User device and method for using the user device

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium for communication. The communication method includes, in a terminal device, obtaining, from a network device, an offset value for adjusting a first delta preamble value for determining a transmit power of a random access channel, where the first delta preamble value is determined based on a format of the random access channel, adjusting the first delta preamble value based on the offset value to obtain a second delta preamble value, determining a transmit power of the random access channel based on the second delta preamble value, and transmitting a random access message on the random access channel to the network device using the transmit power.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication technologies, and particularly, to methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for communication.

Background Art

[0002] In 3GPP Release 18 (also referred to as "Rel-18"), in order to further improve the coverage of the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), the repetition of PRACH of the same beam or different beams has been introduced.

[0003] When transmitting on the PRACH, the transmission power of the PRACH is determined by a target value and a path loss value. The path loss value is determined by the terminal device based on the measurement of the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and the set transmission power. The target value is determined by the network configuration and the number of PRACH attempts. It has been proposed to further enhance the performance of PRACH repetition. However, further research is needed on methods for enhancing the performance of PRACH repetition.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatuses, and computer storage media for communication.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In a first embodiment, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a terminal device, obtaining an offset value for adjusting a first delta preamble value for determining the transmit power of a random access channel, wherein the first delta preamble value is determined based on the format of the random access channel; adjusting the first delta preamble value based on the offset value to obtain a second delta preamble value; determining the transmit power of the random access channel based on the second delta preamble value; and using the transmit power to transmit a random access message on the random access channel to a network device.

[0006] In a second embodiment, a communication method is provided. The method includes a terminal device receiving configuration information from a network device indicating a first setting used to determine the transmit power of a repeating random access channel and a second setting used to determine the transmit power of a non-repeating random access channel, and determining the transmit power of a random access channel based on the first setting and one of the second settings.

[0007] In a third embodiment, a communication method is provided. The method includes a terminal device transmitting a first transmission to a network device on a random access channel using a first transmit beam, and if the terminal device intends to monitor a random access response to the first transmission, or if no random access response has been received while monitoring a random access response, transmitting a second transmission to the network device on a random access channel using a second transmit beam different from the first transmit beam.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a network device, determining an offset value for a terminal device to adjust a first delta preamble value for determining the transmit power of a random access channel, wherein the first delta preamble value is determined based on the format of the random access channel, and transmitting information indicating the offset value to the terminal device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes a network device determining a first setting used by a terminal device to determine the transmit power of a repeating random access channel and a second setting used by a terminal device to determine the transmit power of a non-repeating random access channel, and transmitting setting information indicating the first setting and the second setting to the terminal device.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a network device, receiving a first transmission from a terminal device on a random access channel transmitted using a first transmit beam, and, if the terminal device is planning to monitor a random access response to the first transmission, or if no random access response has been transmitted to the terminal device while it is monitoring a random access response, receiving a second transmission from the terminal device on a random access channel transmitted using a second transmit beam different from the first transmit beam.

[0011] In the seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises a processor and memory. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the terminal device to perform any of the methods described in the first, second, and third aspects above.

[0012] In the eighth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device comprises a processor and memory. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the network device to perform any of the methods described in the fourth, fifth, and sixth aspects above.

[0013] In the ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium containing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, they cause at least one processor to execute a method according to any of the first, second, and third aspects, or a method according to any of the fourth, fifth, and sixth aspects.

[0014] It should be understood that the summary portion of this disclosure is not intended to identify any important or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure should be readily apparent through the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] The accompanying drawings will provide a more detailed description of some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, which should make the above and other objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure clearer.

[0016] [Figure 1] This disclosure shows exemplary communication systems that can implement some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 2] A signaling chart illustrating a communication process according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0018] [Figure 3] Another signaling chart illustrating the communication process according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0019] [Figure 4]Shows a schematic diagram according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 5] Shows a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented on a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 6] Shows a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented on a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 7] Shows a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented on a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 8] Shows a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 9] Shows a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 10] Shows a flowchart of an exemplary method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 11] Shows a schematic block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Throughout all the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] The principles of this disclosure will be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and should be understood as helpful to those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and should not be considered as limiting the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0030] References in this disclosure to “one embodiment,” “embodiment,” “exemplary embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiments described may include certain features, structures, or characteristics, but not all embodiments are required to include such features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, these expressions do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, if certain features, structures, or characteristics are described in relation to an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that they may affect such features, structures, or characteristics in relation to other embodiments, whether or not they are explicitly described.

[0031] In this specification, various elements may be described using terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the terms “and / or” include any one or more of the enumerated elements, and all combinations thereof.

[0032] The terms used herein are intended solely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. Where used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural form unless otherwise explicitly indicated in the context. Furthermore, the terms “equipped,” “possessing,” “having,” “having,” “including,” and / or “containing,” where used herein, specify the presence of the described features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0033] In some examples, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as “optimal,” “lowest,” “highest,” “minimum,” “maximum,” etc. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a choice is possible from among several functional alternatives, and it should be understood that such choices do not necessarily need to be superior, smaller, higher, or more desirable than the others.

[0034] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network conforming to any appropriate communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), and Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be performed by any appropriate generation of communication protocol. Communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, it is natural that there will be future communication technologies and systems that embody this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure should not be considered to be limited to the aforementioned systems only.

[0035] In this specification, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cell phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDA), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, IoT (Internet of Things) devices, ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) devices, IoE (Internet of Everything) devices, machine-type communication (MTC) equipment, vehicle-mounted equipment for V2X communication (where X represents pedestrians, vehicles, or infrastructure / networks), IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) devices, spacecraft or aircraft in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including HAP (High Altitude Platforms) encompassing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), and other different types of reality including XR (eXtended Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to, reality devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that do not require a human pilot, commonly known as drones, devices on high-speed trains (HSTs), imaging devices such as digital cameras, sensors, game consoles, music storage and playback devices, or internet devices that enable wireless / wired internet access and browsing.The “terminal device” may also have multicast / broadcast capabilities and support public safety, mission-critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software distribution, group communications, and IoT applications. It may also incorporate one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIMs. The term “terminal device” can be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber equipment, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0036] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage from which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, satellites, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) platforms, Node B (NodeB or NB), Evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), transmission reception points (TRP), remote radio units (RRU), radio heads (RH), remote radio heads (RRH), low-power nodes such as IAB nodes, femtonodes, and piconodes, and RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface).

[0037] In one embodiment, the terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first and second network devices may be a master node and the other a secondary node. The first and second network devices may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to different RATs may be transmitted to the terminal device from at least one of the first and second network devices. In one embodiment, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be transmitted directly from the second network device to the terminal device or via the first network device. In one embodiment, information related to the settings of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information relating to the reconfiguration of a terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted directly from the second network device to the terminal device, or transmitted via the first network device.

[0038] The communications discussed herein may conform to any appropriate standard, including, but are not limited to, New Radio Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), cdma2000, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communications may be performed in accordance with any generation of communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.85G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols. The technologies described herein may be used not only with the wireless networks and technologies described above, but also with other wireless networks and technologies. Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in accordance with any generation of communication protocols that are currently known or will be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or sixth-generation (6G) networks.

[0039] Terminal devices or network devices may have artificial intelligence (AL) or machine learning capabilities. Generally, this includes models that can be used to predict certain information by learning from a large amount of data collected for a specific function.

[0040] Terminal devices or network devices may operate in multiple frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands above 100 GHz, and terahertz (THz). Furthermore, they can operate in licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. In multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) application scenarios, terminal devices may have multiple connections to network devices. Terminal devices or network devices can operate in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, and cross-division-duplex modes.

[0041] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented, for example, in test equipment such as a signal generator, signal analyzer, spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, test terminal device, test network device, or channel emulator.

[0042] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or sixth-generation (6G) networks.

[0043] As used herein, the term “circuit” may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of an analog hardware circuit and / or a digital hardware circuit and software / firmware. As a further example, a circuit may be any part of a software-equipped hardware processor, such as a digital signal processor, software, and memory, which work together to enable a device such as a terminal or network device to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or processor such as a microprocessor or a part of a microprocessor that requires software / firmware for operation but may not have software when not needed for operation. As used herein, the term “circuit” also encompasses a mere hardware circuit or processor, or a part of a hardware circuit or processor, and the implementation of its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0044] Where used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context. The term “including” and its variations are interpreted as an open term meaning “including but not limited to.” The term “based on” is interpreted as “at least partially based on.” The terms “one embodiment” and “embodiment” are interpreted as “at least one embodiment.” The term “another embodiment” is interpreted as “at least one other embodiment.” Terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., may refer to different or the same subject. The following may include other explicit and implicit definitions.

[0045] In some examples, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as “optimal,” “lowest,” “highest,” “minimum,” “maximum,” etc. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a choice is possible from among several functional alternatives, and it should be understood that such choices do not necessarily need to be superior, smaller, higher, or more desirable than the others.

[0046] As mentioned above, the PRACH transmission power of the terminal device is determined by adding the path loss value to the target value. Since the path loss value depends on the communication path, it is relatively difficult to improve a specific path between the terminal device and the network device. Therefore, the target value may be revised to enhance the transmission performance of PRACH repetitions.

[0047] Furthermore, the target value is determined by the network configuration and the number of PRACH trials. The PRACH target value is set as follows: PREAMBLE_RECEIVED_TARGET_POWER =

[0048] preamble receivedTargetPower +

[0049] DELTA_PREAMBLE +

[0050] (PREAMBLE_POWER_RAMPING_COUNTER - 1) × PREAMBLE_POWER_RAMPING_STEP +

[0051] POWER_OFFSET_2STEP_RA. (Equation 1)

[0052] As shown above, the delta preamble parameter (i.e., "DELTA_PREAMBLE" in Equation 1) is one of several factors that can affect the target value. The original value of the delta preamble parameter is based on the PRACH preamble format.

[0053] However, in a network environment like the one shown in Figure 1, even if terminal device 120 transmits a PRACH at its maximum transmission power during a single PRACH opportunity, the network device 110 may not detect the PRACH. This is because, for example, there is an upper limit to the maximum transmission power of terminal device 120, and this upper limit may be below a threshold, and if it falls below the threshold, the network device 110 cannot detect it. On the other hand, terminal device 120 may experience temporary high interference from adjacent cells or adjacent devices, which may degrade PRACH transmission performance and prevent the network device 110 from detecting a PRACH at the set target power. Also, if terminal device 120 transmits a PRACH at its maximum transmission power during a single PRACH opportunity, it may cause interference to adjacent cells or adjacent devices. Therefore, there is a problem of how to enhance PRACH repetition to improve cell coverage.

[0054] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication solution. This solution provides methods, apparatus, and media for determining, individually setting, and transmitting PRACH repetitions of transmit power, and using different beams in case of no response. This improves PRACH repetition performance, saves transmit power, and improves communication efficiency. The principles and embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0055] Figure 1 shows an exemplary communication system 100 that can implement several embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication system 100 is part of a communication network and includes network equipment 110 and terminal equipment 120.

[0056] The network device 110 can establish a cell 102 that provides services to the terminal device 120, and the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may communicate with each other with data and control information. In some embodiments, the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may communicate via a direct link / channel.

[0057] In system 100, the link from network device 110 to terminal device 120 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 120 to network device 110 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the downlink, network device 110 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 120 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the uplink, terminal device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and network device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). It should be understood that network device 110 may provide one or more serving cells. In some embodiments, network device 110 can provide multiple cells.

[0058] The communication of the communication system 100 may conform to any appropriate standard, which includes, but is not limited to, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, the communication may be performed in accordance with any generation of communication protocol that is currently known or will be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or sixth generation (6G) communication protocols.

[0059] The number, connections, and types of devices shown in Figure 1 are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limitations. The communication system 100 may include any suitable number of devices appropriate for carrying out embodiments of this disclosure.

[0060] Figure 2 shows a signaling chart illustrating a communication process 200 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes only, the process 200 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The process 200 may involve a terminal device 120 and a network device 110.

[0061] The network device 110 may determine an offset value that can be denoted as "s" (205). The offset value "s" is used by the terminal device 120 to adjust the original delta preamble value (first delta preamble value) to determine the transmit power of the random access channel. The original delta preamble value is determined based on the format of the random access channel.

[0062] The network device 110 transmits configuration information 201 to the terminal device 120 (210). On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives the configuration information 201 (212).

[0063] In some exemplary embodiments, the configuration information 201 may be transmitted from the network device 110 to the terminal device 120 via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The configuration information 201 may include an offset value, which can be represented as "s".

[0064] The terminal device 120 may then adjust the original delta preamble value based on the offset value "s" (230) and obtain the adjusted delta preamble value (second delta preamble value). For example, the terminal device 120 may add the offset value "s" to the original delta preamble value to determine the PRACH transmit power and obtain the adjusted delta preamble.

[0065] Table 1: Delta preamble adjustment

[0066] TIFF0007859588000001.tif33145

[0067] Table 1 shows a schematic example of how to adjust the delta preamble value. As shown in Table 1, the adjusted delta preamble value is obtained by directly adding the offset value "s" to the original delta preamble value. Only three lines are shown for illustrative purposes, but please note that all preamble formats are applicable.

[0068] With the adjusted delta preamble value, the terminal device 120 may determine the PRACH transmit power based on the adjusted delta preamble value (250). By repeating PRACH multiple times while maintaining the same total energy, the transmit power at each PRACH opportunity can be reduced to less than the maximum transmit power.

[0069] Subsequently, the terminal device 120 may transmit the UL transmission 202 to the network device 110 with the determined transmission power (270). On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 may receive the UL transmission 202 from the terminal device 120 (272) and then perform further operations.

[0070] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may have a predefined or pre-configured table of PRACH repetitions, and the configuration information 201 may include the number of PRACH repetitions.

[0071] Table 2: Table of PRACH repetitions

[0072] TIFF0007859588000002.tif32157

[0073] The PRACH repetition table shown in Table 2 may be predefined or pre-configured in the terminal device 120. As shown in Table 2, the offset value "s" may be determined based on the number of PRACH repetitions and the setting 0 or 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "config.0 or 1"). In other words, the terminal device 120 may determine the offset value by looking up this PRACH repetition table based on the set number of PRACH repetitions and config.0 or 1. For example, config.0 may be set in the terminal device 120. Alternatively, config.1 may be set in the terminal device 120 in order to enable early detection of PRACH transmissions by the network device 110.

[0074] Now refer to Figure 3. Figure 3 shows a signaling chart illustrating a communication process 300 according to several embodiments of this disclosure. For discussion purposes only, the process 300 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The process 300 may involve terminal equipment 120 and network equipment 110. Detailed explanations of operations identical or similar to those of process 200 are omitted here as they can be found in Figure 2.

[0075] The network device 110 may determine a first setting and a second setting (305). The first setting is used by the terminal device 120 to determine the transmit power for repeating random access channels, and the second setting is used by the terminal device 120 to determine the transmit power for non-repeat random access channels. The network device 110 then transmits setting information 201 to the terminal device 120 (210), the setting information 201 indicating (including) the first setting and the second setting.

[0076] As described above, the offset value "s" is based on the number of PRACH repetitions. After the terminal device 120 receives configuration information 201, which includes the number of PRACH repetitions, from the network device 110 (212), the terminal device 120 may determine the offset value "s" based on a table of PRACH repetitions (e.g., Table 2) and the number of PRACH repetitions received and included in the configuration information 201 (310).

[0077] Note that if there is a predefined / pre-configured PRACH repetition table in terminal device 120, the offset value "s" can also be directly specified / configured by network device 110, for example, through RRC signaling. In this case, the offset value defined in the PRACH repetition table is overridden by the value specified / configured by network device 110. In other words, if the offset value "s" is directly specified / configured by network device 110, the directly specified / configured offset value "s" (rather than the offset value defined in the PRACH repetition table) will be used.

[0078] After the offset value "s" is determined, the terminal device 120 may proceed to adjust the delta preamble value (230). The following operations have already been explained in relation to Figure 2, so you can refer to the explanation related to Figure 2.

[0079] By introducing an offset value "s" to adjust the delta preamble value and transmit power, and by performing PRACH repetitions at multiple opportunities while maintaining the same total energy at the terminal device 120, the transmit power at each PRACH opportunity can be reduced, and as a result, the terminal device 120 can transmit UL transmissions below its maximum transmit power. At the same time, the offset value "s" based on the number of PRACH repetitions reduces the delta preamble value by the offset value "s", and therefore the transmit power can also be reduced by the offset value "s". In this way, interference from the terminal device 120 to neighboring cells can be reduced, which is beneficial for the entire system. On the other hand, the network device 110 may detect PRACH before the end of the PRACH repetition transmitted by the terminal device 120. This can achieve low latency. Therefore, the network device 110 may also set the offset value "s" to 0 regardless of the number of repetitions for early detection. Different settings of the offset value "s" can increase the flexibility of the network device 110 when detecting PRACH repetitions.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, Network device 1 When 10 sets the target power for terminal device 120, network device 110 may take into account the number of PRACH repetitions so that it can produce the same effect as the offset value "s" described above. Since PRACH repetitions require higher resources than no repetitions, it is desirable to reduce the number of PRACH retransmissions, i.e., to detect them as early as possible by network device 110, in order to reduce the resource load.

[0081] For example, the network device 110 may transmit configuration information to the terminal device 120. The configuration information may include a first setting used to determine the transmit power with PRACH repetition and a second setting used to determine the transmit power without PRACH repetition. When the terminal device 120 receives such configuration information, it may determine the PRACH transmit power based on the configuration information including the first setting and the second setting.

[0082] In one example, for a PRACH without repetitions, a PRACH repetition may be set to a different target power and / or a different power ramping step and / or a different maximum transmission. Specifically, the first setting may include at least one of a first target power, a first power ramping step, or a first maximum transmission, and the second setting may include at least one of a second target power, a second power ramping step, or a second maximum transmission. In such a case, at least one of the following conditions is met: the first target power is different from the second target power, the first power ramping step is different from the second power ramping step, or the first maximum transmission is different from the second maximum transmission.

[0083] In another example, the first configuration includes a separate first parameter for transmission in a random access channel with repetitions, the separate first parameter including at least one of a PRACH preamble, opportunity, or resource. Specifically, a separate / dedicated PRACH preamble and / or a separate / dedicated opportunity and / or a separate / dedicated resource may be configured on the terminal device 120 by the network device 110 for PRACH repetitions. In this way, the network device 110 can easily distinguish PRACH repetition attempts by the terminal device 120 and detect PRACH transmissions after non-coherent combinations of PRACH opportunities.

[0084] In another example, for a random access channel opportunity shared between a random access channel with repetition and a random access channel without repetition, the first target power is the same as the second target power, the first power ramping step is different from the second power ramping step, or the first maximum transmit is different from the second maximum transmit. Specifically, in a shared opportunity, the power difference between PRACH repetition and PRACH without repetition can cause relatively high interference, and a relatively high-power preamble will cause relatively high interference compared to a relatively low-power preamble. Therefore, the same target power should be set for PRACH opportunities shared between PRACH repetition and PRACH without repetition. In other words, in such a case, the first target power is the same as the second target power. Also, the ramping step and / or maximum transmit can be set separately / differently for PRACH repetition and PRACH without repetition.

[0085] Thus, it is beneficial to reduce the maximum number of transmit / retransmit PRACH repeats and to set the power ramping step of the PRACH repeat higher than the corresponding no-repeat setting.

[0086] NR supports various functions, such as small data transmission, msg3 repetition, and Reduced Capability. To distinguish these functions and utilize combinations of functions, RRC settings may be used to associate sets of preambles with combinations of functions.

[0087] PRACH repetitions (also referred to as "msg1 repetitions") can also be considered functions and can be combined with other functions. For example, a combination of functions could be a set of preambles associated with a combined set of msg1 repetitions and / or msg3 repetitions, or another set of preambles associated with a combined set of msg1 repetitions and / or Reduced Capability requests.

[0088] The terminal device 120 can be configured with different numbers of PRACH repetitions via RRC signaling by the network device. Different numbers of PRACH repetitions can be considered different functions. Functions with different numbers of PRACH repetitions cannot be combined as a function combination. Therefore, in some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 can be configured with a combination of functions that have the same number of PRACH repetitions, but it cannot be configured with functions that have different numbers of PRACH repetitions. This is because, as described above, functions with different numbers of PRACH repetitions cannot be combined as a function combination.

[0089] The network device 110 may set a first threshold for the beam quality metric for a combination of functions, the functions may include repetition of random access channels, where the beam quality metric is one of Layer 1-Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP), Layer 1-Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (L1-SINR), RSRP, or SINR.

[0090] If RSRP is selected as the beam quality metric for a combination of functions, the network device 110 can set an RSRP threshold in the terminal device 120 via RRC signaling, and the RSRP threshold is used for combinations of functions that include PRACH repetitions. If the measured actual RSRP (field RSRP) is smaller than the RSRP threshold for a combination of functions that includes PRACH repetitions, that combination of functions can be selected as applicable to the terminal device 120. If multiple combinations of functions are selected that differ only in the number of PRACH repetitions, the terminal device 120 can select and use the combination of functions with a larger number of PRACH repetitions.

[0091] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may have a separate second parameter set for each combination of functions including random access channel repetition, the second parameter including at least one of target power, power ramping step, or maximum transmission.

[0092] In one example, the network device 110 can set individual parameters for each combination of functions including PRACH repetitions in the terminal device 120. In this case, the individual parameters may include at least one of the following: target power, power ramping step, or maximum transmission. In other words, for each combination of functions including PRACH repetitions, the network device 110 may set individual / different target power, and / or individual / different power ramping step, and / or individual / different maximum transmission.

[0093] In some exemplary embodiments, if, during a random access channel repetition transmission opportunity involving multiple random access channel attempts, at least one random access channel attempt fails to be transmitted, the terminal device 120 is notified from Layer 1 (L1) to the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter.

[0094] In one example, terminal device 120 may not be able to transmit all PRACH attempts during a PRACH repetition transmission opportunity that includes multiple PRACH attempts. In this case, Layer 1 notifies the upper layer to temporarily pause the corresponding power ramping counter.

[0095] In another example, terminal device 120 may be unable to transmit some of the PRACH attempts during a PRACH repetition transmission opportunity that includes multiple PRACH attempts. In this case, Layer 1 may notify the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter. Alternatively, in this case, Layer 1 may ignore the fact that some of the PRACH attempts could not be transmitted and may not notify the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter (in other words, in this case, Layer 1 may increase the corresponding power ramping counter as usual, as if all PRACH attempts in the PRACH repetition transmission opportunity had been successfully transmitted).

[0096] The inability of a terminal device to transmit all or part of a PRACH attempt during a PRACH repetition transmission opportunity may be due to power allocation to physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) / physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) / physical random access channel (PRACH) / sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, power allocation in EUTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC), NR-EUTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC), or new radio-dual connectivity (NR-DC) operation, slot format determination, the presence of PUSCH / PUCCH / PRACH / SRS transmission opportunities in the same slot, or a small gap between PRACH transmission and PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS transmission.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 120 transmits at least one random access channel attempt with reduced power during a random access channel repetition transmission opportunity that includes multiple random access channel attempts. Terminal device 120 is then notified from Layer 1 to the higher layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter.

[0098] For example, due to power allocation for PUSCH / PUCCH / PRACH / SRS transmission, or due to power allocation in EN-DC, NE-DC, or NR-DC operation, terminal device 120 transmits at least one PRACH attempt with reduced power during a PRACH repetition transmission opportunity involving multiple PRACH attempts. In this case, Layer 1 of terminal device 120 may notify the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter. Alternatively, in this case, Layer 1 may ignore the fact that at least one PRACH attempt was transmitted with reduced power and may not notify the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter (in other words, in this case, Layer 1 may increase the corresponding power ramping counter as usual, as if all PRACH attempts in the PRACH repetition transmission opportunity were transmitted with normal transmission power).

[0099] The reason for this is as follows: If terminal device 120 fails to transmit part of the PRACH trial, or if terminal device 120 transmits part of the PRACH trial with reduced transmission power, as a result, network device 110 can receive lower energy accordingly, which from the perspective of network device 110 is equivalent to a reduction in PRACH transmission power. Therefore, terminal device 120 may decide whether to notify the upper layer to pause the power ramping counter. For example, terminal device 120 may decide whether to notify the upper layer to pause the power ramping counter based on the ratio of reduced power. However, if terminal device 120 fails all repeated trials (in other words, if none of the repeated trials are transmitted successfully), there is no need for power ramping in the next attempt, and layer 1 should notify the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter.

[0100] In conventional PRACH transmissions, i.e., PRACH transmissions prior to Rel.18, terminal device 120 may retransmit the PRACH after the RAR (Random Access Response) window has expired. However, during the RAR window, the preamble ID used by the PRACH may not be detected in the RAR message. Terminal device 120 may change the transmit beam of the retransmitted PRACH, in which case power ramping is paused and the transmit power is determined. However, if the beam selected in the first PRACH attempt is not optimal, terminal device 120 must wait until the end of the RAR window for the next PRACH attempt, which may increase the access delay time. This problem is explained below with reference to Figure 4.

[0101] Figure 4 shows schematic diagrams 400 relating to several embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes only, schematic diagram 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1. Schematic diagram 400 may relate to a terminal device 120 and a network device 110.

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 120 may transmit a first transmission to network device 110 on a random access channel using a first transmit beam. If terminal device 120 is planning to monitor for random access responses to the first transmission, or if no random access responses are received while monitoring for random access responses, terminal device 120 may transmit a second transmission to network device 110 on a random access channel using a second transmit beam, which is different from the first transmit beam.

[0103] The terminal device 120 does not increase the PRACH transmit power of the second transmission. In other words, when the terminal device 120 transmits the second transmission using the second transmit beam, the transmit power is not increased.

[0104] If the network device 110 sends a RAR for one of the first and second transmissions to the terminal device 120, and the terminal device 120 therefore detects a random access response corresponding to the transmitted random access channel transmission, the terminal device 120 may cease transmitting further random access channel transmissions using additional beams, and may cease monitoring random access responses for other transmitted random access channel transmissions. In other words, if any of the RARs for transmitted PRACHs are detected, the terminal device 120 may cease transmitting PRACHs using different beams, cease monitoring RARs for other transmitted PRACHs, and may terminate the RACH and send message 3 based on the received RAR and the corresponding beam.

[0105] The first and second transmit beams may have separate preamble power ramping counters, and the preamble power ramping counter for a particular beam among the first and second transmit beams is incremented by 1 after that beam has finished random access channel transmission. In other words, each beam may have a separate PREAMBLE_POWER_RAMPING_COUNTER counter. In the case of retransmission, the PREAMBLE_POWER_RAMPING_COUNTER is incremented by 1 based on the corresponding counter of the selected transmit beam.

[0106] The terminal device 120 may increment the preamble power ramping counter by 1 or N after N random access channel transmissions before receiving a random access response, where N is the number of beams used to transmit the random access channel transmission to the network device 110. In other words, the terminal device 120 may increment the PREAMBLE_TRANSMISSION_COUNTER by 1 or N after N PRACH transmissions before a RAR is detected.

[0107] In the example shown in Figure 4, terminal device 120 sends a first transmission to network device 110 using a first transmit beam. Subsequently, terminal device 120 plans to monitor (prepares for monitoring) the RAR for the first transmission. Once the preparation for RAR monitoring is complete, the RAR window for the first transmission begins, and terminal device 120 monitors this RAR window for the RAR of the first transmission.

[0108] However, unlike conventional solutions where the terminal device 120 must wait until the RAR window ends before initiating PRACH retransmission, in the example shown in Figure 4, the terminal device 120 may begin transmitting the second transmission using the second transmit beam, as shown in Figure 4, well before the RAR window for the first transmission ends, or even before the RAR window for the first transmission begins. In the example shown in Figure 4, if the terminal device 120 is planning to monitor (preparing to monitor) for a random access response to the first transmission and no random access response has been received, the terminal device 120 transmits the second transmission using the second transmit beam. Alternatively, the timing of the terminal device 120 transmitting the second transmission to the network device 110 may be when no RAR has been received while the terminal device 120 is monitoring the RAR for the first transmission. In this example, the second transmit beam is different from the first transmit beam.

[0109] As shown in Figure 4, terminal device 120 may begin transmitting the third transmission using the third transmit beam well before the RAR window for the second transmission ends, or even before the RAR window for the second transmission begins. In the example shown in Figure 4, if terminal device 120 is planning to monitor (preparing to monitor) for the RAR for the second transmission and no RAR has been received, terminal device 120 transmits the third transmission using the third transmit beam. Alternatively, the timing of terminal device 120 transmitting the third transmission to network device 110 may be when terminal device 120 is monitoring for the RAR for the second transmission and no RAR has been received. In this example, the third transmit beam is different from the first and second transmit beams.

[0110] As shown in Figure 4, if a RAR is transmitted by the network device 110 and received by the terminal device 120 before the latest RAR window has ended, in other words, if the terminal device 120 detects any RAR corresponding to a transmitted PRACH transmission, the terminal device 120 may stop transmitting further PRACH transmissions using additional beams, stop monitoring for RARs of other transmitted PRACH transmissions, and initiate the next operation (for example, sending message 3 to the network device 110).

[0111] Each of the first, second, and third transmit beams may have a separate preamble power ramping counter, and the preamble power ramping counter of a particular beam among the first, second, and third transmit beams is incremented by 1 after that beam has finished random access channel transmission. In one example, as shown in Figure 4, if no RAR is detected by the terminal device 120 after three RAR windows have ended, the first, second, and third beams may be retransmitted. In this case, the preamble power ramping counters of the first, second, and third transmit beams may each be incremented by 1. In another example, if no RAR is detected by the terminal device 120 after the first and second RAR windows have ended and the third RAR window has not ended, the first and second beams may be retransmitted. In this case, the preamble power ramping counters of the first and second transmit beams are each incremented by 1, while the preamble power ramping counter of the third transmit beam remains unchanged.

[0112] Terminal device 120 can increment PREAMBLE_TRANSMISSION_COUNTER by 1 or N after N PRACH transmissions before RAR is detected, where N is the number of beams used for transmitting random access channel transmissions to network device 110. In the example shown in Figure 4, there are three transmission beams, namely the first, second, and third transmission beams, so N=3. In one example, in the example shown in Figure 4, terminal device 120 can increment PREAMBLE_TRANSMISSION_COUNTER by 1 once the first, second, and third transmission beams have been successfully transmitted. Alternatively, in this case, terminal device 120 can increment PREAMBLE_TRANSMISSION_COUNTER by N (=3).

[0113] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 500 implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 500 will be described in terms of the terminal device 120 with reference to Figure 1.

[0114] In block 510, the terminal device 120 obtains an offset value from the network device 110 to adjust a first delta preamble value for determining the transmit power of the random access channel. The first delta preamble value is determined based on the format of the random access channel. In block 520, the terminal device 120 obtains a second delta preamble value by adjusting the first delta preamble value based on the offset value. In block 530, the terminal device 120 determines the transmit power of the random access channel based on the second delta preamble value. In block 540, the terminal device 120 uses the transmit power to send a random access message to the network device 110 on the random access channel.

[0115] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 120 receives the number of repetitions of the random access channel from network device 110. The offset value is based on the number of repetitions. In some exemplary embodiments, the offset value is obtained by terminal device 120 by obtaining the offset value through RRC signaling or by obtaining the offset value based on the number of repetitions from a predefined table. In some exemplary embodiments, the first delta preamble value is adjusted by terminal device 120 by adding the offset value to the first delta preamble value in order to obtain a second delta preamble value.

[0116] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 600 will be described in terms of the terminal device 120 with reference to Figure 1.

[0117] In block 610, the terminal device 120 receives configuration information from the network device 110 indicating a first setting and a second setting. The first setting is used to determine the transmit power of a repeating random access channel, and the second setting is used to determine the transmit power of a non-repeating random access channel. In block 620, the terminal device 120 determines the transmit power of the random access channel based on the first setting and one of the second settings.

[0118] In some exemplary embodiments, the first setting includes at least one of a first target power, a first power ramping step, or a first maximum transmit, and the second setting includes at least one of a second target power, a second power ramping step, or a second maximum transmit. In this case, at least one of the following conditions is met: the first target power is different from the second target power, the first power ramping step is different from the second power ramping step, or the first maximum transmit is different from the second maximum transmit. In some exemplary embodiments, the first setting includes a separate first parameter for transmits in a repeating random access channel, the separate first parameter includes at least one of a PRACH preamble, opportunity, or resource. In some exemplary embodiments, for a shared random access channel opportunity between a repeating random access channel and a non-repeating random access channel, the first target power is the same as the second target power.

[0119] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 is configured by the network device 110 with combinations of functions having the same number of random access channel repetitions. In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 is configured by the network device 110 with a separate second parameter for each combination of functions including random access channel repetitions, the second parameter including at least one of target power, power ramping step, or maximum transmission.

[0120] In some exemplary embodiments, if at least one random access channel attempt fails to be transmitted during a random access channel repetition transmission opportunity that includes multiple random access channel attempts, the terminal device 120 notifies the upper layer from Layer 1 (L1) to suspend the corresponding power ramping counter.

[0121] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120, during a transmission opportunity of a random access channel repetition including multiple random access channel attempts, transmits at least one of the random access channel attempts with reduced power and notifies the upper layer from Layer 1 (L1) to pause the corresponding power ramping counter.

[0122] Figure 7 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 700 implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 700 will be described in terms of the terminal device 120 with reference to Figure 1.

[0123] In block 710, terminal device 120 transmits a first transmission to network device 110 on a random access channel using a first transmit beam. In block 720, if terminal device 120 is planning to monitor for random access responses to the first transmission, or if no random access responses are received while monitoring for random access responses, terminal device 120 transmits a second transmission to network device 110 on a random access channel using a second transmit beam.

[0124] In some exemplary embodiments, when transmitting a second PRACH transmission using a second transmit beam, the transmit power is not increased. In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second transmit beams have separate preamble power ramping counters, and the preamble power ramping counter for a particular beam of the first and second transmit beams is incremented by 1 after that beam has finished a random access channel transmission.

[0125] In some exemplary embodiments, after N random access channel transmissions, before a random access response is received, the terminal device 120 increments a preamble power ramping counter by 1 or N, where N represents the number of beams used to transmit the random access channel transmission to the network device.

[0126] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 detects a random access response corresponding to a transmitted random access channel transmission. Upon detecting a random access response, the terminal device 120 ceases transmitting further random access channel transmissions using additional beams and stops monitoring random access responses to other transmitted random access channel transmissions. In some exemplary embodiments, based on the received random access response, the terminal device 120 uses the corresponding beam to transmit message 3 to the network device 110.

[0127] Figure 8 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 800 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 800 will be described in terms of the network device 110 with reference to Figure 1.

[0128] In block 810, the network device 110 determines an offset value for adjusting the first delta preamble value used by the terminal device 120 to determine the transmit power of the random access channel. The first delta preamble value is determined based on the format of the random access channel. 820 In this process, the network device 110 transmits information indicating the offset value to the terminal device 120.

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 transmits the number of repetitions of the random access channel to the terminal device 120. The offset value is based on the number of repetitions.

[0130] Figure 9 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 900 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 900 will be described in terms of a network device 110 with reference to Figure 1.

[0131] In block 910, the network device 110 determines a first setting and a second setting. The first setting is used by the terminal device to determine the transmit power for repeating random access channels, and the second setting is used by the terminal device to determine the transmit power for non-repeating random access channels. In block 920, the network device 110 transmits setting information indicating the first setting and the second setting to the terminal device 120.

[0132] In some exemplary embodiments, the first setting includes at least one of a first target power, a first power ramping step, or a first maximum transmission, and the second setting includes at least one of a second target power, a second power ramping step, or a second maximum transmission. In this case, at least one of the following conditions is met: the first target power is different from the second target power, the first power ramping step is different from the second power ramping step, or the first maximum transmission is different from the second maximum transmission.

[0133] In some exemplary embodiments, the first setting includes a separate first parameter for transmission with random access channel repetitions, the first parameter including at least one of PRACH preamble, opportunity, or resource. In some exemplary embodiments, for a shared random access channel opportunity between a random access channel with repetitions and a random access channel without repetitions, the first target power is the same as the second target power. In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 combines functions with the same number of random access channel repetitions as a combination of functions.

[0134] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 sets a first threshold for a beam quality metric for a combination of functions including random access channel repetition.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 selects a combination of functions that includes random access channel repetitions when it determines that the quality metric of the received beam is less than a first threshold for the combination of functions.

[0136] In some exemplary embodiments, the beam quality metric is one of the following: Layer 1-Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP), Layer 1-Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (L1-SINR), RSRP, or SINR.

[0137] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 sets a separate second parameter for each combination of functions including random access channel repetition, the second parameter including at least one of target power, power ramping step, or maximum transmission.

[0138] Figure 10 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 1000 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 1000 will be described in terms of network device 110 with reference to Figure 1.

[0139] In block 1010, the network device 110 receives a first transmission from the terminal device 120 on a random access channel transmitted using the first transmit beam. In block 1020, if the terminal device is scheduled to monitor a random access response to the first transmission, or if no random access response is transmitted to the terminal device while it is monitoring a random access response, the network device 110 receives a second transmission on a random access channel transmitted using a second transmit beam different from the first transmit beam.

[0140] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 sends a random access response to one of the first transmissions and the second transmissions to the terminal device 120.

[0141] Figure 11 shows a schematic block diagram of a device 1100 suitable for carrying out embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1100 can be considered a further exemplary implementation of the terminal device 120 and / or network device 110 shown in Figure 1. Thus, device 1100 can be implemented in, or at least as part of, the terminal device 120 or the network device 110.

[0142] As shown in the figure, the device 1100 comprises a processor 1110, a memory 1120 coupled to the processor 1110, appropriate transmitters (TX) and receivers (RX) 1140 coupled to the processor 1110, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1140. 1120 This stores at least a portion of program 1130. TX / RX1140 is for bidirectional communication. TX / RX 1140 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice, the access nodes described in this disclosure may have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, for example, an X2 interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Serving Gateway (S-GW) and an eNB, an Un interface for communication between an eNB and a Relay Node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB and a terminal device.

[0143] Program 1130 is assumed to include program instructions, and when the program is executed by the associated processor 1110, it enables the device 1100 to operate according to embodiments of the disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to Figures 2 to 10. Embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented by computer software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware that can be executed by the processor 1110 of the device 1100. The processor 1110 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the disclosure. Alternatively, a combination of the processor 1110 and memory 1120 may constitute processing means 1550 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the disclosure.

[0144] Memory 1120 may be of any type suitable for the local technical network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology (e.g., computer-readable non-temporary storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and movable memory, etc.). Although only one memory 1120 is shown for device 1100, device 1100 may have multiple physically different memory modules. Processor 1110 may be of any type suitable for the local technical network and may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: general-purpose computers, dedicated computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor configurations. Device 1100 may have multiple processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0145] In summary, embodiments of this disclosure can provide the following solutions.

[0146] This disclosure provides a communication method. The communication method includes, in a terminal device, obtaining an offset value from a network device for adjusting a first delta preamble value for determining the transmit power of a random access channel, wherein the first delta preamble value is determined based on the format of the random access channel; adjusting the first delta preamble value based on the offset value to obtain a second delta preamble value; determining the transmit power of the random access channel based on the second delta preamble value; and using the transmit power to transmit a random access message to the network device on the random access channel.

[0147] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving the number of repetitions of a random access channel from a network device, wherein the offset value is based on the number of repetitions.

[0148] In one embodiment, the method described above obtains the offset value by acquiring the offset value through radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or by acquiring the offset value based on the number of repetitions from a predefined table.

[0149] In one embodiment, the above method involves adjusting the first delta preamble value to obtain a second delta preamble value, which includes adding an offset value to the first delta preamble value to obtain a second delta preamble value.

[0150] This disclosure provides a communication method. The communication method includes receiving from a network device configuration information in a terminal device, which indicates a first configuration used to determine the transmit power of a repeating random access channel and a second configuration used to determine the transmit power of a non-repeating random access channel, and determining the transmit power of a random access channel based on the first configuration and one of the second configuration.

[0151] In one embodiment, the above method includes, firstly, a setting of at least one of a first target power, a first power ramping step, or a first maximum transmission, and secondly, a setting of at least one of a second target power, a second power ramping step, or a second maximum transmission. At least one of the following conditions is met: the first target power is different from the second target power, the first power ramping step is different from the second power ramping step, or the first maximum transmission is different from the second maximum transmission.

[0152] In one embodiment, the method described above includes a first setting which includes a separate first parameter for transmission in a repeating random access channel, the separate first parameter which includes at least one of a PRACH preamble, opportunity, or resource.

[0153] In one embodiment, the above method has a first target power that is the same as the second target power for shared random access channel opportunities between repeating random access channels and non-repeating random access channels.

[0154] In one embodiment, the method further includes setting a separate second parameter for each combination of functions including random access channel repetition, the second parameter including at least one of target power, power ramping step, or maximum transmission.

[0155] In one embodiment, the method further includes notifying a higher layer from Layer 1 (L1) to pause the corresponding power ramping counter if, during a transmission opportunity of a random access channel repetition including multiple random access channel attempts, at least one random access channel attempt fails to be transmitted.

[0156] In one embodiment, the method further includes transmitting at least one random access channel attempt with reduced power during a random access channel repetition transmission opportunity that includes multiple random access channel attempts, and notifying a higher layer from Layer 1 (L1) to pause the corresponding power ramping counter.

[0157] This disclosure provides a communication method. The communication method includes, in a terminal device, transmitting a first transmission to a network device on a random access channel using a first transmit beam, and, if the terminal device plans to monitor a random access response to the first transmission, or if no random access response has been received while monitoring a random access response, transmitting a second transmission to the network device on a random access channel using a second transmit beam.

[0158] In one embodiment, the above method does not increase the transmit power when a second PRACH transmit is transmitted using a second transmit beam.

[0159] In one embodiment, the method described above has separate preamble power ramping counters for the first and second transmit beams, and the preamble power ramping counter for a particular beam among the first and second transmit beams is incremented by 1 after the particular beam has finished random access channel transmission.

[0160] In one embodiment, the method further includes incrementing a preamble power ramping counter by 1 or N after N random access channel transmissions, before a random access response is received, where N is the number of beams used to transmit the random access channel transmissions to the network device.

[0161] In one embodiment, the method further includes detecting a random access response corresponding to a transmitted random access channel transmission, and, upon detecting a random access response, ceasing the transmission of further random access channel transmissions using additional beams and ceasing monitoring for random access responses of other transmitted random access channel transmissions.

[0162] In one embodiment, the method further includes transmitting message 3 to a network device using the corresponding beam based on the received random access response.

[0163] This disclosure provides a communication method. The communication method includes, in a network device, determining an offset value for a terminal device to adjust a first delta preamble value for determining the transmit power of a random access channel, wherein the first delta preamble value is determined based on the format of the random access channel, and transmitting information indicating the offset value to the terminal device.

[0164] In one embodiment, the method further includes transmitting the number of repetitions of the random access channel to a terminal device, wherein the offset value is based on the number of repetitions.

[0165] This disclosure provides a communication method. The communication method includes, in a network device, determining a first setting used by a terminal device to determine the transmit power of a repeating random access channel and a second setting used by a terminal device to determine the transmit power of a non-repeating random access channel, and transmitting setting information indicating the first setting and the second setting to the terminal device.

[0166] In one embodiment, the above method includes, firstly, at least one of a first target power, a first power ramping step, or a first maximum transmission, and secondly, at least one of a second target power, a second power ramping step, or a second maximum transmission. The method satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the first target power is different from the second target power, the first power ramping step is different from the second power ramping step, or the first maximum transmission is different from the second maximum transmission.

[0167] In one embodiment, the method described above includes a first setting which includes a separate first parameter for transmission with random access channel repetitions, the first parameter which includes at least one of a PRACH preamble, opportunity, or resource.

[0168] In one embodiment, the above method has a first target power that is the same as the second target power for shared random access channel opportunities between repeating random access channels and non-repeating random access channels.

[0169] In one embodiment, the method further includes combining functions having the same number of random access channel repetitions as a combination of functions.

[0170] In one embodiment, the method further includes setting a first threshold for a beam quality metric for a combination of functions including random access channel repetition.

[0171] In one embodiment, the method further includes selecting a combination of functions that includes random access channel repetitions if it determines that the quality metric of the received beam is less than a first threshold for the combination of functions.

[0172] In one embodiment, the method further includes selecting a combination of functions from among one or more combinations of functions that include random access channel repetitions, the combination having a larger number of random access channel repetitions.

[0173] In one embodiment, the beam quality metric in the above method is one of the following: Layer 1-reference signal received power (L1-RSRP), Layer 1-signal-to-interference noise ratio (L1-SINR), RSRP, or SINR.

[0174] In one embodiment, the method further includes setting a separate second parameter for each combination of functions including random access channel repetition, wherein the second parameter includes at least one of target power, power ramping step, or maximum transmission.

[0175] This disclosure provides a communication method. The communication method includes, in a network device, receiving a first transmission from a terminal device on a random access channel transmitted using a first transmit beam, and, if the terminal device is planning to monitor a random access response to the first transmission, or if no random access response has been transmitted to the terminal device while it is monitoring a random access response, receiving a second transmission from the terminal device on a random access channel transmitted using a second transmit beam different from the first transmit beam.

[0176] In one embodiment, the method further includes transmitting a random access response to one of the first transmission and the second transmission to a terminal device.

[0177] This disclosure provides a terminal device comprising a processor and memory for storing computer program code. The memory and computer program code, together with the processor, are configured to cause the terminal device to perform the methods described above, which are performed in the terminal device.

[0178] This disclosure provides a network device comprising a processor and memory for storing computer program code. The memory and computer program code, together with the processor, are configured to cause the network device to perform the methods described above, which are performed by the network device.

[0179] This disclosure provides a computer-readable medium on which instructions are stored. When the instructions are executed by the processor of the device, they cause the device to perform the methods performed by the terminal device or network device described above.

[0180] Typically, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented by hardware, while others may be implemented by firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Various embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or by any other pictorial representation, and it will be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented by, for example, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or any combination thereof, but are not limited thereto.

[0181] This disclosure further provides at least one computer program product stored in tangible form on a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions contained within a program module. These instructions are executed on a device on a target real or virtual processor, performing the processes or methods described above with reference to Figures 2 to 10. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided amongst the program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine-readable instructions of the program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0182] Program code for performing the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device, and when the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations defined in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are performed. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a standalone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0183] The program code described above may be implemented on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program used by an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, or a program used in connection therewith. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections containing one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and writable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0184] While the operations have been described in a specific order, it should not be understood that, in order to obtain the desired results, these operations must be performed in a specific order or sequence, or that all of the operations shown must be performed. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, the above discussion includes some specific implementation details, which should be interpreted not as limitations on the scope of this disclosure, but as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may be implemented in combination in one embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of one embodiment may be implemented separately or in any suitable secondary combination in multiple embodiments.

[0185] While this disclosure has been described using terminology specific to structural features and / or methodological behavior, it should be understood that this disclosure, as defined by the attached claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or behaviors described above. Rather, the specific features and behaviors described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. User equipment (UE) A means to support msg1 repetition, which is part of the combination of functions in New Radio (NR), A means for receiving Radio Resource Control (RRC) settings from the network, Equipped with, The RRC setting includes the number of repetitions of the msg1 repetition, and the RRC setting includes a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) threshold for the number of repetitions of the msg1 repetition, The system further includes means for assuming that the msg1 repetition is applicable when the RSRP is less than the RSRP threshold. UE.

2. The aforementioned combination of functions includes Reduced Capability, small data transmission, msg3 repetition, and msg1 repetition. The UE according to claim 1.

3. Further means to support msg1 repetition, If the UE does not send any of the msg1 repetitions, Layer 1 notifies the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter. The UE according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Further means to support msg1 repetition, If the UE transmits one or more of the msg1 repetitions, Layer 1 notifies the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter. The UE according to claim 1 or 2.

5. Further means to support msg1 repetition, When the UE transmits part of the msg1 repetition, Layer 1 notifies the upper layer to pause the corresponding power ramping counter. The UE according to claim 1 or 2.

6. A method for user equipment (UE), Supporting msg1 repetition, which is part of the combination of functions in the new wireless (NR), Receiving Wireless Resource Control (RRC) settings from the network, Includes, The RRC setting includes the number of repetitions of the msg1 repetition, and the RRC setting includes a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold for the number of repetitions of the msg1 repetition, The further includes assuming that the msg1 iteration is applicable if the RSRP is less than the RSRP threshold, method.

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