A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method and device, which are applied to the communication field and are used for improving the reliability of a random access message sent by a network device to a terminal device, thereby improving the probability of reliable connection of the network device and the terminal device. Specifically, a terminal device receives a first indication message, wherein the first indication message is used for indicating an association relationship between a channel state and a retransmission number, and the retransmission number is a retransmission number of a target message in a random access process. Then, the terminal device sends a second indication message, wherein the second indication message is used for indicating a first retransmission number, and the first retransmission number is determined by the association relationship and a measured target channel state. Thus, by configuring the retransmission number of the target message, the reliability of transmitting the target message is improved in the manner that the network device repeatedly transmits the target message based on the retransmission number.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In communication systems, the random access procedure is a crucial process for establishing a communication link between terminal devices and network devices. The random access procedure involves message exchange between the terminal device and the network device, specifically including: the terminal device sending a random access request message (also known as random access message 1 or msg1) to the network device; the network device sending a random access response message (also known as random access message 2 or msg2) to the terminal device; the terminal device sending a random access completion message (also known as random access message 3 or msg3) to the network device; and the network device sending a random access completion confirmation message (also known as random access message 4 or msg4) to the terminal device, thus completing the entire access process.

[0003] However, in scenarios where the communication path between network devices and terminal devices is long or the network devices have limited energy storage, the reliability of random access messages (target messages) sent by the network devices to the terminal devices may not meet the expected reliability requirements, leading to unreliable connections between the network devices and terminal devices. For example, in satellite communication scenarios, satellite power systems rely on solar panels, which have limited energy storage. Under conditions of prolonged lack of sunlight, the satellite may be unable to reliably transmit target messages, such as msg4, to the terminal device. Furthermore, due to the very long communication path between the satellite and the terminal device, this further exacerbates the problem of unreliable transmission of msg4. Therefore, improving the reliability of connections between network devices and terminal devices is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to improve the reliability of random access messages sent by a network device to a terminal device, thereby increasing the probability of a reliable connection between the network device and the terminal device.

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

[0006] The method includes: a terminal device receiving a first indication message, wherein the first indication message indicates the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, and the retransmission count is the number of times the target message is retransmitted during random access. Then, the terminal device sends a second indication message, wherein the second indication message indicates a first retransmission count, which is determined by the correlation and the measured target channel state. Thus, by configuring the retransmission count of the target message, the network device repeatedly transmits the target message based on the retransmission count, thereby improving the reliability of the target message. Furthermore, the network device configures the retransmission count of the target message based on the channel state measured by the terminal device. When the channel quality is good, the retransmission count can be reduced; when the channel quality is low, the retransmission count can be increased, thereby ensuring the reliability of the target message transmission while avoiding excessive resource consumption.

[0007] In one specific implementation, the association relationship includes at least one of the following: the association relationship between channel state and random access configuration, the association relationship between channel state and coverage level, or the association relationship between channel state and retransmission count; the random access configuration is associated with the retransmission count, and the coverage level is associated with the retransmission count.

[0008] In one specific implementation, the association relationship includes at least one of the following: the association relationship between channel state and random access configuration, the association relationship between channel state and coverage level, or the association relationship between channel state and retransmission count; the random access configuration is associated with the retransmission count, and the coverage level is associated with the retransmission count.

[0009] In another specific implementation, the random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble set, a random access message set, or a random access opportunity (RO).

[0010] In another implementation, the second indication message includes a first retransmission count, or the second indication message includes at least one of a target random access configuration or a target coverage level, wherein the target random access configuration is associated with the first retransmission count, the target coverage level is associated with the first retransmission count, and the target random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble, random access message 1, or RO.

[0011] In one specific implementation, the terminal device can receive a first instruction message through a system information block; the system information block includes at least one of a synchronization signal block SSB or system information block 1.

[0012] In another specific implementation, the first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration. The terminal device can determine the target random access configuration based on the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, as well as the target channel state. Furthermore, the terminal device does not need to perform complex signal strength assessments and configuration selections; it can quickly determine the target random access configuration simply based on the received indication message and the measured RSRP. Therefore, this helps reduce the processing overhead of the terminal device resources and improves transmission efficiency.

[0013] In another specific implementation, the first indication message indicates the association between channel state and coverage level, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration. The terminal device determines the target random access configuration based on the association between channel state and coverage level, the association between coverage level and random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0014] In another specific implementation, the first indication message indicates the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration. The terminal device can determine the target random access configuration based on the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, the correlation between retransmission count and random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0015] Optionally, the terminal device may determine the target channel state based on the measurement results of the system information block.

[0016] In one specific implementation, if the system information block includes a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a system information block (SIB1), the terminal device can determine the target channel state based on the measurement results of the SSB and SIB1, with the SSB and SIB1 using the same beam. By using the channel states of the SSB and SIB with the same beam, the terminal device determines the target channel state more accurately. Therefore, based on the correlation between RSRP and random access configuration, the determined random access configuration is more accurate, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the target message retransmission count and ultimately enhancing the reliability of the target message received by the terminal device.

[0017] In another specific implementation, if the power of SSB is the same as the power of SIB1, the terminal device can determine the target channel state based on the average of the measurement results of SSB and SIB1; if the power of SSB is different from the power of SIB1, the terminal device can determine the target channel state based on the measurement results of SSB after power alignment and the measurement results of SIB1; wherein, the power of SSB after power alignment is the same as the power of SIB1 or the power difference between the two is within a preset threshold.

[0018] In another specific implementation, the first indication message indicates at least one of the following: the association between channel state and coverage level, or the association between channel state and retransmission count. The second indication message is a random access message 3, which includes the first retransmission count or the target coverage level. The terminal device can determine the target random access configuration based on the association between channel state and coverage level and the target channel state, or it can determine the target coverage level based on the association between channel state and retransmission count and the target channel state.

[0019] In one specific implementation, the target channel state is determined based on at least one of SSB, SIB1, or random access message 2.

[0020] Furthermore, the terminal device can receive a third indication message, which indicates the second retransmission count, the second retransmission count being the number of retransmissions of the target message; the second retransmission count is determined based on the first retransmission count; and the target message is received based on the second retransmission count.

[0021] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this approach. The following description uses a network device (such as a satellite) as an example.

[0022] The method includes: a network device sending a first indication message, the first indication message indicating the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, the retransmission count being the number of retransmissions of the target message during random access; and the network device receiving a second indication message, the second indication message indicating either the target channel state or the first retransmission count. The first retransmission count is determined by the correlation and the measured target channel state.

[0023] In one specific implementation, the association includes at least one of the following: the association between channel state and random access configuration, the association between channel state and coverage level, and the association between channel state and retransmission count. The random access configuration is associated with the retransmission count, and the coverage level is associated with the retransmission count.

[0024] In another implementation, the random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble combination, a msg1 set, or a random access opportunity (RO).

[0025] In another implementation, the second indication message includes a first retransmission count, or the second indication message includes a target random access configuration or a target coverage level. The target access configuration is associated with the first retransmission count, and the target coverage level is associated with the first retransmission count. The target random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble, msg1, or RO.

[0026] In another implementation, the terminal device configures the first indication message through a system information block, which includes at least one of a synchronization signal block SSB or a system information block 1.

[0027] The first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the association between the channel state and the random access configuration and the target channel state.

[0028] In another implementation, the first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the coverage level, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the association between the channel state and the coverage level, the association between the coverage level and the random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0029] or,

[0030] The first indication message indicates the correlation between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the correlation between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, the correlation between the number of retransmissions and the random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0031] In another implementation, the target channel state is determined based on the measurement results of the system information block.

[0032] In another implementation, if the system information block includes SSB and SIB1, the target channel state is determined by the measurement results of the SSB and the measurement results of the SIB1, and the SSB and the SIB1 use the same beam.

[0033] In another implementation, if the power of the SSB is the same as the power of the SIB1, the target channel state is determined based on the average of the measurement results of the SSB and the measurement results of the SIB1.

[0034] If the power of the SSB is not the same as the power of the SIB1, the target channel state is determined based on the measurement results of the SSB after power alignment and the measurement results of the SIB1; wherein, the power of the SSB after power alignment is the same as the power of the SIB1 or the power difference between the two is within a preset threshold.

[0035] In another implementation, if the first indication message indicates either the association between the channel state and the coverage level, or the association between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, the second indication message is a random access message 3, which includes either the first number of retransmissions or the target coverage level.

[0036] The target coverage level is determined based on the correlation between the channel state and the coverage level, as well as the target channel state. The first retransmission count is determined based on the correlation between the channel state and the retransmission count, as well as the target channel state.

[0037] In another implementation, the network device sends a third indication message to indicate a second retransmission count, which is the number of times the target message has been received; the second retransmission count is determined based on the first retransmission count.

[0038] The second aspect is the implementation on the network device side, which corresponds to the first aspect. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first aspect also apply to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0039] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes a communication module and a processing module. The communication module is used to perform the communication operation as described in any one of the first aspects, and the processing module is used to perform the processing operation as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0040] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes a communication module and a processing module. The communication module is used to perform the communication operation as described in any of the second aspects, and the processing module is used to perform the processing operation as described in any of the second aspects.

[0041] The third and fourth aspects are the implementation on the device side, which correspond to the first and second aspects. The explanations, supplements, and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first and second aspects also apply to the third and fourth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0042] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0043] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform the method in any of the possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any of the possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0045] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the methods in any of the above aspects or possible implementations to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. The chip system may include input circuitry or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuitry or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0046] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system including the aforementioned terminal device and network device. Optionally, the communication system may further include other devices that communicate with the terminal device and / or network device. Attached Figure Description

[0047] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 used in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication system 100 used in the embodiments of this application;

[0049] Figure 3 This is an interaction diagram illustrating the implementation of a random access procedure.

[0050] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating a coverage level provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 5A This is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 5B An interaction diagram of another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0053] Figure 6 An interaction diagram illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 7 An interaction diagram of yet another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 8 This application provides yet another communication method.

[0056] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0057] Figure 10 This is another schematic block diagram of the communication device 1000 provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0058] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be a limitation of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more," unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "one or more" refers to one, two, or more; "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0059] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0060] The "multiple" mentioned in the embodiments of this application refers to two or more. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order.

[0061] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) systems, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink communication systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems, future mobile communication systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, or new radio access technology (NR). Among these, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networking. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, and this application does not limit their application in this regard.

[0062] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 used in an embodiment of this application. The communication system 100 may include network devices, such as... Figure 1 The network device 110 is shown. The communication system 100 may also include terminal devices, such as... Figure 1 The terminal device 120 is shown. The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 can communicate via a wireless link.

[0063] Figure 1 An exemplary network device 110 and a terminal device 120 are shown.

[0064] Optionally, the network device 110 can be a cellular network device for cellular network communication or a satellite network device for satellite network communication.

[0065] Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include multiple network devices and / or multiple terminal devices.

[0066] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of another communication system 100 used in an embodiment of this application. The network device 110 of the communication system 100 may include network device 201 and network device 202. Network device 201 can communicate with at least one terminal device through network device 202.

[0067] Figure 2 An example is shown where network device 201 communicates with a terminal device 120 via network device 202.

[0068] Network device 20202, also known as satellite network device, has unlimited transmit and receive capabilities and is used to communicate with terminal devices. In the embodiments of this application, the satellite network device may specifically be a satellite or spacecraft in an NTN, or it may be other possible satellite network devices, or it may be a terrestrial network device that communicates with a satellite.

[0069] In one example, network device 202 can receive uplink data sent by terminal device 120 and forward that uplink data to network device 201. Alternatively, network device 202 can receive downlink data sent by network device 201 and forward that downlink data to terminal device 120. That is, network device 202 can be responsible only for forwarding and not for encoding / decoding or other related operations.

[0070] In another example, network device 202 can receive uplink data sent by terminal device 120, encode or decode the uplink data, and then send it to network device 201. Alternatively, network device 202 can receive downlink data sent by network device 201, encode or decode the downlink data, and then send it to terminal device 120. That is, network device 202 is responsible for forwarding and can also be used for encoding and decoding operations.

[0071] The network equipment in this application can be network-side equipment such as access network equipment and core network equipment. Access network equipment is sometimes also called access node. Access network equipment has wireless transceiver capabilities and is used to communicate with terminal equipment. Access network equipment includes, but is not limited to, base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), transmission reception points (TRPs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) in 5G mobile communication systems, access network equipment or modules of access network equipment in open RAN (ORAN) systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access nodes in WiFi systems. Access network equipment can also be modules or units capable of implementing some functions of a base station. Access network equipment can be macro base stations, micro base stations, or indoor stations, relay nodes or donor nodes, or wireless controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. Optionally, access network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, or vehicle-mounted equipment. Multiple access network equipment in a communication system can be base stations of the same type or different types. Base stations can communicate directly with terminal devices, or they can communicate with terminal devices through relay stations. Terminal devices can communicate with multiple base stations using different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the access network equipment.

[0072] In this application, the means for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself, or a means capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system. This means can be installed in or connected to the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the example of a network device being used to implement the functions of a network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0073] The terminal device in this application can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device providing voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing modules connected to a wireless modem. For example, the terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal device, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, or satellite communication, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, aircraft (such as drone, helicopter, airplane), hot air balloon, ship, robot, robotic arm, or smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the form of the terminal device.

[0074] In this application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or any apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing those functions, such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system. This apparatus can be installed in or connected to the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the example of a terminal device being used to implement the functions of a terminal device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0075] Access network equipment and / or terminal equipment can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the application scenarios of the access network equipment and terminal equipment. They can be deployed in the same or different scenarios; for example, both can be deployed on land simultaneously; or the access network equipment can be deployed on land while the terminal equipment is deployed on water, etc., and so on.

[0076] In practical applications, multiple network devices can collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different network devices each performing some of the functions of a base station. For example, network devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0077] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, and RU can implement different protocol layer functions.

[0078] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terminology used in this application will be briefly explained first. Optionally, the explanation of some terms may also refer to the explanations in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard protocol.

[0079] (I) Random Access Procedure

[0080] The random access procedure is a crucial process for establishing a communication link between a terminal device and network equipment. It is triggered when a terminal device initiates access from an idle state, re-establishes a connection after a wireless link failure, or switches from one cell to another. Figure 3 An interaction diagram for the implementation of a random access procedure typically includes the following steps:

[0081] S310, The terminal device sends msg1 to the network device.

[0082] The terminal device selects a preamble and includes it in msg1. The terminal device then sends msg1 containing the preamble to the network device. The preamble is used for synchronization between the terminal device and the network device, as well as for access requests.

[0083] S320, the network device sends msg2 to the terminal device.

[0084] After receiving msg1, the network device obtains the preamble carried in msg1. Then, the network device assigns a random access code to the terminal device that sent the preamble, which is used to identify the terminal device in the random access process. The network device includes the random access code, timing advance, and uplink grant in msg2, and sends msg2 containing the random access code, timing advance, and uplink grant to the terminal device.

[0085] Among them, timing advance is used to ensure that the information sent by the terminal device is synchronized with the network device, and uplink authorization is the uplink resource allocated by the network device to the terminal device, which is used to enable the terminal device to send msg3.

[0086] S330, the terminal device sends msg3 to the network device.

[0087] After receiving msg2, the terminal device will use the uplink authorization in msg2 to send msg3 to the network device. msg3 includes terminal device identity information and a temporary identifier for the terminal device. The terminal device identity information is used to identify the terminal device, and the temporary identifier is used to encrypt communication.

[0088] S340, the network device sends msg4 to the terminal device.

[0089] After receiving msg3, the network device sends msg4 to the terminal device, indicating that the random access procedure is complete. This allows the terminal device to communicate with the network device.

[0090] In this embodiment, when the communication path between the network device and the terminal device is long, or when the network device's power storage is limited, the reliability of random access messages sent by the network device to the terminal device, such as msg2 and msg4, may not meet the preset reliability requirements. Therefore, this embodiment provides a communication method to enhance the reliability of random access messages sent by the network device to the terminal device, ensuring that the reliability of the random access messages meets the expected reliability requirements.

[0091] (II) Random Access Configuration

[0092] Random access configuration, also known as random access parameters, refers to the parameters configured by network devices for terminal devices to ensure that the terminal devices can send random access messages at the correct time and frequency. Random access configuration includes, but is not limited to, the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration index, preamble format, and random access response window size.

[0093] In this embodiment, the random access configuration is associated with the number of retransmissions of the target message. The random access configuration includes a preamble set, a msg1 set, and / or a random access opportunity (RO). That is, the random access configuration may include at least one preamble set, at least one msg1 set, at least one RO, at least one RO and the preamble set associated with the RO, or at least one RO and the msg1 set associated with the RO. This embodiment does not specifically limit the configuration.

[0094] A preamble set refers to one or more available random access preambles configured by a network device for a terminal device, used to send a random access request to the network device. In this embodiment, the target message corresponding to the same preamble set is retransmitted the same number of times.

[0095] For example, the random access configuration includes preamble set 0, preamble set 1, preamble set 2, and preamble set 3. For preambles located in preamble set 0, msg4 is retransmitted 1 time; for preambles located in preamble set 1, msg4 is retransmitted 2 times; for preambles located in preamble set 2, msg4 is retransmitted 4 times; and for preambles located in preamble set 3, msg4 is retransmitted 8 times.

[0096] In one specific implementation, the preamble set includes the number of preambles and the specified position index of the preambles (e.g., start index, end index, etc.). The network device can determine whether the received preamble is located in the preamble set based on the specified position index of the preamble and the number of preambles, and accurately determine the number of retransmissions corresponding to the target message.

[0097] For example, the retransmission count for msg4 corresponding to preamble set 2 is 2. The preamble set includes 15 preambles, with a starting index of 0. The terminal device selects a preamble from the preamble set, for example, preamble index 10, and sends preamble 10 to the network device. The network device can determine that preamble 10 is located in preamble set 2 based on preamble 10, the number of preambles in the preamble set, and the starting index of the preamble. Therefore, the network device can determine that the retransmission count for msg4 is 2.

[0098] The msg1 set is the collection of msg1 messages sent by the terminal device during random access. It typically contains multiple different msg1 configurations, each corresponding to a different preamble or random access resource. For example, the msg1 set includes a first msg1, a second msg1, and a third msg1, each corresponding to a different preamble: the first msg1 corresponds to preamble 0, the second msg1 to preamble 2, and the third msg1 to preamble 1. In this embodiment, different msg1 sets result in different retransmission counts for the target message, while msg1 messages within the same msg1 set result in the same retransmission count for the target message. The specific implementation is the same as for the preamble set and will not be discussed further here.

[0099] RO refers to the available time and frequency resources for transmitting preambles configured by the network device for the terminal device. In this embodiment, the random access configuration may include ROs, such as RO1, RO2, RO3, and RO4. Different ROs determine different retransmission counts for the target message. For example, RO1 determines msg4 to be retransmitted once, RO2 determines msg4 to be retransmitted twice, RO3 determines msg4 to be retransmitted four times, and RO4 determines msg4 to be retransmitted eight times. The network device can determine the retransmission count of the target message based on the received ROs.

[0100] Furthermore, the random access configuration may also include a preamble set sent by the RO or a set of msg1 messages sent by the RO. The retransmission count of the target message is determined using the preamble set sent by the RO or the set of msg1 messages sent by the RO. For example, the random access configuration includes two ROs, RO1 and RO2. Another example is that the preamble set includes preamble set A and preamble set B. Then the random access configuration includes four states: preamble set A associated with RO1, preamble set B associated with RO1, preamble set A associated with RO2, and preamble set B associated with RO2. If the preamble is located in preamble set A associated with RO1, the retransmission count for msg4 is determined to be 1; if the preamble is located in preamble set A associated with RO2, the retransmission count for msg4 is determined to be 2; if the preamble is located in preamble set B associated with RO1, the retransmission count for msg4 is determined to be 4; and if the preamble is located in preamble set B associated with RO2, the retransmission count for msg4 is determined to be 8.

[0101] (III) Coverage Level

[0102] Coverage rating is used to measure the quality of the communication link between terminal devices and network devices, and is usually divided into multiple ratings.

[0103] In a specific application, such as in the 3GPP standard, coverage levels are divided into three levels: Coverage Level 1, Coverage Level 2, and Coverage Level 3. For example... Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a coverage level according to an embodiment of this application. In this diagram, the distance between a terminal device and a network device at coverage level 1 is less than the distance between a terminal device and a network device at coverage level 2, and the distance between a terminal device and a network device at coverage level 2 is less than the distance between a terminal device and a network device at coverage level 3. That is, a terminal device at coverage level 1 receives the best signal quality, a terminal device at coverage level 2 receives a weaker signal quality than a terminal device at coverage level 1, and a terminal device at coverage level 3 receives the weakest signal quality.

[0104] For ease of explanation, the following explanation will use coverage levels 1, 2, and 3 as examples.

[0105] In the embodiments of this application, the coverage level is associated with the number of retransmissions of the target message. For example, coverage level 1 is associated with 1 retransmission of msg4, coverage level 2 is associated with 3 retransmissions of msg4, and coverage level 3 is associated with 4 retransmissions of msg4.

[0106] It should be noted that the relationship between coverage level and the number of retransmissions of the target message can be agreed upon by the 3GPP standard protocol or indicated by the system information block configuration. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0107] (iv) System Information Block (SIB)

[0108] System-level information (SIBs) are used to transmit information such as cell configuration information, system information scheduling, radio resource configuration, and / or cell reselection. SIBs include various types, such as SIB1 to SIB24. Each SIB has a specific function; for example, SIB1 contains information on cell selection, cell access, and system information scheduling.

[0109] In this embodiment, the network device can configure a first indication message via SIB. The first indication message indicates the correlation between channel state and the number of retransmissions of the target message. The network device sends the configured first indication message to the terminal device.

[0110] In addition, the terminal device can also measure the channel state based on SIBs. For example, the terminal device can use SIB1 to measure the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and it can also use SIB2, SIB3, etc. to measure RSRP. This application embodiment is not specifically limited. For ease of explanation, the following description uses the measurement of channel state based on SIB1 as an example.

[0111] (v) Synchronization Signal Block (SSB)

[0112] The SSB is a signal block used for synchronization and broadcasting information. The SSB includes the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), the Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), and the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). Specifically, the PSS is used for time slot synchronization, the SSS for frame synchronization and cell ID identification, and the PBCH for transmitting system information blocks.

[0113] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device can measure the channel state via the SSB. For example, the terminal device can determine the RSRP of the channel by measuring the RSRP of the SSB.

[0114] (vi) Channel Status

[0115] Channel state is an important indicator used to measure the level of reference signal received by a terminal device. Channel state can be RSRP, or it can be Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) or Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), etc., which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0116] RSRP refers to the power value of the reference signal received by the terminal device. RSRQ is an indicator of the quality of reference signal reception, which takes into account the ratio of signal power to interference power. SINR is the ratio of signal power to interference plus noise power, used to evaluate the transmission quality of the signal. Since RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR all measure channel state in the same way, for ease of explanation, the following text will only use RSRP as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0117] It should be understood that the technical terms used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and not as limiting. For example, as technology evolves, technical terms may also change, and other technical terms that have the same technical meaning should also apply to this application.

[0118] As mentioned earlier, in scenarios where the communication path between network devices and terminal devices is long or the network devices have limited energy storage, the reliability of random access messages (i.e. target messages) sent by network devices to terminal devices may not meet the expected reliability requirements, which may cause the network devices and terminal devices to fail to connect reliably.

[0119] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that improves the reliability of target messages by configuring the number of retransmissions of a target message, enabling network devices to repeatedly transmit the target message based on the number of retransmissions. This also avoids excessive resource consumption.

[0120] The target message is the random access message transmitted from the network device to the terminal device during the random access process. It can be either msg2 or msg4, and this embodiment does not specifically limit it. Since the retransmission principle of msg2 and msg4 is the same, for ease of explanation, the following description uses msg4 as the target message as an example.

[0121] The solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the corresponding flowcharts. It is understood that the illustrative flowcharts provided in this application primarily use different devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) as examples of the execution subjects of this interactive illustration to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustrations. For example, the devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) in the illustrative flowcharts can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the implementation of this method on the device, or logic modules or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the device.

[0122] As a general statement, the message or signaling interactions involved in the interaction process of this application embodiment can be standard messages or signaling or newly introduced messages or signaling. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0123] Figure 5A This is a schematic diagram of a communication method 500 according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 5A The terminal device in the middle can be Figures 1-2 Any terminal device in the context of network equipment can also refer to a component within that terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). Network equipment can be... Figure 1 Any access network device, or a component within an access network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or even... Figure 2 Network devices in the network. For example... Figure 5AAs shown, the method 500 includes the following steps:

[0124] S510: A terminal device receives a first indication message, where the first indication message is used to indicate the association relationship between a channel state and a retransmission count, and the retransmission count is the retransmission count of a target message in a random access process.

[0125] In the embodiments of the present application, a network device may first obtain the first indication message before receiving msg1.

[0126] The first indication message is used to indicate the association relationship between the channel state and the retransmission count of the target message. In the embodiments of the present application, for example, the first indication message is specifically used to indicate the association relationship between RSRP and the retransmission count of msg4.

[0127] In a possible implementation, the association relationship between RSRP and the retransmission count of msg4 is specifically: if the RSRP is relatively high, that is, the reference signal level received by the terminal device is relatively high, the retransmission count can be reduced to reduce the loss of transmission resources. If the RSRP is relatively low, that is, the reference signal level received by the terminal device is low, the retransmission count needs to be increased to improve the reliability of message transmission.

[0128] For example, if RSRP ≥ -95dBm, the channel state is good, and the network device may configure the retransmission count of msg4 to 1 (that is, transmit only once); if -115dBm < RSRP < -95dBm, the network device configures the retransmission count of msg4 to 2; if RSRP ≤ -115dBm, the channel state is poor, and the network device may configure the retransmission count of msg4 to 4, so as to improve the reliability of the terminal device receiving msg4 by increasing the retransmission count of msg4.

[0129] In the embodiments of the present application, the first indication message may explicitly indicate the association relationship between the channel state and the retransmission count of the target message, that is, the first indication message directly indicates the association relationship between RSRP and the retransmission count of msg4. In addition, the first indication message may also implicitly indicate the association relationship between the channel state and the retransmission count of the target message.

[0130] In an example, the first indication message may indicate the association relationship between the channel state and a coverage level. That is, the network device indirectly indicates the association relationship between the channel state and the retransmission count of the target message through the association relationship between the channel state and the coverage level. Exemplarily, the first indication message indicates the association relationship between RSRP and the coverage level.

[0131] In a possible implementation, the association relationship between RSRP and coverage levels may specifically be: the higher the RSRP, the higher the associated coverage level, and the lower the RSRP, the lower the associated coverage level. For example, if RSRP ≥ -95dBm, the associated coverage level is coverage level 1; if -115dBm < RSRP < -95dBm, the associated coverage level is coverage level 2; if RSRP ≤ -115dBm, the associated coverage level is coverage level 3.

[0132] Herein, there is an association relationship between the coverage level and the number of retransmissions of msg4, which is specifically: the number of retransmissions of msg4 associated with coverage level 1 is 1, the number of retransmissions of msg4 associated with coverage level 2 is 2, and the number of retransmissions of msg4 associated with coverage level 3 is 4.

[0133] Accordingly, the first indication message may indirectly indicate the association relationship between RSRP and the number of retransmissions of msg4 by indicating the association relationship between RSRP and coverage levels.

[0134] In another example, the first indication message may indicate the association relationship between channel states and random access configurations, that is, the first indication message indicates the association relationship between RSRP and random access configurations. A network device indirectly indicates the association relationship between RSRP and the number of retransmissions of msg4 by indicating the association relationship between RSRP and random access configurations. Herein, the network device may determine RSRP through the received random access configuration, and further determine the number of retransmissions of msg4 based on the RSRP.

[0135] In Example 1, the random access configuration includes preamble sets, that is, the first indication message indicates the association relationship between RSRP and preamble sets. If RSRP includes RSRP range 0, RSRP range 1, and RSRP range 2 (it can be understood that an RSRP range is a value range of RSRP, or a value interval of RSRP, etc., and the present application does not limit this appellation), and the preamble sets include preamble set 0, preamble set 1, and preamble set 2. The first indication message indicates that: RSRP range 0 is associated with preamble set 0, RSRP range 1 is associated with preamble set 1, and RSRP range 2 is associated with preamble set 2.

[0136] In a specific implementation, the first indication message includes three preamble sets, which are preamble set 0, preamble set 1, and preamble set 2 respectively. The first indication message further includes at least one of a preamble set identifier ID corresponding to the preamble set, a designated position index of the preambles in the set (for example, a start index and an end index), the minimum RSRP value of the number of preambles, or the maximum RSRP value. For example, preamble set 0 includes: a start index of preambles being 0, containing 20 preambles, and the minimum RSRP value corresponding to the preamble set is -95dBm. Preamble set 1 includes: a start index of preambles being 20, containing 30 preambles, and the minimum RSRP corresponding to the preamble set is -115dBm. Preamble set 2 includes: a start index of preambles being 50, containing 14 preambles, and the maximum RSRP corresponding to the preamble set is -115dBm. In this way, the network device indicates the association between RSRP and the preamble set through the first indication message. Specifically, RSRP range 1 is -115dBm<RSRP<-95dBm, which is associated with preamble set 1; RSRP range 0 is RSRP≥-95dBm, which is associated with preamble set 0; and RSRP range 2 is RSRP≤-115dBm, which is associated with preamble set 2.

[0137] In another specific implementation, the first indication message further includes a preamble set ID corresponding to each preamble set, a start index and an end index of preambles in the set, a corresponding RSRP range, and the like, which are used to indicate the association relationship between the preamble set and RSRP.

[0138] In addition, the embodiments of the present application may further include other contents in the first indication message to indicate the association relationship between the preamble set and RSRP, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0139] The network device may determine RSRP based on a random access configuration, and determine the number of retransmissions of msg4 based on the RSRP. For example, if RSRP falls within RSRP range 0, the number of retransmissions of msg4 determined by the network device is 1; if RSRP falls within RSRP range 1, the number of retransmissions of msg4 determined by the network device is 2; and if RSRP falls within RSRP range 2, the number of retransmissions of msg4 determined by the network device is 4. Therefore, the first indication message may indirectly indicate the association relationship between RSRP and the number of retransmissions of msg4 through the association relationship between RSRP and the random access configuration.

[0140] Example 2: The first indication message indicates the association between RSRP and the preamble set sent by RO. If RSRP includes RSRP range 0, RSRP range 1, RSRP range 2, and RSRP range 3, the first indication message includes preamble set A sent by RO1, preamble set B sent by RO1, preamble set A sent by RO2, and preamble set B sent by RO2. The specific associations are: RSRP range 0 is associated with preamble set A sent by RO1, RSRP range 1 is associated with preamble set B sent by RO1, RSRP range 2 is associated with preamble set A sent by RO2, and RSRP range 3 is associated with preamble set B sent by RO2.

[0141] Understandably, the first indication message indicates the association between the RSRP and the preamble set sent by the RO. Compared to indicating the direct association between the RSRP and the preamble set, the preamble set sent by the RO includes a larger number of preambles. When multiple terminal devices simultaneously select a preamble from the same preamble set sent by the RO, the probability of selecting the same preamble can be reduced. This can reduce contention during the random access process and increase the success rate of random access for multiple terminal devices.

[0142] Network devices can determine the RSRP by receiving the preamble sent by RO, and determine the number of retransmissions for msg4 based on the RSRP. For example, if the received preamble sent by RO is a preamble from the preamble set B sent by RO1, the network device can determine that the RSRP belongs to RSRP range 2, and thus determine that the number of retransmissions for msg4 is 2.

[0143] Therefore, the first indication message can indirectly indicate the relationship between RSRP and the number of retransmissions of msg4 through the association between RSRP and the preamble set sent by RO.

[0144] In this application embodiment, the correlation between channel state and the number of retransmissions of target message can also be indicated in other ways, but this application embodiment is not specifically limited.

[0145] In this embodiment, the network device can configure a first indication message via an SSB. The SSB can be SIB1, or other SIBs such as SIB2 to SIB24, or an SSB; this embodiment does not limit the specific SSB.

[0146] The network device can send the first instruction message it receives to the terminal device.

[0147] S520, the terminal device sends a second indication message, which is used to indicate at least one of the target channel state or the first retransmission count, wherein the first retransmission count is determined by the correlation and the measured target channel state.

[0148] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device can obtain the second indication message based on the association relationship indicated by the first indication message and the target channel status, and then the terminal device sends the second indication message to the network device so that the network device receives the second indication message.

[0149] The second indication message is used to indicate the target channel status or the number of times the target message needs to be retransmitted. In this embodiment, the second indication message is used to indicate the number of retransmissions of msg4 (hereinafter referred to as the first retransmission number).

[0150] In the embodiments of this application, the second indication message can implicitly indicate the target channel state through the target random access configuration, the target coverage level, or the first retransmission count. For example, it can implicitly indicate the target RSRP. For instance, the terminal device can send the second indication message (i.e., msg1) to the network device based on the target random access configuration, and the network device can determine the target RSRP based on the target random access configuration of msg1.

[0151] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the application, the second indication message can explicitly indicate the first retransmission count, and the network device can directly obtain the first retransmission count of msg4 based on the second indication message.

[0152] In one example, the terminal device can carry the first retransmission count in msg3 and send the first retransmission count to the network device through msg3. In this case, the second indication message is msg3 carrying the first retransmission count, and the second indication message explicitly indicates the first retransmission count.

[0153] Alternatively, the second indication message may implicitly indicate the first retransmission count. Specifically, the second indication message includes either the target random access configuration or the target coverage level.

[0154] Since network devices can determine the first retransmission count based on the target random access configuration or the target coverage level, terminal devices use the target random access configuration or the target coverage level to indicate the first retransmission count. The target random access configuration includes a preamble and a msg1, specifying at least one of the preamble sent by the RO or the msg1 sent by the RO.

[0155] For example, if the target random access configuration includes a target preamble, the network device can determine the number of retransmissions of msg4 based on the target preamble. For instance, if the target preamble belongs to preamble set 0, the network device can determine that msg4 will be retransmitted once, i.e., the first retransmission is 1; if the target preamble belongs to preamble set 1, the network device can determine that msg4 will be retransmitted twice, i.e., the first retransmission is 2; if the target preamble belongs to preamble set 2, the network device can determine that msg4 will be retransmitted four times, i.e., the first retransmission is 4.

[0156] For example, coverage level 1 is associated with 1 retransmission, coverage level 2 with 2 retransmissions, and coverage level 3 with 4 retransmissions. If the target coverage level is coverage level 1, the first retransmission is 1; if the target coverage level is coverage level 2, the first retransmission is 2; and if the target coverage level is coverage level 3, the first retransmission is 4.

[0157] In this embodiment, the terminal device can carry the target coverage level in msg3 and send the target coverage level to the network device through msg3. In another implementation, the terminal device can also feed back the target coverage level or the first retransmission count based on the target random access configuration in msg1. The terminal device can also send the target coverage level or target random access configuration in other ways, which are not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0158] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device may determine the first retransmission count or the target random access configuration or target coverage level associated with the first retransmission count based on the association relationship of the first indication message and the target channel status.

[0159] In one example, if the first indication message indicates the association between the RSRP and the preamble set, the second indication message includes the target preamble. The terminal device can determine the association between the RSRP and the preamble set through the first indication message, and based on the association between the RSRP and the preamble set and the target RSRP, determine the preamble set corresponding to the target RSRP, and use the preamble set to determine the target preamble.

[0160] For example, RSRP range 1 is -115dBm<RSRP<-95dBm, which is associated with preamble set 1, RSRP range 0 is RSRP≥-95dBm, which is associated with preamble set 0, and RSRP range 2 is RSRP≤-115dBm, which is associated with preamble set 2. If the target RSRP is -105dBm, and -115dBm<-105dBm<-95dBm, that is, the target RSRP falls within the RSRP range of preamble set 1, the terminal device may select a preamble from preamble set 1 and send the selected preamble to the network device.

[0161] The target channel state is a current channel state obtained by measurement by the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the target RSRP may be obtained through at least one of an SSB, a SIB1, or a msg2. Specifically, the terminal device may obtain the target RSRP by separately measuring the RSRP of the SSB, may obtain the target RSRP by separately measuring the RSRP of the SIB1, or may obtain the target RSRP by separately measuring the RSRP of the msg2.

[0162] The terminal device may alternatively obtain the target RSRP by measuring the RSRP of the SSB and the SIB1, may obtain the target RSRP by measuring the RSRP of the SIB1 and the msg2, or may obtain the target RSRP by measuring the RSRP of the SSB and the msg2. The terminal device may further obtain the target RSRP by simultaneously measuring the RSRP of the SSB, the SIB1, and the msg2. This is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0163] Further, to ensure measurement precision, the target RSRP may be determined based on the RSRP of at least two of the SSB, the SIB1, or the msg2. For example, the target RSRP is determined based on the RSRP of the SSB and the RSRP of the SIB1. The same beam is used for the measured SSB and SIB1, to ensure consistency of channel measurement, and further ensure the measurement precision of the target RSRP.

[0164] The terminal device may further consider whether powers of a plurality of messages are the same. If the powers of the plurality of messages are the same, an average value of RSRP of the plurality of messages may be used as the target RSRP. If the powers of the plurality of messages are different, the powers of the plurality of messages are first aligned, and the target RSRP is determined by using an average value of RSRP of the plurality of aligned messages.

[0165] For example, the terminal device determines the target RSRP by measuring RSRP of the SSB and the SIB.

[0166] In one example, if the power of SSB is P1 and the power of SIB1 is P2, where P1 > P2, the terminal device can adjust the RSRP of SSB by an offset value to align the power of SSB with that of SIB1. Then, the terminal device can average the modified result with the RSRP of SIB1 to obtain the target RSRP. For example, the network device configures an offset value `offset` to align the power of SSB with that of SIB1. Here, `offset = P1 - P2`. The terminal device measures the RSRP of SSB as `RSRP_SSB` and the RSRP of SIB1 as `RSRP_SIB1`. The terminal device can correct the RSRP of SSB according to the offset value set by the network device: `RSRP_SSB_corrected = RSRP_SSB - offset`. The corrected SSB will have the same power as SIB1. The terminal device can average the corrected RSRP_SSB_corrected with RSRP_SIB1 to obtain the target RSRP: Target RSRP = (RSRP_SSB_corrected + RSRP_SIB1) / 2.

[0167] Furthermore, the base station can correct the RSRP of SIB1 by applying an offset value, and then average the corrected result with the RSRP of SSB to obtain the target RSRP. For example, the terminal device corrects the RSRP of SSB based on the offset value: RSRP_SIB1_corrected = RSRP_SIB1 + offset. The terminal device can then average the corrected RSRP_SIB1_corrected with RSRP_SSB to obtain the target RSRP: Target RSRP = (RSRP_SIB1_corrected + RSRP_SSB) / 2.

[0168] In another example, the network device can perform a weighted average of the RSRP of SSB and the RSRP of SIB1, and use the result of the weighted average as the target RSRP. Assume that the network device is configured with weights w1 and w2, where w1 + w2 = 1, and w1 / w2 = P2 / P1. The terminal device can then perform a weighted average of the RSRPs of SSB and SIB1 based on the weights: Target RSRP = w1 * RSRP_SIB1 + w2 * RSRP_SSB.

[0169] It should be noted that the offset value or weight can be configured by the network device or by the terminal device itself, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit it.

[0170] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the power of SSB and SIB1 can be the power of SSB and SIB1 received by the terminal device, or the power of SSB and SIB1 transmitted by the network device. It should be noted that if the transmission beamwidths of SSB and SIB1 are the same and their transmission powers are the same, then the reception of SSB and SIB1 is the same; if the transmission beamwidths of SSB and SIB1 are different and their transmission powers are the same, then the reception of SSB and SIB1 is different.

[0171] In this application embodiment, when the power is different, power alignment is used to keep the channel state of multiple messages consistent, thereby further improving the measurement accuracy of the target channel state.

[0172] The target channel state can also be determined in other ways according to the embodiments of this application, and the embodiments of this application are not specifically limited to these methods.

[0173] This application embodiment configures a first indication message that associates the measurement status with the number of retransmissions of the target message. Based on the target measurement status measured by the terminal device and the first indication message, the number of retransmissions of the target message can be determined, allowing the network device to repeatedly transmit the target message based on the number of retransmissions, thereby improving the reliability of the target message. Furthermore, the network device configures the number of retransmissions of the target message based on the channel status measured by the terminal device. It is understood that when the channel quality is good, the number of retransmissions can be reduced, and when the channel quality is poor, the number of retransmissions can be increased. This ensures the reliability of the target message transmission while avoiding excessive resource consumption.

[0174] Further, see Appendix Figure 5B As shown, the communication system can also execute S530 to S560.

[0175] S530: The network device determines the first retransmission count of the target message based on the second instruction message.

[0176] If the second instruction message includes the target random access configuration, the network device can determine the first retransmission number of the target message based on the target random access configuration.

[0177] In one example, the network device can determine the target RSRP measured by the terminal device based on the target random access configuration. The network device can then determine the number of retransmissions for msg4 based on the target RSRP. For instance, if the RSRP belongs to RSRP range 0, the network device can determine the first retransmission count to be 1; if the network device determines the target RSRP belongs to RSRP range 2 based on the target random access configuration, the first retransmission count will be 4; and if the network device determines the target RSRP belongs to RSRP range 1 based on the target random access configuration, the first retransmission count will be 2.

[0178] In another example, the network device can determine the target coverage level measured by the terminal device based on the target random access configuration. The network device determines the first retransmission count based on the association between the coverage level and the number of retransmissions. For example, coverage level 1 is associated with 1 retransmission count, coverage level 2 with 2 retransmission counts, and coverage level 3 with 4 retransmission counts. If the network device determines the target coverage level to be coverage level 2 based on the target preamble, the first retransmission count is 2; if the network device determines the target coverage level to be coverage level 1 based on the target preamble, the first retransmission count is 1.

[0179] If the second instruction message includes the first retransmission count, the network device can directly obtain the first retransmission count through the second instruction message.

[0180] If the second indication message includes a target coverage level, the network device can determine the first retransmission count based on the association between the coverage level and the number of retransmissions. For example, the association could be: coverage level 1 is associated with 1 retransmission count, coverage level 2 with 2 retransmissions, and coverage level 3 with 4 retransmissions. If the target coverage level received by the network device through the second indication message is coverage level 3, then the first retransmission count is 4.

[0181] S540: The network device sends the target message to the terminal device based on the first retransmission count.

[0182] After determining the first retransmission count of the target message, the network device can repeatedly transmit the target message based on the first retransmission count. If the first retransmission count is 2, the network device sends the target message 2 times to the terminal device; if the first retransmission count is 4, the network device sends the target message 4 times to the terminal device.

[0183] S550, the network device sends the second retransmission to the terminal device.

[0184] It should be noted that S540 and S550 can be executed simultaneously, or S540 can be executed first and then S550, or S550 can be executed first and then S540. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the execution of S540 and S550.

[0185] S560: The terminal device receives and merges the target message based on the second retransmission count.

[0186] Furthermore, the network device can send a second retransmission count to the terminal device when sending the target message. The second retransmission count defines the number of times the terminal device receives the target message. The second retransmission count can be the same as or different from the first retransmission count. For example, if the first retransmission count is 1, then the second retransmission count can also be 1. Another example is that the first retransmission count is 4 and the second retransmission count is 3.

[0187] For example, a network device sends a target message via the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and a second retransmission count indication message via the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The terminal device can then combine and decode the target message sent via the corresponding PDSCH based on the second retransmission count indicated by the PDCCH.

[0188] Therefore, the terminal device receives the message and performs merging and decoding according to the indicated second retransmission number.

[0189] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 6 ~Attached Figure 8 This application introduces three specific implementations of the communication method provided in its embodiments.

[0190] Appendix Figure 6 This application provides an embodiment of another communication method, in which a first indication message indicates the association between RSRP and a random access configuration, and a second indication message includes a target random access configuration. The method includes the following:

[0191] S610, The network device configuration includes a first indication message indicating the association between RSRP and random access configuration.

[0192] Please refer to the S510 documentation; it will not be repeated here.

[0193] S620. The network device sends a first instruction message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first instruction message.

[0194] S630: The terminal device determines the target random access configuration based on the target RSRP and the association between RSRP and the random access configuration.

[0195] After receiving the first indication message sent by the network device, the terminal device parses the first indication message and obtains the association between the RSRP and the random access configuration included in the first indication message. For example, the association is as follows: the preamble set identifier corresponding to preamble set 1 is Preamble-RSRPSetId 0, the preamble start index is 0, the number of preambles is 20, and the minimum RSRP is -95dBm. The preamble set identifier corresponding to preamble set 2 is Preamble-RSRPSetId 1, the preamble start index is 20, the number of preambles is 30, and the minimum RSRP is -115dBm. The preamble set identifier corresponding to preamble set 3 is Preamble-RSRPSetId 2, the preamble start index is 50, and the number of preambles is 14.

[0196] The terminal device determines the target random access configuration based on the association between the received RSRP and the random access configuration, and the target RSRP. For example, if the measured target RSRP is -105dBm, that is, -115dBm < target RSRP < -95dBm, it belongs to RSRP range 1. RSRP range 1 is associated with preamble set 1, so the target random access configuration can be a preamble in preamble set 1, such as preamble index 5.

[0197] In this embodiment, the terminal device can obtain the target RSRP by measuring SSB and / or SIB1. For example, the terminal device measures the RSRP of the SSB and SIB1 of a specified beam of the network device; for instance, the measured RSRP of the SSB is -110 dBm and the RSRP of the SIB1 is -105 dBm. The terminal device determines the power of the received SSB and SIB1, for example, P1 and P2. If P1 and P2 are different, the terminal device determines an offset value based on P1 and P2, making the corrected P1 and P2 the same. That is, the offset value is P1 - P2, for example, the offset is -5 dBm. Then, the terminal device uses the offset value to correct the SSB, obtaining -105 dBm. The terminal device calculates the average of the corrected RSRP of the SSB and the RSRP of the SIB1 to obtain the target RSRP of -105 dBm.

[0198] S640: The terminal device sends msg1 to the network device based on the target random access configuration, and the network device receives msg1 accordingly.

[0199] For example, a terminal device can send msg1 to a network device based on a selected preamble.

[0200] S650 and network devices determine the first retransmission count based on the target random access configuration of msg1.

[0201] After receiving msg1, the network device can obtain the target random access configuration and, based on the target random access configuration, determine the target RSRP measured by the terminal device. If the network device determines that the target RSRP belongs to RSRP range 0 based on the target random access configuration, the first retransmission count is set to 1; if the network device determines that the target RSRP belongs to RSRP range 2 based on the target random access configuration, the first retransmission count is set to 4; and if the network device determines that the target RSRP belongs to RSRP range 1 based on the target random access configuration, the first retransmission count is set to 2.

[0202] It should be noted that the first indication message indicates the association between RSRP and the msg1 set, or the first indication message indicates the preamble of RSRP and the specified RO, or the first indication message indicates that the implementation of msg1 of RSRP and the specified RO is the same, and they can be equivalently replaced. This application embodiment will not be described in detail.

[0203] In this embodiment, the terminal device further determines the target channel state using the channel states of the SSB and SIB with the same beam, resulting in more accurate measurement results. Therefore, based on the correlation between RSRP and random access configuration, the determined random access configuration is more accurate, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the target message retransmission count and ultimately enhancing the reliability of the target message received by the terminal device. Furthermore, the terminal device does not need to perform complex signal strength assessments and configuration selections; it can quickly determine the target random access configuration based solely on the received indication message and the measured RSRP. This helps reduce the processing overhead of the terminal device resources and improves transmission efficiency.

[0204] Appendix Figure 7 This is an interaction diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The first indication message of this method indicates the association between RSRP and coverage level or the number of retransmissions of msg4, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration. Similar content can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 5A The explanations provided will not be repeated here. This method includes the following:

[0205] S710, Network Device Configuration First Instruction Message.

[0206] The first indication message indicates the association between RSRP and coverage level, or the first indication message indicates the association between RSRP and the number of msg4 retransmissions.

[0207] S720: The network device sends a first instruction message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first instruction message.

[0208] S730: The terminal device determines the target random access configuration based on the target RSRP and the relationship between RSRP and coverage level, or the relationship between the target RSRP and the number of retransmissions of msg4.

[0209] If the first indication message is an association relationship between RSRP and coverage levels, for example: RSRP range 1 is -115dBm<RSRP<-95dBm, which is associated with coverage level 1; RSRP range 0 is RSRP≥-95dBm, which is associated with coverage level 1; RSRP range 2 is RSRP≤-115dBm, which is associated with coverage level 2. The terminal device determines the target random access configuration corresponding to the target RSRP based on the association relationship between coverage levels and target random access configurations. For example, coverage level 1 corresponds to preamble set 0, coverage level 2 corresponds to preamble set 1, and coverage level 3 corresponds to preamble set 2. The target RSRP is -105dBm, and since -115dBm<-105dBm<-95dBm, the target coverage level corresponding to the target RSRP is coverage level 2, and the random access configuration corresponding to coverage level 2 is preamble set 1. The target random access configuration may be any preamble in preamble set 1.

[0210] If the first indication message is an association relationship between RSRP and the number of retransmissions, for example: RSRP range 1 is -115dBm<RSRP<-95dBm, which is associated with 2 retransmissions; RSRP range 0 is RSRP≥-95dBm, which is associated with 1 retransmission; RSRP range 2 is RSRP≤-115dBm, which is associated with 4 retransmissions. The terminal device determines the target random access configuration based on the association relationship between the number of retransmissions and random access configurations. For example, 1 retransmission corresponds to preamble set 0, 2 retransmissions correspond to preamble set 1, and 4 retransmissions correspond to preamble set 2. Then the terminal device may, based on the target RSRP which is -105dBm, since -115dBm<-105dBm<-95dBm, determine that the number of retransmissions corresponding to the target RSRP is 2 times, and the random access configuration corresponding to 2 retransmissions is preamble set 1. The target random access configuration may be any preamble in preamble set 1.

[0211] In this embodiment, the target RSRP can be obtained by measuring at least one of SSB or SIB1, as detailed above, and will not be discussed further here. For example, the terminal device measures the RSRP of the SSB and SIB1 of a specified beam of the network device. For instance, the measured RSRP of the SSB is -110dBm, and the RSRP of SIB1 is -105dBm. The terminal device determines the received power of the SSB and SIB1, for example, P1 and P2. If P1 and P2 are different, the terminal device determines an offset value based on P1 and P2, making the corrected P1 and P2 the same. That is, the offset correction value is offset = P1 - P2, for example, the offset is -5dBm. Then, the terminal device uses the offset value to correct the SSB, obtaining -105dBm. The terminal device calculates the average of the corrected RSRP of the SSB and the RSRP of SIB1 to obtain the target RSRP of -105dBm.

[0212] S740: The terminal device sends msg1 to the network device based on the target random access configuration.

[0213] The S750 network device determines the first retransmission count based on the target random access configuration of msg1.

[0214] For example, the network device directly determines the first retransmission count based on the target random access configuration of msg1.

[0215] For example, the network device can determine the target coverage level based on the target random access configuration of msg1. The network device then determines the first retransmission count based on the target coverage level. For instance, if the target coverage level is coverage level 1, the first retransmission count is 1; if the target coverage level is coverage level 2, the first retransmission count is 2; and if the target coverage level is coverage level 3, the first retransmission count is 4.

[0216] Therefore, by introducing coverage levels or retransmission counts, network devices can more precisely adjust communication strategies based on the coverage status or signal strength of terminal devices. For example, coverage level 1 corresponds to fewer retransmissions (e.g., 1 time), while coverage level 3 corresponds to more retransmissions (e.g., 4 times), thereby achieving more efficient communication under different coverage conditions.

[0217] Appendix Figure 8 This application provides another communication method, wherein the first indication message of the communication method is the association between RSRP and coverage level or the number of retransmissions per ms4, and the second indication message is the target coverage level or the first number of retransmissions. The same content can be found in the appendix. Figure 5A As shown, it will not be elaborated further here. This method includes the following:

[0218] S810, Network Device Configuration First Instruction Message.

[0219] The first indication message indicates the association between RSRP and coverage level, or the first indication message indicates the association between RSRP and the number of msg4 retransmissions.

[0220] S820, the network device sends the first instruction message to the terminal device.

[0221] S830: The terminal equipment determines the target coverage level based on the target RSRP and the relationship between RSRP and coverage level, or determines the target retransmission number based on the target RSRP and the relationship between RSRP and retransmission number.

[0222] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal device can measure one of SSB, SIB1, and msg2 to obtain the target RSRP. For example, the terminal device can measure the RSRP of SSB and use the RSRP of SSB as the target RSRP, or it can measure the RSRP of SIB1 and use the RSRP of SIB1 as the target RSRP, or it can measure msg2 and use the RSRP of msg2 as the target RSRP.

[0223] The terminal device can also simultaneously measure SSB and SIB1, or simultaneously measure SSB and msg2, or simultaneously measure SIB1 and msg2, and determine the target RSRP based on the RSRP of both. Specific implementation methods are described above and will not be discussed further here.

[0224] In addition, the terminal device can simultaneously measure SSB, SIB1, and msg2, and determine the target RSRP based on the measurement results of SSB, SIB1, and msg2.

[0225] In one specific implementation, to ensure the consistency of signal measurements, the same beam is used for the simultaneous measurements of SSB, SIB1, and msg2. Furthermore, if the power of SSB, SIB1, and msg2 is the same, the average value of the RSRP of SSB, the RSRP of SIB1, and the RSRP of msg2 can be used as the target channel condition.

[0226] If the power of SSB, SIB1, and msg2 is not the same, the power of SSB and SIB1 can be aligned, and the target RSRP can be determined based on the RSRP of SSB, RSRP of SIB1, and RSRP of msg2.

[0227] In one example, if the power of SSB is P1, the power of SIB1 is P2, and the power of msg2 is P3, where P1 > P2 > P3, the terminal device measures the RSRP values ​​of SSB, SIB1, and Msg2 as RSRP_SSB, RSRP_SIB1, and RSRP_Msg2, respectively. The terminal device can determine offset values, such as ΔP1 = 0 dBm, ΔP2 = P1 - P2 = 10 dB, and ΔP3 = P1 - P3, and use these offset values ​​to correct the RSRP of SSB, SIB1, or Msg2. For example, the modified RSRP_SIB1 = RSRP_SIB1 + ΔP2, and the modified RSRP_Msg2 of msg2 = RSRP_Msg2 + ΔP3. The target RSRP is obtained by averaging the modified RSRPs of SSB, SIB1, and msg2.

[0228] In another example, the terminal device can use a weighted average of the RSRPs of SSB, SIB1, and msg2 as the target RSRP. The purpose of the weighted average is to align the power of SSB, SIB1, and msg2.

[0229] For example, if the RSRP values ​​of SSB, SIB1, and msg2 measured by the terminal device are RSRP_SSB, RSRP_SIB1, and RSRP_Msg2, respectively, and the terminal device determines weights w1, w2, and w3 based on the power difference, where w1 + w2 + w3 = 1, and (w1 - w2):(w2 - w3) = (P1 - P2):(P1 - P3), then:

[0230] The target RSRP = w1*RSRP_SSB + w2*RSRP_SIB1 + w3*RSRP_Msg2.

[0231] By using a weighted averaging method, terminal devices can more accurately determine the target RSRP, even when the power of SSB, SIB1, and Msg2 differs. This method takes into account the power differences of different signals and improves the accuracy and reliability of RSRP measurement by assigning different weights.

[0232] Terminal equipment can determine the target coverage level based on the target RSRP and the correlation between RSRP and coverage level. Furthermore, terminal equipment can also determine the first retransmission count based on the target RSRP and the correlation between RSRP and retransmission count.

[0233] S840, the terminal device adds the target coverage level or the first retransmission count to msg3.

[0234] S850: The terminal device sends msg3 to the network device, and the network device receives msg3 accordingly.

[0235] S860 and network devices determine the first retransmission count based on the first repetition count or target coverage level in msg3.

[0236] The terminal device can measure multiple signals (SSB, SIB1, and msg2) to obtain the target RSRP, which is more comprehensive and accurate than measuring only SSB and SIB1, thus further improving the reliability of the target message. Furthermore, the terminal device directly adds the target coverage level or first retransmission count to msg3 and sends it to the network device. This direct feedback mechanism allows the network device to obtain the terminal device's status information more quickly, enabling more timely adjustments to communication strategies. Moreover, by receiving the target coverage level or first retransmission count from msg3, the network device can directly determine the first retransmission count, reducing processing steps and improving processing efficiency.

[0237] It should be understood that Figures 1 to 8 The flowcharts or scene diagrams provided are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the examples shown. In fact, those skilled in the art can interpret them based on... Figures 1 to 8 The examples in the document can be transformed into equivalent ways to obtain more implementations.

[0238] The above text combined Figures 1 to 8 This document describes in detail the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. The following will combine... Figures 9 to 10 The device embodiments of this application are described in detail below. It should be understood that the communication device of this application embodiment can execute the various communication methods of the foregoing embodiments of this application, that is, the specific working processes of the various products below can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0239] In the embodiments described above, the terminal device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment; the network device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, the sequence number of each step does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0240] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9As shown, the communication device 900 may include a communication module 920. The communication module 920 can implement corresponding communication functions, which can be internal communication functions of the communication device 900 or communication functions between the communication device 900 and other devices. Optionally, the communication module 920 may also be referred to as a communication interface or transceiver module. Optionally, the communication device 900 further includes a processing module 910. The processing module 910 can implement corresponding processing functions.

[0241] Optionally, the communication device 900 further includes a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 910 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 900 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0242] In one possible design, the communication device 900 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device. The communication device 900 can be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0243] For example, the communication module 920 is used to receive a first indication message and send a second indication message. The first indication message indicates the correlation between channel state and the number of retransmissions, where the number of retransmissions is the number of times the target message is retransmitted during random access. The second indication message indicates the first retransmission count, which is determined by the correlation and the measured target channel state.

[0244] The processing module 910 is used to measure the target channel state and determine the first retransmission number of the target message based on the correlation between the target channel state and the channel state indicated by the first indication message and the number of retransmissions.

[0245] In one specific implementation, the association relationship includes at least one of the following: the association relationship between channel state and random access configuration, the association relationship between channel state and coverage level, or the association relationship between channel state and retransmission count; the random access configuration is associated with the retransmission count, and the coverage level is associated with the retransmission count.

[0246] In another specific implementation, the random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble set, a random access message set, or a random access opportunity (RO).

[0247] Optionally, the second indication message includes the first retransmission count, or the second indication message includes at least one of a target random access configuration or a target coverage level, wherein the target random access configuration is associated with the first retransmission count, the target coverage level is associated with the first retransmission count, and the target random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble, random access message 1, or RO.

[0248] In one specific implementation, the communication module 920 is used to receive a first indication message through a system information block; the system information block includes at least one of a synchronization signal block SSB or a system information block 1.

[0249] Optionally, the first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration. The processing module 910 is used to determine the target random access configuration based on the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0250] Optionally, the first indication message indicates the association between channel state and coverage level, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration. The processing module 910 is used to determine the target random access configuration based on the association between channel state and coverage level, the association between coverage level and random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0251] or,

[0252] The first indication message indicates the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration. The processing module 910 is used to determine the target random access configuration based on the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, the correlation between retransmission count and random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0253] Optionally, the processing module 910 is used to determine the target channel state based on the measurement results of the system information block.

[0254] Optionally, if the system information block includes a synchronization signal block SSB and a system information block SIB1, the processing module 910 is specifically used to determine the target channel state based on the measurement results of SSB and SIB1, wherein SSB and SIB1 use the same beam.

[0255] Optionally, if the power of SSB is the same as the power of SIB1, the processing module 910 is specifically used to determine the target channel state based on the average value of the measurement results of SSB and SIB1.

[0256] If the power of SSB is different from the power of SIB1, the processing module 910 is also used to determine the target channel state based on the measurement results of the power-aligned SSB and the measurement results of SIB1; wherein the power of the power-aligned SSB is the same as the power of SIB1 or the power difference between the two is within a preset threshold.

[0257] Optionally, the first indication message indicates at least one of the following: the association between channel state and coverage level, or the association between channel state and retransmission count. The second indication message is a random access message 3, which includes a first retransmission count or a target coverage level. The target coverage level is determined based on the association between channel state and coverage level, as well as the target channel state. The first retransmission count is determined based on the association between channel state and retransmission count, as well as the target channel state.

[0258] Optionally, the target channel state is determined based on at least one of SSB, SIB1, or random access message 2.

[0259] Optionally, the communication module 920 is further configured to: receive a third indication message, the third indication message being used to indicate a second retransmission count, the second retransmission count being the number of retransmissions of the target message; the second retransmission count being determined based on the first retransmission count; and receive the target message based on the second retransmission count.

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

[0261] In one possible design, the communication device 900 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiments, or to a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device. The communication device 900 can be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0262] For example, the processing module 910 is used to configure the first indication message and determine the number of retransmissions of the target message based on the second indication message.

[0263] The communication module 920 is used to send a first indication message and receive a second indication message. The first indication message indicates the correlation between channel state and the number of retransmissions, where the number of retransmissions is the number of times the target message is retransmitted during random access. The second indication message indicates the first retransmission count, which is determined by the correlation and the measured target channel state.

[0264] Optionally, the association relationship includes at least one of the following: the association relationship between channel state and random access configuration, the association relationship between channel state and coverage level, or the association relationship between channel state and retransmission count; the random access configuration is associated with the retransmission count, and the coverage level is associated with the retransmission count.

[0265] Optionally, the random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble set, a random access message set, or a random access opportunity (RO).

[0266] Optionally, the second indication message includes the first retransmission count, or the second indication message includes at least one of a target random access configuration or a target coverage level, wherein the target random access configuration is associated with the first retransmission count, the target coverage level is associated with the first retransmission count, and the target random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble, random access message 1, or RO.

[0267] Optionally, the processing module 910 is further configured to: configure a first indication message through a system information block, wherein the system information block includes at least one of a synchronization signal block SSB or a system information block 1.

[0268] Optionally, the first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration, which is determined based on the association between the channel state and the random access configuration and the target channel state.

[0269] Optionally, the first indication message indicates the association between channel state and coverage level, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the association between channel state and coverage level, the association between coverage level and random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0270] or,

[0271] The first indication message indicates the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, and the second indication message includes the target random access configuration, which is determined based on the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, the correlation between retransmission count and random access configuration, and the target channel state.

[0272] Optionally, the target channel state is determined based on the measurement results of the system information block.

[0273] Optionally, if the system information block includes SSB and SIB1, the target channel state is determined by the measurement results of SSB and SIB1, and SSB and SIB1 use the same beam.

[0274] Optionally, if the power of SSB is the same as the power of SIB1, the target channel state is determined based on the average of the measurement results of SSB and SIB1.

[0275] If the power of SSB is different from the power of SIB1, the target channel state is determined based on the measurement results of SSB after power alignment and the measurement results of SIB1; wherein, the power of SSB after power alignment is the same as the power of SIB1 or the power difference between the two is within a preset threshold.

[0276] Optionally, if the first indication message indicates the relationship between channel status and coverage level, or the relationship between channel status and retransmission count, the second indication message is random access message 3, which includes the first retransmission count or the target coverage level.

[0277] The target coverage level is determined based on the relationship between channel state and coverage level, as well as the target channel state. The first retransmission count is determined based on the relationship between channel state and retransmission count, as well as the target channel state.

[0278] Optionally, the communication module 920 is further configured to: send a third indication message, the third indication message being used to indicate a second retransmission count, the second retransmission count being the number of times the target message has been received; the second retransmission count being determined based on the first retransmission count.

[0279] The above are merely examples; for detailed steps or procedures, please refer to the descriptions in the foregoing embodiments.

[0280] Figure 10 This is another schematic block diagram of the communication device 1000 provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 1000 may be a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., used by a terminal device or network device to implement the above-described methods. The communication device 1000 can be used to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above-described method embodiments.

[0281] like Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1010, which may also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1010 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 1000 (e.g., a base station, baseband chip, user, user chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0282] In an alternative design, the processor 1010 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 1010 to cause the communication device 1000 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0283] In another alternative design, the communication device 1000 may include a communication interface 1020 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1020 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0284] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more memories 1030, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1010, causing the communication device 1000 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1030 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 1010 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1010 and the memories 1030 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0285] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0286] In one implementation, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1010 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1030, and when the processor 1010 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1010 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the terminal device.

[0287] In another implementation, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiments and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the network device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1010 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1030, and when the processor 1010 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1010 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the network device.

[0288] It should be understood that the aforementioned processing device can be one or more chips. For example, the processing device can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0289] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0290] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, thereby causing the method described in the embodiments of this application to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0291] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0292] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network device and terminal device.

[0293] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0294] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0295] The computer-readable storage medium may be the aforementioned volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it may include both volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

[0296] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0297] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When these computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated.

[0298] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0299] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0300] In summary, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: Receive a first indication message, which is used to indicate the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, wherein the retransmission count is the number of times the target message is retransmitted during random access. Send a second indication message, which indicates at least one of a target channel state or a first retransmission count, the first retransmission count being determined by the association and the measured target channel state.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The association relationship includes at least one of the following: the association relationship between the channel state and the random access configuration, the association relationship between the channel state and the coverage level, or the association relationship between the channel state and the number of retransmissions; the random access configuration is associated with the number of retransmissions, and the coverage level is associated with the number of retransmissions.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble set, a random access message set, or a random access opportunity (RO).

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The second indication message includes the first retransmission count, or the second indication message includes at least one of the target random access configuration or the target coverage level, wherein the target random access configuration is associated with the first retransmission count, the target coverage level is associated with the first retransmission count, and the target random access configuration includes at least one of the preamble, random access message 1, or RO.

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Receiving the first indication message includes: receiving the first indication message through a system information block; the system information block includes at least one of a synchronization signal block SSB or a system information block 1.

6. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, and the target channel state.

7. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the coverage level, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the association between the channel state and the coverage level, the association between the coverage level and the random access configuration, and the target channel state. or, The first indication message indicates the correlation between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the correlation between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, the correlation between the number of retransmissions and the random access configuration, and the target channel state.

8. The communication method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The target channel state is determined based on the measurement results of the system information block.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, characterized in that, If the system information block includes a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a system information block (SIB1), the target channel state is determined by the measurement results of the SSB and the measurement results of the SIB1, and the SSB and the SIB1 use the same beam.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, characterized in that, If the power of the SSB is the same as the power of the SIB1, the target channel state is determined based on the average of the measurement results of the SSB and the measurement results of the SIB1; If the power of the SSB is not the same as the power of the SIB1, the target channel state is determined based on the measurement results of the SSB after power alignment and the measurement results of the SIB1; wherein, the power of the SSB after power alignment is the same as the power of the SIB1 or the power difference between the two is within a preset threshold.

11. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first indication message indicates at least one of the following: the association between the channel state and the coverage level, or the association between the channel state and the number of retransmissions. The second indication message is a random access message 3, which includes either the first number of retransmissions or the target coverage level. The target coverage level is determined based on the association between the channel state and the coverage level, and the target channel state. The first number of retransmissions is determined based on the association between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, and the target channel state.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The target channel state is determined based on at least one of SSB, SIB1, or random access message 2.

13. The communication method according to claims 1-13, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third indication message is received, which indicates a second retransmission count, the second retransmission count being the number of retransmissions of the target message; the second retransmission count is determined based on the first retransmission count. The target message is received based on the second retransmission count.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to network devices, the method includes: Send a first indication message, which is used to indicate the correlation between channel state and retransmission count, wherein the retransmission count is the number of times the target message is retransmitted during random access. Receive a second indication message, which indicates the target channel state or a first retransmission count, the first retransmission count being determined by the association and the measured target channel state.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The association relationship includes at least one of the following: the association relationship between the channel state and the random access configuration, the association relationship between the channel state and the coverage level, or the association relationship between the channel state and the number of retransmissions; the random access configuration is associated with the number of retransmissions, and the coverage level is associated with the number of retransmissions.

16. The communication method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble set, a random access message set, or a random access opportunity (RO).

17. The communication method according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized in that, The second indication message includes the first retransmission count, or the second indication message includes one of the target random access configuration or the target coverage level, wherein the target random access configuration is associated with the first retransmission count, the target coverage level is associated with the first retransmission count, and the target random access configuration includes at least one of a preamble, random access message 1, or RO.

18. The communication method according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first indication message is configured through a system information block, wherein the system information block includes at least one of a synchronization signal block SSB or a system information block 1.

19. The communication method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the random access configuration, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the association between the channel state and the random access configuration and the target channel state.

20. The communication method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first indication message indicates the association between the channel state and the coverage level, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the association between the channel state and the coverage level, the association between the coverage level and the random access configuration, and the target channel state. or, The first indication message indicates the correlation between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, and the second indication message includes a target random access configuration, which is determined based on the correlation between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, the correlation between the number of retransmissions and the random access configuration, and the target channel state.

21. The communication method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The target channel state is determined based on the measurement results of the system information block.

22. The communication method according to claim 21, characterized in that, If the system information block includes SSB and SIB1, the target channel state is determined by the measurement results of the SSB and the measurement results of the SIB1, and the SSB and the SIB1 use the same beam.

23. The communication method according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that, If the power of the SSB is the same as the power of the SIB1, the target channel state is determined based on the average of the measurement results of the SSB and the measurement results of the SIB1; If the power of the SSB is not the same as the power of the SIB1, the target channel state is determined based on the measurement results of the SSB after power alignment and the measurement results of the SIB1; wherein, the power of the SSB after power alignment is the same as the power of the SIB1 or the power difference between the two is within a preset threshold.

24. The communication method according to claim 15, characterized in that, If the first indication message indicates either the association between the channel state and the coverage level, or the association between the channel state and the number of retransmissions, the second indication message is a random access message 3, which includes either the first number of retransmissions or the target coverage level. The target coverage level is determined based on the correlation between the channel state and the coverage level, as well as the target channel state. The first retransmission count is determined based on the correlation between the channel state and the retransmission count, as well as the target channel state.

25. The communication method according to any one of claims 14-24, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third indication message is sent, which indicates a second retransmission count, the second retransmission count being the number of times the target message has been received; the second retransmission count is determined based on the first retransmission count.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes at least one processor coupled to a memory storing a program or instructions, the processor executing the program or instructions to cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, they cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

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