Communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium. The terminal device stores information on the RA procedure and transmits it to the network device. The information on the RA procedure includes any of the information on the RA partition, the information on the repetition of Msg3, the information on the TA report, or the SSB associated with the CG resource for SDT, which does not have an RSRP exceeding the threshold power, or is triggered by the recovery of the consistent LBT failure, or by the activation of the SCG, or by the BFR for two sets of BFD-RS. At least one of the information on the RA procedure is included. In this way, the RA setting can be optimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for enhancing a self-organizing network (SON).

Background Art

[0002] SON includes solutions for self-configuration and self-optimization of a network and has been introduced to support system deployment and performance optimization. One of the SON functions is to report RA-related information to the network so that the network can adjust the random access (RA) configuration for performance improvement. In recent years, the RA procedure has been enhanced by multiple work items (WIs), and RA partitions spanning multiple WIs have also been introduced. Therefore, some further enhancements are needed for the SON function regarding the reporting of RA-related information.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for reporting RA information for SON enhancement.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a terminal device, storing information on a random access procedure and transmitting the information on the random access procedure to a network device. The information on the random access procedure includes at least one of first information regarding a random access partition, second information regarding repetition of Message 3, third information regarding a random access procedure triggered because neither a synchronization signal nor a physical broadcast channel block associated with a configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal reception power exceeding a threshold power, fourth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by recovery from a consistent Listen Before Talk failure, fifth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by activation of a secondary cell group, sixth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by beam failure recovery for two sets of beam failure detection reference signals, or seventh information regarding a timing advance report.

[0005] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a network device, receiving information on a random access procedure from a terminal device. The information on the random access procedure includes at least one of first information regarding a random access partition, second information regarding repetition of Message 3, third information regarding a random access procedure triggered because neither a synchronization signal nor a physical broadcast channel block associated with a configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal reception power exceeding a threshold power, fourth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by recovery from a consistent Listen Before Talk failure, fifth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by activation of a secondary cell group, sixth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by beam failure recovery for two sets of beam failure detection reference signals, or seventh information regarding a timing advance report.

[0006] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes a processor configured to cause the device to execute the method according to any one of the first and second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. The instructions, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute the method according to any one of the first and second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0008] Other features of the present disclosure should be readily understood through the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure should become more apparent by describing some embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010]

Figure 1

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Figure 5

[0015] Throughout all the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to several embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are useful for those skilled in the art to understand and practice the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0017] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0018] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network), Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), devices of spacecraft or aircraft in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including High Altitude Platforms (HAP) and satellites that include Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Extended Reality (XR) devices including different types of reality such as Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are aircraft generally known as drones and do not require a human pilot, devices on high speed trains (HSTs), imaging devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage / playback devices, or Internet devices that enable wireless / wired Internet access and browsing, but are not limited thereto.The "terminal device" can further have a multicast / broadcast function, and supports public safety, mission critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software delivery, group communication, and IoT applications. Also, one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIM, may be incorporated. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber equipment, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0019] The term "network device" refers to a device that can provide or host a cell or coverage with which the terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, Node B (NodeB or NB), Evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), Next Generation NodeB (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), IAB node, femto node, low-power nodes such as pico nodes, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), etc.

[0020] The terminal device or network device may have an artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning function. Generally, it includes a model that can learn from a large number of data collected for a specific function and be used to predict some information.

[0021] The terminal device or network device may function in a plurality of frequency ranges, such as, for example, FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands higher than 100 GHz, terahertz (THz), etc. Further, it can function in licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. The terminal device may have multiple connections with the network device in a scenario applicable to multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC). The terminal device or network device can function in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, and cross-divided duplex modes.

[0022] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed in test devices such as, for example, signal generators, signal analyzers, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, test terminal devices, test network devices, channel emulators, etc.

[0023] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, the first network device may be a first RAT device and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In some embodiments, the first RAT device is an eNB and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to different RATs may be transmitted from at least one of the first network device or the second network device to the terminal device. In some embodiments, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be directly transmitted from the second network device to the terminal device or transmitted via the first network device. In some embodiments, information related to the settings of the terminal device, set by the second network device, may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information related to the resetting of the terminal device, set by the second network device, may be directly transmitted from the second network device to the terminal device or transmitted via the first network device.

[0024] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "comprising" and variations thereof are to be construed as an open-ended term meaning "including, but not limited to". The term "based on" is to be construed as "at least partially based on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are to be construed as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is to be construed as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different objects or the same object. There may be other explicit and implicit definitions included in the following content.

[0025] In some examples, a value, procedure, or apparatus is referred to as "optimal", "lowest", "highest", "minimum", "maximum", etc. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection is possible from among a plurality of functional alternatives being used, and it will be understood that such a selection need not be better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other selections.

[0026] In recent years, the purpose of a study item or a core part WI or a test part WI has been to define enhanced data collection in New Radio (NR) for the minimization of drive test (MDT). The specific purposes of this WI are as follows. - Support data collection for SON functions. SON functions include "remaining" functions (i.e., conditional PSCell change (CPC) or conditional PSCell addition (CPA) with MR-DC and maintenance, repair, operation (MRO) PSCell change success reports, master cell group (MCG) fast recovery, New Radio in unlicensed spectrum (NR-U)), and enhanced MRO for inter-system handover voice fallback. - Define UE reports necessary to enhance the adjustment of mobility parameters. - Define inter-node information exchange, including possible enhancements to the interface. - Support SON / MDT enhancements for RA enhancements.

[0027] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting RA information for SON enhancement. In this solution, the terminal device stores and reports RA information. The RA information includes at least one of information on an RA partition, information on the repetition of Message 3 (Msg3), information on a timing advance (TA) report, information on a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) associated with a configured grant (CG) resource for small data transmission (SDT), information on an RA procedure triggered because neither has a reference signal receiving power (RSRP) exceeding a threshold power, information on an RA procedure triggered by the recovery of a consistent Listen Before Talk (LBT) failure, information on an RA procedure triggered by the activation of a secondary cell group (SCG), or information on an RA procedure triggered by beam failure recovery (BFR) for two sets of reference signals for beam failure detection (BFD-RS).

[0028] In this way, the RA information can be reported to the network in a more comprehensive manner, and the RA settings can be optimized accordingly.

[0029] The principle and implementation of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Example of a communication network

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication network 100 capable of implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 may include terminal devices 110 and network devices 120. The network device 120 may provide a cell 121 that provides services to one or more terminal devices. In this example, the terminal device 110 is located in the cell 121 and receives services from the network device 120.

[0031] It should be understood that the number of devices and cells in FIG. 1 is shown for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation to the present disclosure. The communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices and / or cells suitable for implementing the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0032] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 may communicate with each other via a channel such as a wireless communication channel in an air interface (e.g., Uu interface). The wireless communication channel may include a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). Of course, any other suitable channel is also possible.

[0033] Communications in the communication network 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to standards such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), new radio (NR), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA (registered trademark)), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed in accordance with any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or sixth generation (6G) network.

[0034] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate a RA procedure with respect to the network device 120. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may execute a two-step RA procedure with respect to the network device 120. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may execute a four-step RA procedure with respect to the network device 120. In these embodiments, when the RA procedure is successfully completed, the terminal device 110 may send a RA report to the network device 120. The RA report may include information on the RA procedure. The information on the RA procedure may include RA common information and the purpose of RA. The RA common information may indicate physical layer configuration information of the RA procedure, for example, message 1 (Msg1) setting-related information or message A (MsgA) setting-related information. The RA common information may also indicate information on each RA attempt during the RA procedure. The purpose of RA may indicate the reason or scenario for which the RA procedure is triggered.

[0035] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate a RA procedure to establish a connection with the network device 120. If the connection establishment fails, the terminal device 110 may send a connection establishment failure report to the network device 120. The connection establishment failure report may include information on each RA attempt during the RA procedure.

[0036] In some embodiments, in the case of a radio link failure (RLF) or a handover failure, the terminal device 110 may send an RLF report to the network device 120. The RLF or handover failure may occur due to a problem or failure in the RA procedure. The RLF report may include information on RA related to the RLF or handover failure. The information on the RA procedure may include RA common information.

[0037] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate an RA procedure for handover success, and the terminal device 110 may send a success handover report (SHR) to the network device 120. The SHR report may include information on the RA procedure during the successful handover. The information on the RA procedure may include RA common information.

[0038] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting RA information for SON enhancement. More detailed content of this solution will be described with reference to FIG. 2. Exemplary implementation of RA information reporting

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a communication process 200 for reporting RA information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 200 may involve the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 shown in FIG. 1.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 110 may store information on the RA procedure (210). In some embodiments, the information on the RA procedure may include information on the RA partition (also referred to as the first information for convenience). In some embodiments, the information on the RA procedure may include information on the repetition of Msg3 (also referred to as the second information for convenience). In some embodiments, the information on the RA procedure may include information on the RA procedure triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resources for SDT has an RSRP exceeding the threshold power (also referred to as the third information for convenience). In some embodiments, the information on the RA procedure may include information on the RA procedure triggered by the recovery of the consistent LBT failure (also referred to as the fourth information for convenience). In some embodiments, the information on the RA procedure may include information on the RA procedure triggered by the activation of the SCG (also referred to as the fifth information for convenience). In some embodiments, the information on the RA procedure may include information on the RA procedure triggered by the BFR for two sets of BFD-RS (also referred to as the sixth information for convenience). In some embodiments, the information on the RA procedure may include information on the TA report (also referred to as the seventh information for convenience). It should be understood that any combination of the above information and any other appropriate information is also possible.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 2, the terminal device 110 may transmit the information on the RA procedure to the network device 120 (220). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the information on the RA procedure in an RA report. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the information on the RA procedure in a connection establishment failure report. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the information on the RA procedure in an RLF report. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the information on the RA procedure in an SHR. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the information on the RA procedure in an information element of the RA common information (IE).

[0042] For the sake of explanation, several exemplary embodiments will be described in relation to Embodiments 1 to 7. Embodiment 1

[0043] In some scenarios, RA partitioning is considered for some functions so that function identification at the network device 120 can be enabled early. The network device 120 may associate a set of RA resources with functions applicable to the RA procedure. A set of RA resources associated with a certain function is only valid for the RA procedure applicable to that function, and a set of RA resources associated with multiple functions is only valid for the RA procedure having at least all of these functions. After the terminal device 110 selects an uplink carrier (i.e., a normal uplink (NUL) or a supplementary uplink (SUL)) and a bandwidth part (BWP), before selecting the RA type, the terminal device 110 may select a set of applicable RA resources as follows. 1. If contention-free random access (CFRA) resources are available for the current RA procedure, or if the RA procedure has not been started for any function, only a set of RA resources not associated with any function can be used. 2. If a set of RA resources associated with all functions applicable to the current RA procedure exists, that set of RA resources is used. 3. If there are no associated RA resources for the functions applicable at the start of the current RA procedure, the terminal device 110 may consider a subset of functions and the associated set of RA resources based on the priority set for the functions by the network device 120. The first subset in the priority order with an associated set of RA resources is selected. If there is no RA resource associated with any of the functions applicable to the current RA procedure, a set of RA resources not associated with any function is used.

[0044] As an example (for convenience, also referred to as Example 1 here), the functions applicable to the RA procedure are RedCap (Reduced Capability) + SDT. The set priorities (from highest to lowest) are Coverage Enhancement (CovEnh) > RedCap > Slice Group (SliceX) > SDT. The set of RA resources configured is a legacy resource set, an RA resource set for RedCap, an RA resource set for RedCap + SliceX + SDT, an RA resource set for SliceX + SDT, an RA resource set for SliceX, or an RA resource set for SDT. Assume that there are no available CFRA resources. It can be understood that there is no set of RA resources associated with both RedCap and SDT. Since the priority of RedCap is higher than that of SDT, the RA resource set configured for RedCap will be selected in the RA procedure.

[0045] Currently, the RA information stored by the terminal device and reported to the network does not include RA partition related information. Therefore, the network cannot optimize the setting of the RA partition.

[0046] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting information regarding an RA partition (i.e., first information). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store and report information regarding an RA partition for an RA report, a connection establishment report, an RLF report, or an SHR. It should be understood that the terminal device 110 may also store and report the first information for any other suitable report.

[0047] In some embodiments, the information regarding the RA partition may include a set of functions associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure. In some embodiments, the functions in the set of functions may be a list of SDT, RedCap, CovEnh, or slice groups. Referring to Example 1 above, the set of functions associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure includes RedCap. In some embodiments, the set of functions is referred to as a combination of functions.

[0048] The set of functions associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure enables the network to recognize the combination of functions associated with the RA resources, so that the combination of this specific function or the RA settings of the RA partition can be optimized.

[0049] In some embodiments, the information regarding the RA partition may include a set of functions that are applicable to the RA procedure but not associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure. Referring to Example 1 above, the set of functions that are applicable to the RA procedure but not associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure includes SDT.

[0050] The set of functions that are applicable to the RA procedure but not associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure enables the network to know that it is impossible to provide an RA partition with all the functions required by the terminal device. If many terminal devices report this, an RA partition that provides the missing functions may be added.

[0051] In some embodiments, the information regarding the RA partition may include a set of functions applicable to the RA procedure. Referring to Example 1 above, the set of functions applicable to the RA procedure includes RedCap and SDT.

[0052] With a set of functions applicable to the RA procedure, the network can know that it is impossible to provide an RA partition with all the functions required by the terminal device. If many terminal devices report this, an RA partition that provides the missing functions may be added.

[0053] It should be understood that the first information can also include any other appropriate information or combination of information and is not limited to the above examples. Embodiment 2

[0054] In some scenarios, the aggregation of multiple slots with Msg3 transmission transport block (TB) repetitions may be supported in both NUL and SUL and is applicable to 4-step RA type contention based random access (CBRA). When set, the terminal device 110 may request the repetition of Msg3 via an individual PRACH resource when the RSRP of the downlink (DL) path loss reference is lower than the set RSRP threshold. That is, an RSRP threshold is set for the terminal device to determine whether the repetition of Msg3 is applied to the RA procedure. When the measured RSRP is below the RSRP threshold, the repetition of Msg3 can be applied. However, the RSRP threshold set by the network may not be very appropriate. For example, in a terminal device that measures an RSRP above the RSRP threshold, RA failures may occur frequently.

[0055] In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting information regarding the repetition of Msg3 (i.e., the second information). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store and report information regarding the repetition of Msg3 for an RA report, a connection establishment report, an RLF report, or an SHR. It should be understood that the terminal device 110 may also store and report the second information for any other appropriate report.

[0056] In some embodiments, the information regarding the repetition of Msg3 may include the measured RSRP of the downlink path loss reference obtained when determining whether the repetition of Msg3 is applicable to the RA procedure.

[0057] It should be understood that the second information can also include any other appropriate information or combination of information and is not limited to the above example.

[0058] In this way, the network can recognize the RSRP value when the repetition of Msg3 is determined. Further, based on other reported information such as whether the RA procedure with the repetition of Msg3 was successful, the network may adjust the RSRP threshold set for the repetition of Msg3. Embodiment 3

[0059] Currently, during the subsequent transmission phase of the CG-based SDT, if none of the SSBs associated with one CG resource for SDT exceed the RSRP threshold for SSB selection (also referred to as the threshold power here), the terminal device may trigger the RA procedure. Alternatively, if none of the SSBs associated with one CG resource for SDT exceed the RSRP threshold for SSB selection and there is uplink (UL) data available for transmission, the terminal device may trigger the RA procedure. However, the current RA information stored and reported by the terminal device cannot distinguish this scenario from other scenarios.

[0060] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting information (i.e., the third information) regarding the RA procedure triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resource for SDT have an RSRP exceeding the threshold power. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store and report the third information for the RA report, connection establishment report, or RLF report. It should be understood that the terminal device 110 may also store and report the third information for any other appropriate report.

[0061] In some embodiments, the third information may include an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resources for SDT have an RSRP exceeding the threshold power. For example, a new RA objective may be introduced to indicate that the scenario of the RA procedure is one in which none of the SSBs associated with one CG resource for SDT exceed the RSRP threshold for SSB selection. In this way, the network can distinguish the relevant scenario of the RA procedure from other scenarios.

[0062] In some embodiments, the third information may include an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resources for SDT have an RSRP exceeding the threshold power and there is UL data available for transmission. For example, a new RA objective may be introduced to indicate that the scenario of the RA procedure is one in which none of the SSBs associated with one CG resource for SDT exceed the RSRP threshold for SSB selection and there is UL data available for transmission. In this way, similarly, the network can distinguish the relevant scenario of the RA procedure from other scenarios.

[0063] In some embodiments, the third information may include the index of the CG resource that does not have a related SSB exceeding the threshold power. In some embodiments, the third information may include information on the SSBs associated with the CG resource that does not have a related SSB exceeding the threshold power. In this way, the network can recognize which CG resources are unavailable during the CG-based SDT of the terminal device and which SSBs associated with the CG resources are below the threshold power. Subsequently, the network can further adjust the settings of the CG-based SDT of the terminal device.

[0064] In some embodiments, the third information may include the measured RSRP of the SSB associated with the CG resource at the time of triggering the RA procedure. In this way, the network can recognize the state of the SSB and adjust the RSRP threshold for SSB selection in the CG-based SDT.

[0065] It should be understood that the third information can also include any other suitable information or combination of information and is not limited to the above example. Embodiment 4

[0066] In some scenarios, if the terminal device detects a consistent LBT failure, an RA procedure may be initiated to recover from the consistent LBT failure. However, the current RA information stored and reported by the terminal device cannot indicate the scenario of the RA procedure in this case.

[0067] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting information (i.e., the fourth information) regarding an RA procedure triggered by the recovery of a consistent LBT failure. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store and report the fourth information for an RA report. It should be understood that the terminal device 110 may also store and report the fourth information for any other suitable report.

[0068] In some embodiments, the fourth information may include an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered by the recovery of a consistent LBT failure. For example, a new RA purpose may be introduced to indicate that the scenario of the RA procedure is the RA procedure started for the recovery of a consistent LBT failure.

[0069] It should be understood that the fourth information can also include any other suitable information or combination of information and is not limited to the above example.

[0070] In this way, the network can distinguish the scenario of the RA procedure triggered due to the consistent LBT failure from other scenarios. Embodiment 5

[0071] In some scenarios, the network device 120 may activate and deactivate the configured SCG. The activation / deactivation of the SCG is introduced for power saving. When activating the SCG, if a beam failure occurs or the TAT timer is not running when receiving the SCG activation instruction, the terminal device may have to start the RA procedure on the PSCell of the SCG. However, the current RA information stored and reported by the terminal device cannot indicate the scenario and detailed information of the RA procedure in this case.

[0072] In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting information related to the RA procedure triggered by SCG activation (i.e., the fifth information). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store and report the fifth information for the RA report or the RLF report. It should be understood that the terminal device 110 may also store and report the fifth information for any other appropriate report.

[0073] In some embodiments, the fifth information may include an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered by SCG activation. For example, a new RA purpose may be introduced to indicate that the scenario of the RA procedure is the one started for SCG activation. In this way, the network can distinguish the scenario of the RA procedure triggered for SCG activation from other scenarios.

[0074] In some embodiments, the fifth information may include an indication of whether a beam failure occurred when RA for SCG activation was triggered. A beam failure means BFI_COUNTER ≧ beamFailureInstanceMaxCount. In some embodiments, the fifth information may include an indication of whether the TAT (Time Alignment Timer) expired or uplink asynchrony occurred when the RA procedure for SCG activation was triggered. In this way, the network can recognize the reason for triggering the RA procedure for SCG activation.

[0075] It should be understood that the fifth information can also include any other suitable information or combination of information and is not limited to the above examples. Embodiment 6

[0076] In some scenarios, two BFD-RS sets may be configured for BFD of the terminal device 110. If a beam failure is detected in both BFD-RS sets, an RA procedure may be started for the BFR of the two BFD-RS sets. However, the current RA information stored and reported by the terminal device cannot indicate the scenario of the RA procedure in this case.

[0077] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting information (i.e., the sixth information) regarding an RA procedure triggered by BFR for two sets of BFD-RS. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store and report the sixth information for an RA report or an RLF report. It should be understood that the terminal device 110 may also store and report the sixth information for any other suitable report.

[0078] In some embodiments, the sixth information may include an indication indicating that the RA procedure has been triggered by the BFR for two sets of BFD-RS. For example, a new RA purpose may be introduced to indicate that the RA procedure scenario is for BFR recovery for two sets of BFD-RS.

[0079] In some embodiments, the sixth information may include the identity of a non-serving cell (e.g., an additional physical cell identifier (PCI)) associated with one set of the two sets of BFD-RS.

[0080] In this way, the network can distinguish the scenario of the RA procedure triggered for BFR recovery for two sets of BFD-RS and recognize the information of the non-serving cell.

[0081] It should be understood that the sixth information can also include any other appropriate information or combination of information and is not limited to the above examples. Embodiment 7

[0082] In the scenario of a non-terrestrial network (NTN), when the RA procedure is started by the initial access from RRC idle, the RRC connection re-establishment procedure from RRC inactive, the RRC connection re-establishment procedure, or reconfiguration with sync set by the network device 120, the terminal device 110 may trigger a timing advance (TA) report. Regarding the TA report, a TA report MAC CE may be generated and sent to the network device 120. The TA report MAC CE may indicate the number of integers of slots greater than or equal to the TA value. If the RA procedure finally fails, the failure of the RA procedure may be due to the inappropriate TA compensation value provided by the network and the network's inability to recognize the appropriate TA value.

[0083] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting information related to TA reports (i.e., the seventh information). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store and report information related to TA reports for connection establishment reports or RLF reports. It should be understood that the terminal device 110 may store and report the seventh information for any other suitable reports.

[0084] In some embodiments, the seventh information may include TA values. In some embodiments, the seventh information may include the integer number of slots greater than or equal to the TA value.

[0085] It should be understood that the seventh information can also include any other suitable information or combination of information and is not limited to the above examples. Exemplary implementation of a method

[0086] Corresponding to the above content, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method implemented by a terminal device and a network device. These methods will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0087] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary communication method 300 implemented by a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 300 may be executed by the terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, method 300 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 300 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the shown blocks may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0088] In block 310, the terminal device 110 stores information on the RA procedure. The information on the RA procedure may include at least one of first information regarding the RA partition, second information regarding the repetition of Msg3, third information regarding the RA procedure triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resources for SDT has an RSRP exceeding the threshold power, fourth information regarding the RA procedure triggered by the recovery of consistent LBT failures, fifth information regarding the RA procedure triggered by the activation of SCG, sixth information regarding the RA procedure triggered by the BFR for two sets of BFD-RS, or seventh information regarding the TA report.

[0089] In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of a set of functions associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure, a set of functions applicable to the RA procedure but not associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure, or a set of functions applicable to the RA procedure.

[0090] In some embodiments, the second information may include the measured RSRP of the downlink path loss reference obtained when determining whether the repetition of Msg3 is applicable to the RA procedure.

[0091] In some embodiments, the third information may include at least one of an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resources for SDT has an RSRP exceeding the threshold power, an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resources for SDT has an RSRP exceeding the threshold power and there is UL data available for transmission, the index of the CG resource, the information on the SSB associated with the CG resource, or the measured RSRP of the SSB associated with the CG resource at the time of triggering the RA procedure.

[0092] In some embodiments, the fifth information may include at least one of an indication indicating that the RA procedure has been triggered by SCG activation, an indication indicating whether a beam failure occurred when the RA for SCG activation was triggered, or an indication indicating whether the TAT (Time Alignment Timer) has expired or uplink asynchrony has occurred when the RA procedure for SCG activation was triggered.

[0093] In some embodiments, the sixth information may include at least one of an indication indicating that the RA procedure has been triggered by the BFR for two sets of BFD-RS, or at least one of the identities of non-serving cells associated with one set of the two sets of BFD-RS.

[0094] In some embodiments, the seventh information may include at least one of the TA value or the number of integers of slots greater than or equal to the TA value.

[0095] In block 320, the terminal device 110 transmits the information of the RA procedure to the network device 120.

[0096] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the information of the RA procedure in at least one of an RA report, a connection establishment failure report, an RLF report, or an SHR.

[0097] In this way, for the newly introduced function, the RA information can be reported to the network in a more comprehensive manner, facilitating the optimization of the RA configuration.

[0098] Figure 4 shows an exemplary communication method 400 implemented by a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 400 may be executed by network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, method 400 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. Method 400 may include additional blocks not shown and / or may omit some of the blocks shown, and it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0099] In block 410, network device 120 receives RA procedure information from terminal device 110. The RA procedure information may include at least one of first information regarding an RA partition, second information regarding repetition of Msg3, an SSB associated with a CG resource for SDT, third information regarding an RA procedure triggered because the RSRP exceeding a threshold power is not present, fourth information regarding an RA procedure triggered by recovery of a consistent LBT failure, fifth information regarding an RA procedure triggered by activation of an SCG, sixth information regarding an RA procedure triggered by a BFR for two sets of BFD-RS, or seventh information regarding a TA report.

[0100] In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of a set of functions associated with a set of RA resources selected for an RA procedure, a set of functions applicable to the RA procedure but not associated with the set of RA resources selected for the RA procedure, or a set of functions applicable to the RA procedure.

[0101] In some embodiments, the second information may include a measured RSRP of a downlink path loss reference obtained when determining whether repetition of Msg3 is applicable to the RA procedure.

[0102] In some embodiments, the third information may include at least one of an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resources for SDT has an RSRP exceeding a threshold power, an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered because none of the SSBs associated with the CG resources for SDT has an RSRP exceeding a threshold power and there is UL data available for transmission, an index of the CG resources, information on the SSBs associated with the CG resources, or the measured RSRP of the SSBs associated with the CG resources at the time of triggering of the RA procedure.

[0103] In some embodiments, the fifth information may include at least one of an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered by SCG activation, an indication indicating whether a beam failure occurred when RA for SCG activation was triggered, or an indication indicating whether the TAT (Time Alignment Timer) expired or uplink asynchrony occurred when the RA procedure for SCG activation was triggered.

[0104] In some embodiments, the sixth information may include at least one of an indication indicating that the RA procedure was triggered by the BFR for two sets of BFD-RS, or at least one of the identities of non-serving cells associated with one of the two sets of BFD-RS.

[0105] In some embodiments, the seventh information may include at least one of a TA value, or an integer number of slots greater than or equal to the TA value.

[0106] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive information on the RA procedure in at least one of an RA report, a connection establishment failure report, an RLF report, or an SHR.

[0107] In this way, the network can obtain RA information regarding the newly introduced function and optimize the RA settings.

[0108] It should be understood that the operations of Method 300 and Method 400 are the same as those described in relation to FIG. 2, and thus, for the sake of brevity, other details will not be repeated here. Exemplary implementation of a device and apparatus

[0109] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 500 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 500 can be considered as another exemplary implementation of the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the apparatus 500 can be implemented in the terminal device 110 or the network device 120, or at least as a part thereof.

[0110] As shown in the figure, the apparatus 500 includes a processor 510, a memory 520 coupled to the processor 510, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 540 coupled to the processor 510, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 540. The memory 510 stores at least a part of the program 530. The TX / RX 540 is for two-way communication. The TX / RX 540 has at least one antenna for facilitating communication, but in practice, the access node described in the present application may have a plurality of antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for two-way communication between gNBs or eNBs, an S1 / NG interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and an eNB / gNB, a Un interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a Relay Node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between a gNB / eNB and a terminal device.

[0111] Program 530 is considered to include program instructions, and when the program is executed by the associated processor 510, as discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-4 herein, it enables the apparatus 500 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware that is executable by the processor 510 of the apparatus 500. The processor 510 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, the combination of the processor 510 and the memory 520 may constitute processing means 550 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0112] The memory 520 may be of any type suitable for a local technical network and may be implemented by any suitable data storage technology (examples include, but are not limited to, computer-readable non-transitory storage media, semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory, etc.). Although only one memory 520 is shown in the apparatus 500, the apparatus 500 may be provided with a plurality of physically different memory modules. The processor 510 may be of any type suitable for a local technical network and may include, for example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor configuration, but is not limited thereto. The apparatus 500 may have a plurality of processors, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is temporally dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0113] In some embodiments, the terminal device includes a circuit configured to store information on a random access procedure and transmit the information on the random access procedure to a network device. The information on the random access procedure includes at least one of first information regarding a random access partition, second information regarding the repetition of Message 3, third information regarding a random access procedure triggered because neither a synchronization signal nor a physical broadcast channel block associated with a configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal reception power exceeding a threshold power, fourth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by the recovery of a consistent Listen Before Talk failure, fifth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by the activation of a secondary cell group, sixth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by beam failure recovery for two sets of reference signals for beam failure detection, or seventh information regarding a timing advance report.

[0114] In some embodiments, the second terminal device includes a circuit configured to receive information on a random access procedure from the terminal device. The information on the random access procedure includes at least one of first information regarding a random access partition, second information regarding the repetition of Message 3, third information regarding a random access procedure triggered because neither a synchronization signal nor a physical broadcast channel block associated with a configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal reception power exceeding a threshold power, fourth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by the recovery of a consistent Listen Before Talk failure, fifth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by the activation of a secondary cell group, sixth information regarding a random access procedure triggered by beam failure recovery for two sets of reference signals for beam failure detection, or seventh information regarding a timing advance report.

[0115] As used herein, the term "circuit" may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of an analog hardware circuit and / or a digital hardware circuit and software / firmware. As a further example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor with software, such as a digital signal processor, software, and memory that cooperate to cause various functions to be performed in a device such as a terminal device or a network device. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software / firmware for operation but may not have software present when not needed for operation. As used herein, the term circuit encompasses mere hardware circuits or processors, or portions of hardware circuits or processors, and their (or their) attendant software and / or firmware implementations.

[0116] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented by firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing device. Various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or by some other pictorial representation, and the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, for example, by hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or a combination thereof, but are not limited thereto, as will be understood.

[0117] The present disclosure further provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored in a computer-readable non-transitory memory medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules. The instructions are executed on a device on a target physical processor or virtual processor, and execute a process or method as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Usually, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as needed. The machine-readable instructions of program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located on both local and remote storage media.

[0118] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure may be described by any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device. When the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations defined in the flowchart and / or block diagram are implemented. All of the program code may be executed on a machine, partially executed on a machine, executed as an independent software package, partially executed on a machine and partially executed on a remote machine, or all executed on a remote machine or server.

[0119] The above program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that includes or stores a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium include electrical connections including one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0120] Note that, although the operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that such operations must be performed in the order shown or sequentially in order to obtain the desired result, and in some situations multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion includes some specific implementation details, these are not limitations on the scope of the present disclosure and should be construed as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may be implemented in combination in one embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of one embodiment may be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0121] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of words specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined by the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. In a terminal device, storing information on a random access procedure, transmitting the information on the random access procedure to a network device, and the information on the random access procedure includes first information regarding a random access partition, second information regarding repetition of Message 3, third information regarding the random access procedure triggered because neither a synchronization signal nor a physical broadcast channel block associated with a configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal received power exceeding a threshold power, fourth information regarding the random access procedure triggered by recovery of a consistent Listen Before Talk failure, fifth information regarding the random access procedure triggered by activation of a secondary cell group, sixth information regarding the random access procedure triggered by beam failure recovery for two sets of reference signals for beam failure detection, or seventh information regarding a timing advance report including at least one of A communication method.

2. The first information includes a set of functions associated with a set of random access resources selected for the random access procedure, a set of functions applicable to the random access procedure but not associated with the set of random access resources selected for the random access procedure, or a set of functions applicable to the random access procedure including at least one of The method according to claim 1.

3. The second information includes a measured reference signal received power of a downlink path loss reference obtained when determining whether repetition of Message 3 is applicable to the random access procedure, The method according to claim 1.

4. The third information includes an indication indicating that the random access procedure was triggered because neither the synchronization signal nor the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal received power exceeding a threshold power, The synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource for small data transmission both do not have a reference signal reception power exceeding a threshold power, and there is UL data available for transmission, indicating that the random access procedure has been triggered. The index of the configured grant resource, information on the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource, or the measured reference signal reception power of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource at the time of triggering of the random access procedure includes at least one of The method according to claim 1.

5. The fifth information includes an indication indicating that the random access procedure has been triggered by activation of the secondary cell group, an indication indicating whether a beam failure occurred when the random access procedure for activation of the secondary cell group was triggered, or an indication indicating whether the TAT (Time Alignment Timer) has expired or uplink asynchrony has occurred when the random access procedure for activation of the secondary cell group was triggered includes at least one of The method according to claim 1.

6. The sixth information includes an indication indicating that the random access procedure has been triggered by the beam failure recovery for the two sets of beam failure detection reference signals, or the identity of a non-serving cell associated with one set of the two sets of beam failure detection reference signals includes at least one of The method according to claim 1.

7. The seventh information includes a timing advance value, or the integer number of slots equal to or greater than the timing advance value includes at least one of The method according to claim 1.

8. Transmitting the information of the random access procedure is at least one of a random access report, a connection establishment failure report, a radio link failure report, or a handover success report and includes transmitting the information of the random access procedure. The method according to claim 1.

9. In a network device, receiving information on a random access procedure from a terminal device, wherein the information on the random access procedure includes first information regarding a random access partition, second information regarding the repetition of Message 3, third information regarding the random access procedure triggered because neither the synchronization signal nor the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal received power exceeding a threshold power, fourth information regarding the random access procedure triggered by the recovery of a consistent Listen Before Talk failure, fifth information regarding the random access procedure triggered by the activation of a secondary cell group, sixth information regarding the random access procedure triggered by beam failure recovery for two sets of beam failure detection reference signals, or seventh information regarding a timing advance report and includes at least one of them, a communication method.

10. The first information includes a set of functions associated with a set of random access resources selected for the random access procedure, a set of functions applicable to the random access procedure but not associated with the set of random access resources selected for the random access procedure, or a set of functions applicable to the random access procedure and includes at least one of them, The method according to claim 9.

11. The second information includes the measured reference signal received power of the downlink path loss reference obtained when determining whether the repetition of Message 3 is applicable to the random access procedure, The method according to claim 9.

12. The third information includes an indication indicating that the random access procedure was triggered because neither the synchronization signal nor the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal received power exceeding a threshold power, Neither the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource for small data transmission has a reference signal reception power exceeding a threshold power, and since there is UL data available for transmission, an indication indicating that the random access procedure has been triggered. The index of the configured grant resource. The information of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource, or The measured reference signal reception power of the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block associated with the configured grant resource at the time of triggering of the random access procedure At least one of which is included. The method according to claim 9.

13. The fifth information includes An indication indicating that the random access procedure has been triggered by the activation of the secondary cell group, An indication indicating whether a beam failure occurred when the random access procedure for activating the secondary cell group was triggered, or An indication indicating whether the Time Alignment Timer (TAT) has expired or uplink asynchrony has occurred when the random access procedure for activating the secondary cell group was triggered At least one of which is included. The method according to claim 9.

14. The sixth information includes An indication indicating that the random access procedure has been triggered by the beam failure recovery for the two sets of beam failure detection reference signals, or The identity of the non-serving cell associated with one set of the two sets of beam failure detection reference signals At least one of which is included. The method according to claim 9.

15. Receiving the information of the random access procedure is A random access report, A connection establishment failure report, A radio link failure report, or A handover success report At least one of which includes receiving the information of the random access procedure. The method according to claim 9.

16. The seventh information includes A timing advance value, or The integer number of slots equal to or greater than the timing advance value At least one of which is included. The method according to claim 9.

17. A processor configured to cause an apparatus to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or any one of claims 9 to 16, A communication apparatus.

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