Method, apparatus, system, and computer-readable storage medium for PRACH transmission with repetition

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wireless communication and provides a PRACH repeat transmission method, an apparatus, a system, and a computer-readable storage medium, the method including: configuring a first PRACH transmission resource and a second PRACH transmission resource, the first PRACH transmission resource being used only for PRACH single transmission, and the second PRACH transmission resource being used only for PRACH repeat transmission.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211101995.1, filed on September 9, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and more particularly to a method, apparatus, system, and computer-readable storage medium for Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission with repetition. [Background technology]

[0003] The 3GPP NR Realease-17 protocol does not support PRACH transmission with repetition. According to the current protocol version, the user equipment (UE) calculates the Random Access-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI) according to the PRACH transmission occasion for sending the preamble and monitors the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDC) in the Random Access Response (RAR) time window. If the monitored Downlink Control Information (DCI) is successfully descrambled by using the RA-RNTI and the Random Access Preamble Identifier (RAPID) corresponding to the preamble sent by the UE is received according to the scheduling of the DCI, it is proven that the PRACH transmission is successful; if it is not successful, the UE needs to perform the PRACH transmission again, which not only leads to further delay but also wastes PRACH transmission resources. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for PRACH transmission with repetition, the method being applied on a network side and including configuring a first PRACH transmission resource to be used only for PRACH transmission without repetition and a second PRACH transmission resource to be used only for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0005] In some embodiments, configuring the second PRACH transmission resource includes configuring a set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions supported by the network side.

[0006] In some embodiments, configuring the second PRACH transmission resource further includes configuring at least one of a first parameter or a second parameter, wherein the first parameter is used to indicate an associated relationship between each candidate repetition number and the preamble for the PRACH transmission with repetition, and the second parameter is used to indicate a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of the at least some candidate repetition numbers for the PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0007] In some embodiments, the at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition include each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, excluding a maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0008] In some embodiments, different candidate repetition numbers for a PRACH transmission with repetition are associated with different preambles.

[0009] In some embodiments, configuring the second PRACH transmission resource further includes configuring a third parameter, the third parameter being used to indicate an associated relationship between each SSB index and the preamble.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first parameter is configured according to the third parameter, each SSB index is associated with M preambles, and the set of candidate repetition numbers for the PRACH transmission with repetition has Q candidate repetition numbers for the PRACH transmission with repetition, where:

number

[0011] In some embodiments, the second parameter includes a bit sequence corresponding to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, a sequence length of the bit sequence equal to the largest candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, each bit in the bit sequence corresponds to one PRACH transmission occasion, and a value of each bit in the bit sequence indicates whether the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition.

[0012] In some embodiments, if the value is 1, it means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition, and if the value is 0, it means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is not used for transmission with repetition.

[0013] In some embodiments, configuring the second PRACH transmission resource further includes configuring a fourth parameter, the fourth parameter being used to indicate an associated relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions, and the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method further includes performing detection for at least some PRACH transmission occasions in a second PRACH transmission resource to obtain a first preamble transmitted with repetition by a user equipment (UE); determining a random access radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI) according to one PRACH transmission occasion of the at least some PRACH transmission occasions; scrambling the first downlink control information (DCI) by using the RA-RNTI to obtain a second DCI; and transmitting the second DCI and a random access response (RAR) scheduled by the second DCI, wherein the RAR carries a random access preamble identifier (RAPID) of the first preamble.

[0015] In some embodiments, configuring the second PRACH transmission resource further includes configuring a second parameter, the second parameter being used to indicate a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for the PRACH transmission with repetition, and at least some of the PRACH transmission occasions including the first group of PRACH transmission occasions.

[0016] In some embodiments, configuring the second PRACH transmission resource further includes configuring a fourth parameter, the fourth parameter being used to indicate an associative relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions, wherein the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the respective SSB index, and at least some PRACH transmission occasions include the second group of PRACH transmission occasions.

[0017] In some embodiments, there is i such that the i-th PRACH transmission occasion is different in a second group of PRACH transmission occasions that are different from the PRACH transmission occasions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions, and said one PRACH transmission occasion is the i-th PRACH transmission occasion.

[0018] In some embodiments, the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index do not overlap with one another in the time domain.

[0019] In some embodiments, the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index are arranged contiguously in the time domain.

[0020] In some embodiments, the maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition does not exceed the number of multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with the respective SSB index.

[0021] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for PRACH transmission with repetition is provided, which is applied on a network side, and includes transmitting configuration information indicating a first PRACH transmission resource for only PRACH transmission without repetition and a second PRACH transmission resource for only PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0022] According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied to a UE, the method including: receiving configuration information indicating first PRACH transmission resources only for PRACH transmission without repetition and second PRACH transmission resources only for PRACH transmission with repetition; and transmitting a preamble according to the configuration information.

[0023] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes a set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition that are supported by the network side, and transmitting the preamble according to the configuration information includes: determining a repetition number m for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition; and transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions by using a second PRACH transmission resource.

[0024] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes at least one of a first parameter or a second parameter, where the first parameter is used to indicate an associated relationship between each candidate repetition number for the PRACH transmission with repetition and the preamble, and the second parameter is used to indicate a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of the at least some candidate repetition numbers for the PRACH transmission with repetition; and transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions by using the second PRACH transmission resources includes, if the configuration information includes the second parameter, determining the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetition according to the second parameter; and transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetition; and, if the configuration information includes the first parameter, the first preamble belongs to the preamble associated with the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0025] In some embodiments, the at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition include each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, excluding a maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0026] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes a third parameter, which is used to indicate an associative relationship between each SSB index and a preamble, and the first preamble belongs to the preamble associated with the SSB index selected by the UE.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first parameter is configured according to the third parameter, each SSB index is associated with M preambles, and the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition has Q candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, where:

number

[0028] In some embodiments, the second parameter includes a bit sequence corresponding to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, a sequence length of the bit sequence equal to the largest candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, each bit in the bit sequence corresponds to one PRACH transmission occasion, and a value of each bit in the bit sequence indicates whether the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition.

[0029] In some embodiments, a value of 1 means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition, and a value of 0 means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is not used for transmission with repetition.

[0030] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes a fourth parameter, which is used to indicate an associative relationship between each SSB index and the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions, wherein the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for the PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the respective SSB index, and wherein transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetition includes transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions in the second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the SSB index selected by the UE.

[0031] In some embodiments, the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index do not overlap with one another in the time domain.

[0032] In some embodiments, the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index are arranged contiguously in the time domain.

[0033] In some embodiments, the maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition does not exceed the number of multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with the respective SSB index.

[0034] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a second DCI, determining an RA-RNTI according to one PRACH transmission occasion from a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to a repetition number m for a PRACH transmission with repetition, descrambling the second DCI by using the RA-RNTI to obtain the first DCI, and receiving an RAR according to the first DCI.

[0035] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes a fourth parameter, which is used to indicate an associated relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions, wherein the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the respective SSB index, and wherein the one PRACH transmission occasion belongs to the second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the repetition number m for PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the SSB index selected by the UE.

[0036] In some embodiments, there is i such that the i-th PRACH transmission occasion is different in a second group of PRACH transmission occasions that are different from the PRACH transmission occasions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions, and said one PRACH transmission occasion is the i-th PRACH transmission occasion.

[0037] In some embodiments, the method further includes performing a subsequent random access procedure in the case where the RAR carries a RAPID in the first preamble.

[0038] According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied on a network side, comprising: a configuration module configured to configure first and second PRACH transmission resources, wherein the first PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmission without repetition and the second PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0039] According to a further aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition applied on a network side, the apparatus comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform the method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any of the above embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0040] According to a further aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied to a UE, the apparatus comprising: a receiving module configured to receive configuration information indicating first PRACH transmission resources only for PRACH transmission without repetition and second PRACH transmission resources only for PRACH transmission with repetition; and a transmitting module configured to transmit a preamble according to the configuration information.

[0041] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied to a UE, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform the method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any of the above embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0042] According to a further aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a base station including an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any of the above embodiments.

[0043] According to a further aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a user equipment including an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any of the above embodiments.

[0044] According to a further aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a system for PRACH transmission with repetition, the system including a base station according to any of the above embodiments.

[0045] According to a further aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium including computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement a method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any of the above embodiments.

[0046] According to a further aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, performs the method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any of the above embodiments.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, by configuring a first PRACH transmission resource only for PRACH transmission without repetition and a second PRACH transmission resource only for PRACH transmission with repetition, the probability of conflict between PRACH transmission without repetition and PRACH transmission with repetition is reduced based on ensuring PRACH transmission without repetition and realizing PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0048] The technical solutions of the present disclosure will be further described in detail hereinafter through the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0049] In order to more clearly describe the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the accompanying drawings that are required to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art are briefly introduced below.Of course, the accompanying drawings described below are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure.For those skilled in the art, other accompanying drawings can also be obtained according to these accompanying drawings, on the premise that no inventive efforts are required. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0050] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an associated relationship between SSB index and PRACH transmission occasion according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an associated relationship between SSB index and PRACH transmission occasion according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an associated relationship between SSB index and PRACH transmission occasion according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic flowchart of PRACH detection performed by the network side according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart of a method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a system for PRACH transmission with repetition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0051] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be explicitly and completely described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Of course, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but not all of them. The following description of at least one typical embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and in no way serves as any limitation on the present disclosure and its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the premise that no inventive efforts are required, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0052] The relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions, and values ​​detailed in these examples do not limit the scope of the invention unless otherwise specified.

[0053] At the same time, it should be understood that for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings have not been drawn to scale.

[0054] Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the relevant arts may not be discussed in detail, but shall, where appropriate, be considered part of the description provided.

[0055] Among all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​are to be construed as exemplary only, and not as limiting, and as such, other examples in an exemplary embodiment may have different values.

[0056] In the following accompanying drawings, like reference numbers and letters refer to like items, so it should be noted that once an item is defined in one accompanying drawing, no further discussion of that item is required in subsequent accompanying drawings.

[0057] The inventors have noticed that in order to realize PRACH transmission with repetition, PRACH transmission resources need to be configured for PRACH transmission with repetition, which leads to an increased probability of PRACH transmission contention if existing PRACH transmission resources for PRACH transmission without repetition are multiplexed.

[0058] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following solutions.

[0059] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, which is applied on the network side.

[0060] In step 102, a first PRACH transmission resource and a second PRACH transmission resource are configured by the network side, where the first PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions without repetition, and the second PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions with repetition.

[0061] It can be understood that there is no resource overlap between the first PRACH transmission resource and the second PRACH transmission resource because the first PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions without repetition and the second PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions with repetition. In other words, the first PRACH transmission occasion included in the first PRACH transmission resource and the second PRACH transmission occasion included in the second PRACH transmission resource do not overlap with each other in at least one of the time domain and the frequency domain. In some embodiments, the first PRACH transmission occasion and the second PRACH transmission occasion do not overlap with each other in the time domain, which is beneficial for improving the probability of successful PRACH transmission and thereby improving PRACH coverage performance.

[0062] Based on ensuring PRACH transmission without repetition and realizing PRACH transmission with repetition, the network side reduces the probability of resource contention between PRACH transmission without repetition and PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0063] The implementation of configuring the second PRACH transmission resource by the network side will be introduced hereinafter in conjunction with various embodiments.

[0064] In some embodiments, the step of configuring the second PRACH transmission resource by the network side includes configuring a set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition that are supported by the network side, wherein the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition includes at least one repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, e.g., includes only one repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, or includes multiple repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0065] For example, the network side configures a set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition to be {2, 4, 8}. The UE selects one repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition from the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition configured by the network side for PRACH transmission with repetition. Since the network side configures the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, the UE can more flexibly select the number of times for transmitting a preamble with repetition according to requirements, and resource waste is reduced.

[0066] In some embodiments, the step of configuring the second PRACH transmission resource by the network side further comprises configuring at least one of a first parameter or a second parameter, where the first parameter is used to indicate an associated relationship between each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition and the preamble, and the second parameter is used to indicate a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0067] When the network side configures the first parameter, the UE selects one preamble from the preambles associated with the repetition number for the PRACH transmission with repetition selected by the UE according to the first parameter, and performs the transmission with repetition. Then, the network side can determine the repetition number for the PRACH transmission with repetition selected by the UE according to the received preamble, and distinguish the UE performing the PRACH transmission without repetition from the UE performing the PRACH transmission with repetition, which helps to reduce the probability of resource contention between the UE performing the PRACH transmission without repetition and the UE performing the PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0068] In some embodiments, different candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition are associated with different preambles. In other words, if the repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition determined by two UEs are different, the preambles transmitted when the PRACH transmission with repetition is performed are also different. When performing PRACH detection, the network side can determine the repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition selected by the UE according to the received preamble, and distinguish between UEs that select different repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition. The above method can prevent UEs that select different candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition from transmitting the same preamble, thereby avoiding resource contention between UEs that select different repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0069] When the network side configures the second parameter, the UE determines a first group of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the number of repetitions for the PRACH transmission with repetition selected by the UE according to the second parameter. Then, when performing PRACH detection, the network side performs PRACH detection for each first group of PRACH transmission occasions, which can avoid missing a PRACH transmission occasion and improve the probability of detecting a preamble transmitted by the UE. In addition, the network side can determine whether the UE is performing PRACH transmission with repetition according to the PRACH transmission occasion of the received preamble, and distinguish UEs performing PRACH transmission without repetition from UEs performing PRACH transmission without repetition, which helps to reduce the probability of resource contention between UEs performing PRACH transmission with repetition and UEs performing PRACH transmission without repetition.

[0070] In some embodiments, the step of configuring the second PRACH transmission resource by the network side further comprises configuring a third parameter, which is used to indicate an associated relationship between each SSB index and the preamble.

[0071] According to the third parameter, the network determines the SSB index selected by the UE and further determines the beam with the best transmission quality selected by the UE. Transmitting the information required for the subsequent random access procedure in the beam direction facilitates reception of the information by the UE and improves the probability of receiving the information by the UE.

[0072] In some embodiments, the first parameter is configured according to the third parameter. Specifically, each SSB index is associated with M preambles, and the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition has Q candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, where:

number

[0073] It can be understood that in the above method, the network side allocates P preambles on average to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, and if the remaining K preambles are insufficient to support a single average allocation, K candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition are selected from the candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, and another preamble is allocated to each of the selected K candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0074] Through the above method, when subsequently performing PRACH detection, the network side determines two items of information, including the SSB index selected by the UE and the number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetitions selected by the UE, according to the received preamble. For UEs selecting different SSB indices, the network side transmits information required for the subsequent random access procedure in the beam direction corresponding to the SSB index selected by the UE, to avoid resource contention between UEs selecting different SSB indices. Even if different UEs select the same SSB index, if the selected number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetitions is different, the network side can also distinguish between UEs selecting different number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetitions according to the received preamble, which avoids resource contention between UEs selecting different number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetitions.

[0075] For example, M=16, the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition is {2, 4, 8}, and Q=3.

number

[0076] As another example, M=16, the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition is {2, 4}, and Q=2.

number

[0077] In some embodiments, the second parameter includes a bit sequence corresponding to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, the bit sequence having a sequence length equal to the largest candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, each bit in the bit sequence corresponding to one PRACH transmission occasion, and the value of each bit in the bit sequence indicating whether the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition.

[0078] For example, the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition is {2, 4}. In this case, the second parameter includes two bit sequences corresponding to candidate repetition numbers 2 and 4, respectively, for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0079] When the second parameter is configured in the form of a bit sequence, the bit sequences corresponding to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition have the same sequence length. For each bit in the bit sequence, whether to use the PRACH transmission occasion corresponding to the bit number is configured by changing the bit value. The above method can facilitate the network side to configure PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to different candidate PRACH repetition numbers, which simplifies the configuration method and improves configuration efficiency. In some embodiments, if the bit value of a specific bit in the bit sequence is 1, it means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition, and if the value is 0, it means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is not used for transmission with repetition. For example, if the bit sequence "1001" indicates that the repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition is 2, the UE uses the PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the first and fourth bits of the bit sequence to transmit the preamble with repetition.

[0080] In some embodiments, the step of configuring the second PRACH transmission resource further includes configuring a fourth parameter. The fourth parameter is used to indicate an association relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions. Here, the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition among the PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index. For example, the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition is configured to be {2}, and the first group of PRACH transmission occasions associated with candidate repetition number 2 for PRACH transmission with repetition includes PRACH transmission occasions #1, #2, #3, and #4, and the network side configures two SSB indices, which are SSB #0 and SSB #1, respectively. The first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions #1 and #2 associated with SSB #0 (SSB index) and a second group of PRACH transmission occasions #3 and #4 associated with SSB #1.

[0081] In some embodiments, at least two SSB indices are associated with different PRACH transmission occasions.

[0082] When performing PRACH detection, the network side determines the SSB index selected by the UE through the associated relationship between the SSB index and multiple PRACH transmission occasions, and further determines the beam with the optimal transmission quality selected by the UE, and transmits the information required by the subsequent random access procedure in the beam direction to facilitate the UE's reception of the information.

[0083] In some embodiments, the maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition does not exceed the number of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the respective SSB index.

[0084] In some embodiments, the fourth parameter includes a preset value N. If N≧1, it means that one PRACH transmission occasion is associated with N SSB indices, and if N≦1, it means that one SSB is associated with a PRACH transmission occasion of 1 / N seconds. For example, the value of N includes one or more of {1 / 16, 1 / 8, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32}.

[0085] In some embodiments, the third parameter is related to the fourth parameter. The total number of preambles that can be used in each cell is 64 and is limited by the total number of preambles, so that m≦64 is satisfied when N≦1, and M×N≦64 is satisfied when N>1. In some embodiments, the network side configures one or more of the first, second, third, and fourth parameters described above.

[0086] An implementation of configuring the fourth parameter by the network side will be introduced below along with various embodiments.

[0087] In some embodiments, during an association period between SSB indices and PRACH transmission occasions, if the total number of PRACH transmission occasions is x, the total number of SSB indices is 1, and the number of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the same SSB index is y, then:

number

[0088] An embodiment of the associated relationship between SSB indexes and multiple PRACH transmission occasions configured by the network side is described below in conjunction with FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

[0089] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the associated relationship between SSB index and PRACH transmission occasion according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0090] As shown in Figure 2, during the association period between SSBs and PRACH transmission occasions, the total number l of SSB indices (SSB#0 to SSB#15, respectively) is l = 16, the total number x of PRACH transmission occasions (PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #15, respectively) is x = 16, N = 4, and y = 4.

[0091] The N SSB indices are divided into groups in ascending order of SSB index serial number, and the 16 SSBs can be divided into four groups. Each group of SSB indices is associated with four PRACH transmission occasions. For example, SSB#0 to SSB#3 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #3, SSB#4 to SSB#7 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #4 to #7, SSB#8 to SSB#11 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #8 to #11, and SSB#12 to SSB#15 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #12 to #15.

[0092] In some embodiments, the network side configures both the second parameter and the fourth parameter.

[0093] For example, the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition configured by the network side is {2,4}. The network side configures the second parameter "1001" for the candidate repetition number 2 for PRACH transmission with repetition, and configures the second parameter "1111" for the candidate repetition number 4 for PRACH transmission with repetition. Moreover, the associated relationship between the SSB index and the multiple PRACH transmission occasions is configured as shown in Figure 2.

[0094] If the UE selects SSB#0 and determines that the number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetition is 2 according to the second parameter "1001" and the associated relationship shown in Figure 2, then among PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #3, the UE selects PRACH transmission occasion #0 corresponding to the first bit in the bit sequence and PRACH transmission occasion #3 corresponding to the fourth bit to transmit the preamble with repetition. During the subsequent PRACH detection process, the network side detects the preamble in PRACH transmission occasions #0 and #3 according to the second parameter.

[0095] If the UE selects SSB#0 and determines that the number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetition is 4, the UE transmits the preamble with repetition in PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #3, and the network side performs PRACH detection in PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #3.

[0096] As another example, the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition configured by the network side is {2,4}. The network side configures a second parameter "1010" for candidate repetition number 2 for PRACH transmission with repetition, and configures a second parameter "1111" for candidate repetition number 4 for PRACH transmission with repetition. Moreover, the associated relationship between SSB index and multiple PRACH transmission occasions is configured as shown in Figure 2.

[0097] If the UE selects SSB#8 and determines that the number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetition is 2 according to the second parameter "1010" and the associated relationship shown in Figure 2, then in PRACH transmission occasions #8 to #11, the UE selects PRACH transmission occasion #8 corresponding to the first bit in the bit sequence and PRACH transmission occasion #10 corresponding to the third bit to transmit the preamble with repetition. During the subsequent PRACH detection process, the network side detects the preamble in PRACH transmission occasions #8 and #10 according to the second parameter.

[0098] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the associated relationship between SSB index and PRACH transmission occasion according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0099] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an associated relationship between SSB indexes and PRACH transmission occasions according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] As shown in Figure 3 or 4, during the association period between SSBs and PRACH transmission occasions, the total number l of SSB indices (SSB#0 to SSB#15, respectively) is 16, the total number x of PRACH transmission occasions (PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #18, respectively) is 18, N is 4, and y is 4.

[0101] The N SSB indices are divided into groups according to the ascending order of the SSB index serial numbers, and the 16 SSBs can be divided into four groups. Each group of SSB indices is associated with four PRACH transmission occasions, leaving two remaining PRACH transmission occasions.

[0102] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, SSB#0 to SSB#3 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #3, SSB#4 to SSB#7 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #4 to #7, SSB#8 to SSB#11 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #8 to #11, SSB#12 to SSB#15 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #12 to #15, and PRACH transmission occasions #16 and #17 are remaining.

[0103] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, SSB#0 to SSB#3 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #3, SSB#4 to SSB#7 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #4 to #7, SSB#8 to SSB#11 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #9 to #12, SSB#12 to SSB#15 are associated with PRACH transmission occasions #13 to #16, and PRACH transmission occasions #8 and #17 are remaining.

[0104] In some embodiments, the remaining PRACH transmission occasions are not used for PRACH transmissions with repetition.

[0105] In some embodiments, at least some of the candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition indicated by the second parameter include each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, excluding the maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition. In other words, the second parameter may indicate only some of the candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, excluding the maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition. For the maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, the network side does not configure the second parameter. For example, if each SSB is associated with four PRACH transmission occasions and the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition is {2, 4}, the network side does not configure the second parameter for the candidate repetition number 4 for PRACH transmission with repetition. If the UE selects to transmit a preamble with repetition four times, the preamble will be repeatedly transmitted in each PRACH transmission occasion associated with the SSB index selected by the UE by default. The network side does not configure the second parameter for the maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, which can save configuration resources and time and improve configuration efficiency.

[0106] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of PRACH detection performed by the network side according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0107] In some embodiments, the network side also performs the following steps 502-508 shown in FIG.

[0108] In step 502, detection is performed for at least some PRACH transmission occasions in a second PRACH transmission resource to obtain a first preamble transmitted with repetitions by the UE.

[0109] In step 504, an RA-RNTI is determined according to one PRACH transmission occasion of the at least some PRACH transmission occasions.

[0110] In step 506, the first DCI is scrambled by using the RA-RNTI to obtain a second DCI.

[0111] In step 508, the second DCI and the RAR scheduled by the second DCI are transmitted, the RAR carrying the RAPID of the first preamble.

[0112] In this manner, the network side can ensure that the UE performing the PRACH transmission without repetition is not able to descramble the DCI corresponding to the UE transmitting the first preamble, thereby reducing the possibility of resource contention between the UE performing the PRACH transmission without repetition and the UE performing the PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0113] In some embodiments, the network side and the UE agree to select a group of PRACH transmission occasions from multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with SSB indices selected by the UE in forward or reverse order. For example, multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with SSB indices are shown in FIG. 2. The network side and the UE agree to select several PRACH transmission occasions in reverse order for PRACH transmission with repetitions. The UE selects SSB #0 and determines that the number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetitions is 2. Then, according to the agreement, the UE transmits a preamble with repetitions on PRACH transmission occasions #3 and #2. If detected, the network side also performs detection in reverse order. For example, PRACH occasion #3 is detected first, then PRACH transmission occasions #2 and #3 are detected together, then PRACH transmission occasions #3, #2, and #1 are detected together, and finally PRACH transmission occasions #3, #2, #1, and #0 are detected.

[0114] In another embodiment, when the network side configures the second parameter (for indicating a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition), at least some PRACH transmission occasions for which the network side performs detection include the first group of PRACH transmission occasions. The network side determines the RA-RNTI according to one PRACH transmission occasion of the first group of PRACH transmission occasions. If the repetition numbers for PRACH transmission selected by the UE are different, the determined RA-RNTIs are also different. The above embodiment prevents UEs selecting different repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition from determining the same RA-RNTI, thereby avoiding resource contention between UEs selecting different repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition and reducing the probability of resource contention between different UEs.

[0115] In yet another embodiment, when the network side configures the second parameter and the fourth parameter (for indicating an associative relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions), the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a corresponding second group of PRACH transmission occasions among the PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index, and at least some PRACH transmission occasions for which the network side performs detection include the second group of PRACH transmission occasions, and the network side determines the RA-RNTI according to one PRACH transmission occasion of the second group of PRACH transmission occasions.

[0116] In the above method, even if the UE selects the same SSB index, the RA-RNTI determined by the UE is different as long as the number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetition selected by the UE is different. Alternatively, even if the UE determines the same number of repetitions for PRACH transmission, if the SSB index selected by the UE is different, the RA-RNTI finally determined is different. The above embodiment can prevent UEs selecting the same SSB index or the same number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetition from determining the same RA-RNTI, thereby further reducing the probability of resource contention between different UEs.

[0117] In some embodiments, to facilitate the network side and the UE determining the same RA-RNTI value, the PRACH transmission occasion in which the UE transmits a preamble last is determined as the basis for calculating the RA-RNTI. The inventors have noticed that, among multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with the same SSB index, a first group of PRACH transmission occasions associated with each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition may multiplex the same PRACH transmission occasion. If the basis for calculating the RA-RNTI is determined as the multiplexed PRACH transmission occasion, UEs selecting different repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition may end up determining the same RA-RNTI, which may increase the probability of resource contention between UEs selecting different repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0118] To solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides the following solutions.

[0119] In some embodiments, there is a different i-th PRACH transmission occasion in a second group of PRACH transmission occasions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition. In this case, one PRACH transmission occasion as a reference for determining the RA-RNTI in step 504 is the i-th PRACH transmission occasion. That is, the network side and the UE agree to regard the i-th PRACH transmission occasion as a reference for determining the RA-RNTI. For UEs selecting different second groups of PRACH transmission occasions, even if the same preamble is transmitted, the i-th PRACH transmission occasion for determining the RA-RNTI is different, and therefore the RA-RNTI value is also different. The above embodiment can reduce the probability that UEs selecting multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with the same SSB index determine the same RA-RNTI, thereby reducing the probability of resource contention between different UEs.

[0120] For example, the associated relationship between SSB index and multiple occasions of PRACH transmission with repetition is shown in Figure 2, where the network side configures a set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition to be {2, 3, 4}. The network side configures a second parameter "1001" for candidate repetition number 2 for PRACH transmission with repetition, a second parameter "1011" for candidate repetition number 3 for PRACH transmission with repetition, and a second parameter "1111" for candidate repetition number 4 for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0121] Among the PRACH transmission occasions #0 to #3 associated with SSB #0 selected by the UE, repetition number 2 for PRACH transmission with repetition corresponds to the first second group #0, #3 of PRACH transmission occasions, repetition number 3 for PRACH transmission with repetition corresponds to the second second group #0, #2, #3 of PRACH transmission occasions, and repetition number 4 for PRACH transmission with repetition corresponds to the third second group #0, #1, #2, #3 of PRACH transmission occasions.

[0122] For each of the above second groups of PRACH transmission occasions with repetition, the second PRACH transmission occasion is different. The second PRACH transmission occasion of the first second group of PRACH transmission occasions is #3, the second PRACH transmission occasion of the second group of PRACH transmission occasions is #2, and the second PRACH transmission occasion of the third second group of PRACH transmission occasions is #1. The UE and the network side agree to consider the second PRACH transmission occasion as a basis for determining the RA-RNTI.

[0123] In some embodiments, the network side and the UE agree on the order of the PRACH transmission occasions in the second group of PRACH transmission occasions to ensure that the i-th PRACH transmission occasion determined by the network side is the same as the i-th transmission occasion determined by the UE side. For example, the network side and the UE agree to arrange the second group of PRACH transmission occasions having the same frequency domain according to ascending time domain order, or to arrange the second group of PRACH transmission occasions having the same time domain according to ascending frequency domain order. As another example, the network side and the UE agree to order all PRACH transmission occasions in the second group of PRACH transmission occasions by first arranging the PRACH transmission occasion with the smallest frequency domain according to ascending time domain order, then arranging the PRACH transmission occasion with the second smallest frequency domain according to ascending time domain order, and so on.

[0124] In some embodiments, multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index do not overlap with each other in the time domain. If PRACH transmissions are performed in separate frequency domains in the same time domain, frequency division may reduce the transmission power in each frequency domain, which does not help the network side to detect the preamble. However, transmitting the preamble with repetition in the time domain does not reduce the transmission power and increases the probability of preamble detection. Therefore, the network side configures multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with the same SSB index to not overlap with each other in the time domain, which helps to improve the probability of successful PRACH transmission and thereby improve PRACH coverage performance.

[0125] In some embodiments, the network side configures multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with the same SSB index to be non-overlapping and contiguously arranged in the time domain, which facilitates PRACH detection by the network side. For example, as shown in Figure 2, PRACH transmission occasions #4, #5, #6, and #7 associated with SSB #5 are non-overlapping and contiguously arranged in the time domain.

[0126] In some embodiments, the network side also sends configuration information, which is used to indicate a first PRACH transmission resource only for PRACH transmission without repetition and a second PRACH transmission resource only for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0127] The network side informs the UE of the configuration conditions of the first PRACH transmission resource and the second PRACH transmission resource by sending configuration information, so that the UE can select any PRACH transmission resource according to the configuration information to realize PRACH transmission.

[0128] In some embodiments, any configuration of the second PRACH transmission resource by the network side as described above may be conveyed in the configuration information.

[0129] In some embodiments, the network side configures a first PRACH transmission resource for non-repetitive PRACH transmission. The PRACH configuration information associated with the first PRACH transmission resource is indicated by prach-ConfigurationIndex in System Information Block (SIB) 1, where the value of this parameter is an index value between 0 and 255 corresponding to a row index in a random access configuration table. Specifically, the following information is indicated: a preamble format, a system frame number, a subframe number, an initial Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol position, the number of time slots for transmitting the PRACH in the subframe, the number of PRACH time-domain transmission occasions in the PRACH time slot, and the number of consecutive symbols of the PRACH.

[0130] For example, one system frame has a length of 10 ms, each system frame includes 10 subframes, each subframe has a length of 1 ms, each subframe includes one or more time slots, and each time slot consists of multiple consecutive OFDM symbols.

[0131] Via the above information, the format of the preamble for transmission without repetition, the time domain location of the PRACH transmission occasion for transmission without repetition, and the number of PRACH transmission occasions in the time domain can be determined.

[0132] In some embodiments, the number of PRACH transmission occasions of the first PRACH transmission resource in the frequency domain may be indicated by a parameter msg1-FDM, which may be configured to be {1, 2, 4, 8}. For example, if this parameter is configured to be 1, it means that there is one PRACH transmission occasion in the frequency domain.

[0133] The total number of PRACH transmission occasions of the first PRACH transmission resource is Transmission Resources The PRACH transmission occasions may be determined according to the number of PRACH transmission occasions and the number of transmission occasions in the frequency domain.

[0134] In some embodiments, the network side indicates the number of PRACH transmission occasions associated with an SSB index and the number of preambles corresponding to each SSB index by configuring the parameters ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB, which are used to indicate the number of preambles used by the contention-based random access procedure.

[0135] In the parameters ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB, the parameter ssb-perRACH-Occasion indicates the number of PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index and has a value including {oneEighth, oneFourth, oneHalf, one, two, four, eight, sixteen}. For example, if the value of the parameter ssb-perRACH-Occasion is oneHalf (1 / 2), it means that one SSB index is associated with two PRACH transmission occasions, and if the value of the parameter ssb-perRACH-Occasion is two (2), it means that two SSB indexes are associated with one PRACH transmission occasion.

[0136] In the parameter ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB, the parameter CB-PreamblesPerSSB indicates the number of preambles corresponding to each SSB index. In some embodiments, if the value of the parameter ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB is oneHalf{n4}, this means that one SSB index is associated with two PRACH transmission occasions and each SSB index corresponds to four contention preambles.

[0137] According to the above description, each SSB index can be associated with at least one PRACH transmission occasion, and the base station can indirectly obtain information about the SSB index selected by the UE through detecting the PRACH transmission occasion used by the UE.

[0138] In some embodiments, when the network side configures N SSB indices, the N SSB indices may be associated one by one with corresponding PRACH transmission occasions according to a specific rule, and after each of the N SSBs is associated with one PRACH transmission occasion, it is considered one round of association. If there are still remaining PRACH transmission occasions, the N SSB indices will continue to be associated with the remaining PRACH transmission occasions until there are insufficient remaining PRACH transmission occasions to support a full round of SSB index association mapping. In some embodiments, the last remaining PRACH transmission occasion is not for PRACH transmission.

[0139] In some embodiments, the RA-RNTI is calculated based on the following parameters: the first OFDM symbol index of the second PRACH transmission occasion, the first time slot index of the second PRACH transmission occasion in one system frame, the index of the second PRACH transmission occasion in the frequency domain, and the uplink carrier ID for random access (for a normal uplink carrier, this value is 0; for a supplementary uplink carrier, this value is 1). The first three of the above parameters are determined by the time-frequency location of the second PRACH transmission occasion.

[0140] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0141] In step 602, configuration information is received by the UE, the configuration information indicating a first PRACH transmission resource for only PRACH transmissions without repetition and a second PRACH transmission resource for only PRACH transmissions with repetition.

[0142] In step 604, a preamble is transmitted by the UE according to the configuration information.

[0143] For example, if the UE performs PRACH transmission without repetition, the preamble is transmitted in the first PRACH transmission occasion in the first PRACH transmission resource for PRACH transmission without repetition only.

[0144] As another example, if the UE performs PRACH transmission with repetition, the preamble is transmitted in a second PRACH transmission occasion in a second PRACH transmission resource that is only for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0145] The UE may realize PRACH transmission without repetition or PRACH transmission with repetition according to the configuration information. Moreover, the UE uses different PRACH transmission resources when performing PRACH transmission without repetition and PRACH transmission with repetition, which may reduce the probability of resource contention between PRACH transmission without repetition and PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0146] The implementation of step 604 will be described below in conjunction with various embodiments.

[0147] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes a set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions supported by the network side. In this case, transmitting a preamble according to the configuration information in step 604 includes determining a repetition number m for PRACH transmission with repetitions in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions, and transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions by using a second PRACH transmission resource. The UE can select a repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetitions from the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions as needed, which helps to reduce resource waste.

[0148] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes at least one of a first parameter and a second parameter, where the first parameter is used to indicate an associated relationship between each candidate repetition number and a preamble for a PRACH transmission with repetition, and the second parameter is used to indicate a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for a PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0149] In the case where the configuration information includes the first parameter, the UE transmits a preamble associated with a repetition number for the PRACH transmission with repetition selected by the UE according to the indication of the first parameter, which helps to reduce the probability of resource contention between UEs performing PRACH transmission with repetition and UEs performing PRACH transmission without repetition.

[0150] If the configuration information includes a second parameter, a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to a repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetitions is determined according to the second parameter, and the first preamble is transmitted with m repetitions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetitions.

[0151] When the network side configures the second parameter, the UE performs PRACH transmission with repetition in a first group of PRACH transmission occasions associated with a repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetition, which helps to reduce the probability of resource contention between UEs performing PRACH transmission with repetition and UEs performing PRACH transmission without repetition.

[0152] In some embodiments, different candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions are associated with different preambles, and the UEs select different candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions to transmit the preambles, thereby avoiding resource contention between UEs selecting different repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions.

[0153] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes a third parameter, which is used to indicate an associative relationship between each SSB index and a preamble, and the first preamble belongs to the preamble associated with the SSB index selected by the UE.

[0154] In some embodiments, the first parameter is configured according to the third parameter, and reference can be made to the above description for specific configuration methods. In this case, the first preamble belongs to the preamble associated with the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetitions among the M preambles associated with the SSB index selected by the UE.

[0155] For example, M=16, the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition is {2, 4, 8}, and Q=3.

number

[0156] Through the above method, the preamble transmitted by the UE belongs to a preamble associated with the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetition selected by the UE. When the network side receives the first preamble, it can not only determine the repetition number m for the PRACH transmission with repetition, but also determine the SSB index selected by the UE. This makes it easy for the network side to distinguish between UEs that select different SSB indices or different repetition numbers for the PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0157] In some embodiments, the configuration information further includes a fourth parameter. In this case, the UE transmits the first preamble with m repetitions in a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the number of repetitions m for PRACH transmission with repetitions among the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with the selected SSB index. The UE transmits the preamble with the repetitions specified by the network side in the occasion of the PRACH transmission with repetitions specified by the network side. In the above situation, the network side can determine the number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetitions selected by the UE according to information on either the received preamble or the second group of PRACH transmission occasions from which the preamble is received, and verify whether the determined number of repetitions for PRACH transmission with repetitions is correct according to the other information.

[0158] In some embodiments, after transmitting the preamble, the UE further performs the steps of receiving a second DCI, determining an RA-RNTI according to one PRACH transmission occasion from a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to a repetition number m for a PRACH transmission with repetition, descrambling the second DCI by using the RA-RNTI to obtain the first DCI, and receiving an RAR according to the first DCI.

[0159] After transmitting the preamble, the UE monitors the PDCCH during the RAR time window. The PDCCH is used to carry the second DCI transmitted by the network side. The UE monitors the PDCCH to receive the second DCI. The second DCI is obtained by the network side scrambling the first DCI using the RA-RNTI. To enable the UE to successfully receive the RAR transmitted by the network side for the UE, the RA-RNTI value determined by the UE must be the same as that determined by the network side. Therefore, when the UE selects a group of PRACH transmission occasions, the UE selects one PRACH transmission occasion from the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the number of repetitions m for PRACH transmission with repetitions according to a prior agreement with the network side, and determines the RA-RNTI.

[0160] In some embodiments, the configuration information further comprises a fourth parameter, in which one PRACH transmission occasion for determining the RA-RNTI belongs to a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to a repetition number m for a PRACH transmission with repetitions, among the first group of PRACH transmission occasions associated with the SSB index selected by the UE.

[0161] In some embodiments, when the network side configures the fourth parameter, there is an i such that the i-th PRACH transmission occasion in each second group of PRACH transmission occasions is different, and the one PRACH transmission occasion is the i-th PRACH transmission occasion. That is, the one PRACH transmission occasion for determining the RA-RNTI value is the i-th PRACH transmission occasion. The above embodiment can reduce the probability that UEs selecting multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with the same SSB index determine the same RA-RNTI, thereby reducing the probability of resource contention between different UEs.

[0162] In some embodiments, the RAR carries a RAPID in the first preamble before a subsequent random access procedure is performed. In some embodiments, the RAR includes information required by the UE to perform the subsequent random access procedure.

[0163] Other embodiments of the above method for PRACH transmission with repetition applied to the UE will not be described in detail here, and reference should be made to the above embodiment of the method for PRACH transmission with repetition applied to the network side.

[0164] 7 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, which is applied to a network side.

[0165] As shown in FIG. 7, the apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition includes a configuration module 701 .

[0166] The configuration module 701 is configured to configure a first PRACH transmission resource and a second PRACH transmission resource, where the first PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions without repetition, and the second PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions with repetition.

[0167] It should be understood that the above apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition may further include other modules for performing the method for PRACH transmission with repetition applied on the network side in any of the above embodiments.

[0168] 8 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus being applied to a UE.

[0169] As shown in FIG. 8, the apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition includes a receiving module 801 and a transmitting module 803 .

[0170] The receiving module 801 is configured to receive configuration information indicating a first PRACH transmission resource only for PRACH transmission without repetition and a second PRACH transmission resource only for PRACH transmission with repetition.

[0171] The transmitting module 803 is configured to transmit the preamble according to the configuration information.

[0172] It should be understood that the above apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition may further include other modules for performing the method for PRACH transmission with repetition applied to the UE in any of the above embodiments.

[0173] For other embodiments of the above apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition, please refer to the above embodiments of the method for PRACH transmission with repetition, and they will not be described in detail here.

[0174] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the present disclosure. With repetition FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram showing a device for PRACH transmission;

[0175] As shown in Figure 9, With repetition The apparatus 900 for PRACH transmission includes a memory 901 and a processor 902 coupled to the memory 901. The processor 902 is configured to perform, based on instructions stored in the memory 901, any of the aforementioned methods applied on the network side or the UE.

[0176] The memory 901 may include, for example, a system memory, a fixed non-volatile storage medium, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, and other programs.

[0177] The device 900 for PRACH transmission with repetition may further include an input / output (I / O) interface 903, a network interface 904, a storage interface 905, etc. These interfaces 903, 904, 905, as well as the memory 901 and the processor 902 may be connected to each other via, for example, a bus 906. I / O Interface 9 The 03 provides a connection interface for input / output devices such as a display, mouse, keyboard, or touch screen.

[0178] In some embodiments, the present disclosure also provides a base station, which includes the apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition in any of the above embodiments, for example, the apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 9.

[0179] In some embodiments, the present disclosure also provides a UE, which includes the apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition in any of the above embodiments, for example, the apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9.

[0180] 10 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a system for PRACH transmission with repetition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The system for PRACH transmission with repetition includes a base station 1001 and a UE 1002.

[0181] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium containing computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method according to any of the above embodiments.

[0182] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product including a computer program, which when executed by a processor performs a method according to any of the above embodiments.

[0183] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a step-by-step manner, and in each embodiment, the differences from other embodiments are mainly shown, and the same or similar parts among the various embodiments can be referred to each other. For the device embodiments, the descriptions are relatively brief because they substantially correspond to the method embodiments. For the relevant parts, reference can be made to the description of the method embodiments.

[0184] Up to now, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details that are commonly known in the art are not described. From the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein.

[0185] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or a combination of software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk memory, CD-ROM, optical memory, etc.) having computer-usable program code thereon.

[0186] The present disclosure has been described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processing machine, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, such that the instructions, when executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, produce a device for performing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0187] These computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, whereby the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture that includes an instruction device that performs the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowcharts or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0188] These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device and perform a series of operation steps on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0189] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail as examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications to the above embodiments and equivalent substitutions of some of the technical features can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission with repetition applied on a network side, comprising:

1. A method comprising: configuring a first PRACH transmission resource and a second PRACH transmission resource, wherein the first PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions without repetition and the second PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions with repetition.

2. Configuring the second PRACH transmission resource comprises: The method of claim 1 , comprising configuring a set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmissions with repetitions supported by the network side.

3. Configuring the second PRACH transmission resource comprises:

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising configuring at least one of a first parameter or a second parameter, wherein the first parameter is used to indicate an associated relationship between each candidate repetition number and a preamble for a PRACH transmission with repetition, and the second parameter is used to indicate a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for a PRACH transmission with repetition.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions include each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetitions excluding a maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetitions.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein different candidate repetition numbers for a PRACH transmission with repetition are associated with different preambles.

6. Configuring the second PRACH transmission resource comprises:

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising configuring a third parameter, the third parameter being used to indicate an associated relationship between each SSB index and a preamble.

7. the first parameter is configured according to the third parameter, each SSB index is associated with M preambles, and the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition has Q candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, wherein: [Equation 1] , M mod Q=K, K candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition are associated with P+1 preambles, and candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition other than the K candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition are associated with P preambles, where M and Q are both greater than or equal to 1.

8. 8. The method of claim 3, wherein the second parameter includes a bit sequence corresponding to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, a sequence length of the bit sequence equal to a maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, each bit in the bit sequence corresponds to one PRACH transmission occasion, and a value of each bit in the bit sequence indicates whether a corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the value of 1 means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition, and the value of 0 means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is not used for transmission with repetition.

10. Configuring the second PRACH transmission resource comprises:

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising: configuring a fourth parameter, the fourth parameter being used to indicate an associative relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions; and wherein the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of the at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index.

11. performing detection for at least some PRACH transmission occasions in the second PRACH transmission resource to obtain a first preamble transmitted with repetitions by a user equipment (UE); determining a random access radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI) according to a PRACH transmission occasion of the at least some PRACH transmission occasions; scrambling a first downlink control information (DCI) by using the RA-RNTI to obtain a second DCI; 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting the second DCI and a random access response (RAR) scheduled by the second DCI, wherein the RAR carries a random access preamble identifier (RAPID) of the first preamble.

12. Configuring the second PRACH transmission resource comprises: configuring a second parameter, the second parameter used to indicate a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for a PRACH transmission with repetition; The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least some PRACH transmission occasions include the first group of PRACH transmission occasions.

13. Configuring the second PRACH transmission resource comprises: configuring a fourth parameter, the fourth parameter being used to indicate an associative relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions, the first group of PRACH transmission occasions including a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of the at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index; 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least some PRACH transmission occasions include the second group of PRACH transmission occasions.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein there is i such that the i-th PRACH transmission occasion is a different second group of PRACH transmission occasions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions, and the one PRACH transmission occasion is the i-th PRACH transmission occasion.

15. 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with respective SSB indices do not overlap with each other in the time domain.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with respective SSB indices are arranged contiguously in the time domain.

17. 10. The method of claim 2, wherein a maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition does not exceed the number of the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with respective SSB indices.

18. 1. A method for PRACH transmission with repetition applied on a network side, comprising:

11. A method comprising: transmitting configuration information, the configuration information indicating first PRACH transmission resources for only PRACH transmissions without repetition and second PRACH transmission resources for only PRACH transmissions with repetition.

19. 1. A method for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied to a UE, comprising: receiving configuration information indicating first PRACH transmission resources only for PRACH transmissions without repetition and second PRACH transmission resources only for PRACH transmissions with repetition; transmitting a preamble according to the configuration information; A method comprising:

20. The configuration information further includes a set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition supported by the network side; transmitting the preamble in accordance with the configuration information determining a repetition number m for a PRACH transmission with repetitions in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions; 20. The method of claim 19, comprising: transmitting a first preamble with m repetitions by using the second PRACH transmission resource.

21. The configuration information further includes at least one of a first parameter or a second parameter, wherein the first parameter is used to indicate an associated relationship between each candidate repetition number and a preamble for a PRACH transmission with repetition, and the second parameter is used to indicate a first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of at least some candidate repetition numbers for a PRACH transmission with repetition; and Transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions by using the second PRACH transmission resource comprises: If the configuration information includes the second parameter, determining the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the number of repetitions m for PRACH transmission with repetitions according to the second parameter; transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the number of repetitions m for PRACH transmission with repetitions; 21. The method of claim 20, wherein, when the configuration information includes the first parameter, the first preamble belongs to a preamble associated with the number of repetitions m for a PRACH transmission with repetitions.

22. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetitions include each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetitions excluding a maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetitions.

23. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the configuration information further includes a third parameter, the third parameter being used to indicate an associative relationship between each SSB index and a preamble, and the first preamble belongs to a preamble associated with an SSB index selected by the UE.

24. the first parameter is configured according to the third parameter, each SSB index is associated with M preambles, and the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition has Q candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, wherein: [Equation 2] , M mod Q=K, where K candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition are associated with P+1 preambles, and candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition other than the K candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition are associated with P preambles, where M and Q are both greater than or equal to 1; 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first preamble belongs to a preamble associated with the number m of repetitions for a PRACH transmission with repetitions, among M preambles associated with the SSB index selected by the UE.

25. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the second parameter includes a bit sequence corresponding to each candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition, a sequence length of the bit sequence equal to a maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition, each bit in the bit sequence corresponds to one PRACH transmission occasion, and a value of each bit in the bit sequence indicates whether a corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the value of 1 means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is used for transmission with repetition, and the value of 0 means that the corresponding PRACH transmission occasion is not used for transmission with repetition.

27. the configuration information further includes a fourth parameter, the fourth parameter being used to indicate an associated relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions, and the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of the at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index; Transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the number of repetitions m for PRACH transmission with repetitions includes:

27. The method of claim 21, comprising transmitting the first preamble with m repetitions in the second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the number of repetitions m for PRACH transmission with repetitions among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with an SSB index selected by the UE.

28. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with respective SSB indices do not overlap one another in the time domain.

29. 30. The method of claim 28, wherein the multiple PRACH transmission occasions associated with respective SSB indices are arranged contiguously in the time domain.

30. 27. The method of claim 20, wherein a maximum candidate repetition number for PRACH transmission with repetition in the set of candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition does not exceed the number of the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with a respective SSB index.

31. receiving a second DCI; determining an RA-RNTI according to one PRACH transmission occasion of the first group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the number of repetitions m for a PRACH transmission with repetitions; descrambling the second DCI by using the RA-RNTI to obtain a first DCI; receiving a RAR according to the first DCI; 31. The method of any one of claims 21 to 30, further comprising:

32. the configuration information further includes a fourth parameter, the fourth parameter being used to indicate an associated relationship between each SSB index and a plurality of PRACH transmission occasions, and the first group of PRACH transmission occasions includes a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to each of the at least some candidate repetition numbers for PRACH transmission with repetition among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with each SSB index; 32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the one PRACH transmission occasion belongs to a second group of PRACH transmission occasions corresponding to the number of repetitions m for PRACH transmission with repetitions among the plurality of PRACH transmission occasions associated with an SSB index selected by the UE.

33. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein there is an i such that the i-th PRACH transmission occasion is a different second group of PRACH transmission occasions in the first group of PRACH transmission occasions, and the one PRACH transmission occasion is the i-th PRACH transmission occasion.

34. 34. The method of any one of claims 31 to 33, further comprising performing a subsequent random access procedure in case the RAR carries the RAPID of the first preamble.

35. An apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied to a network side, comprising:

1. An apparatus comprising: a configuration module configured to configure a first PRACH transmission resource and a second PRACH transmission resource, wherein the first PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions without repetition and the second PRACH transmission resource is used only for PRACH transmissions with repetition.

36. An apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied to a network side, comprising: Memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform the method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any one of claims 1 to 18 based on instructions stored in the memory; An apparatus comprising:

37. 1. An apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied to a UE, comprising: a receiving module configured to receive configuration information indicating first PRACH transmission resources only for PRACH transmissions without repetition and second PRACH transmission resources only for PRACH transmissions with repetition; a transmission module configured to transmit a preamble according to the configuration information; An apparatus comprising:

38. 1. An apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition, applied to a UE, comprising: Memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform the method for PRACH transmission with repetition of any one of claims 19 to 34 based on instructions stored in the memory; and An apparatus comprising:

39. A base station comprising an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to claim 35 or claim 36.

40. A user equipment comprising an apparatus for PRACH transmission with repetition according to claim 37 or claim 38.

41. 1. A system for PRACH transmission with repetition, comprising: A system comprising a base station according to claim 39 and a user equipment according to claim 40.

42. 35. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any one of claims 1 to 18 or 19 to 34.

43. 35. A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the method for PRACH transmission with repetition according to any one of claims 1 to 18 or 19 to 34.

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