplink resource are associated within the resource group.

19. A user equipment (UE) in a communication system, comprising: A transceiver is configured to transmit and / or receive signals; The controller is configured to control the UE to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-16.

20. A network-side device in a communication system, comprising: A transceiver is configured to transmit and / or receive signals; The controller is configured to control the network-side device to perform the method according to any one of claims 17-18.

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