Signal transmission method, network node, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the present disclosure are a signal transmission method, a network node, a communication system, and a storage medium. The method is applied to the network node, and comprises: according to an association relationship between an SS / PBCH block in an SS / PBCH block set and a PRACH transmission occasion, and frequency multiplexing information of the PRACH transmission occasion, determining a forwarding beam pattern, which is used within the duration of the PRACH transmission occasion associated with the SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block set; and within the duration of the PRACH transmission occasion associated with the SS / PBCH block, performing signal forwarding processing on the basis of the forwarding beam pattern.

Description

Signal transmission method, network node, communication system and storage medium

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure is based on and claims priority to an application with CN application number 202310762081.8 and filing date June 26, 2023. The disclosure content of this CN application is hereby introduced into this disclosure as a whole. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a signal transmission method, a network node, a communication system, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0004] Devices such as IRS (Intelligent Reflecting Surface) and RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface) devices are composed of a large number of low-cost electromagnetic units. By adjusting the parameters of each unit, such as the phase, the reflection or transmission direction of signals incident on the intelligent surface of these devices can be controlled, allowing the signals to be reflected or transmitted in the desired direction. Due to its low cost, low power consumption, and ease of deployment, RIS is a promising candidate technology for 6G wireless communications.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a signal transmission method is provided, which is applied to a network node, comprising: determining, based on a synchronization signal and an association relationship between an SS / PBCH block in a physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block group and a physical random access channel PRACH transmission opportunity, and frequency multiplexing information of the PRACH transmission opportunity, a forwarding beam pattern to be used within the duration of a PRACH transmission opportunity associated with an SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group; and performing signal forwarding based on the forwarding beam pattern within the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block.

[0007] In some embodiments, capability group information is sent to a network side; wherein the capability group information includes: forwarding beam switching capability and / or forwarding beam pattern generation capability information; configuration information of the SS / PBCH block group sent by the network side is received; wherein the network side configures the configuration information based on the capability group information; and the SS / PBCH block group is determined according to the configuration information.

[0008] In some embodiments, the forwarding beam switching capability information includes: the maximum duration of the network node switching between forwarding beam patterns; the forwarding beam pattern generation capability information includes: the capability information of the network node to forward the incident beam to the desired direction at the same time.

[0009] In some embodiments, the forwarding beam pattern generation capability information is determined by one or more capability identification bits.

[0010] In some embodiments, the number of the multiple capability identification bits is two; the values ​​of the two capability identification bits include: a first value, a second value, a third value and a fourth value; the first value represents that the network node has the ability to forward the incident beam of a single incoming direction to the desired direction at the same time; the second value, the third value and the fourth value respectively represent that the network node has the ability to forward the incident beams within the first angle range, the second angle range and the third angle range to the same desired direction at the same time.

[0011] In some embodiments, the SS / PBCH block group includes: at least one SS / PBCH block; the SS / PBCH block includes a synchronization signal block (SSB) index.

[0012] In some embodiments, the time domain interval between the SS / PBCH blocks satisfies the forwarding beam switching capability; and / or, when the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block is frequency division multiplexing, or multiple SS / PBCH blocks are associated with the same PRACH transmission opportunity, the network node satisfies the forwarding beam pattern generation capability information.

[0013] In some embodiments, the determining of the forwarding beam pattern to be used during the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group based on the association relationship between the SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group and the PRACH transmission opportunity and the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity includes: when the frequency reuse information indicates that frequency reuse is not used and the association relationship is that one SS / PBCH block in an SS / PBCH block group is associated with one or more PRACH transmission opportunities, or when the frequency reuse information indicates that frequency reuse is used and the association relationship is that all PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with one SS / PBCH block in an SS / PBCH block group, determining the forwarding beam pattern based on the beam pattern used for forwarding the one SS / PBCH block.

[0014] In some embodiments, determining the forwarding beam pattern based on the beam pattern used to forward the one SS / PBCH block includes: in the presence of uplink and downlink beam reciprocity, determining that the forwarding beam pattern is the same as the beam pattern used to forward the one SS / PBCH block.

[0015] In some embodiments, determining the forwarding beam pattern based on the beam pattern used for forwarding the one SS / PBCH block includes: in the absence of reciprocity between uplink and downlink beams, determining an incident angle parameter based on the main lobe direction of the beam pattern used for forwarding the one SS / PBCH block; and generating the forwarding beam pattern pointing to the network device based on the incident angle parameter.

[0016] In some embodiments, the determining of the forwarding beam pattern to be used during the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group based on the association relationship between the SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group and the PRACH transmission opportunity and the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity includes: when the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity indicates no frequency reuse and the association relationship is that multiple SS / PBCH blocks in one SS / PBCH block group are associated with one PRACH transmission opportunity, or when the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity indicates that frequency reuse is used and the association relationship is that multiple PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with multiple SS / PBCH blocks in one SS / PBCH block group, determining the forwarding beam pattern based on the beam pattern used for forwarding the multiple SS / PBCH blocks.

[0017] In some embodiments, determining the forwarding beam pattern based on the beam pattern used for forwarding the multiple SS / PBCH blocks includes: determining multiple incident angle parameters based on the beam main lobe direction of the beam pattern used for forwarding the multiple SS / PBCH blocks; and generating a forwarding beam pattern directed to a network device based on the multiple incident angle parameters.

[0018] In some embodiments, the network node includes: a wireless forwarding device with a beamforming function.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a network node is provided, including: a pattern determination module for determining, based on an association relationship between a synchronization signal and an SS / PBCH block in a physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block group and a physical random access channel PRACH transmission opportunity, and frequency multiplexing information of the PRACH transmission opportunity, a forwarding beam pattern to be adopted during the duration of a PRACH transmission opportunity associated with an SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group; and a signal forwarding module for performing signal forwarding processing based on the forwarding beam pattern during the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block.

[0020] In some embodiments, an information reporting module is used to send capability group information to the network side; wherein the capability group information includes: forwarding beam switching capability and / or forwarding beam pattern generation capability information; a configuration receiving module is used to receive configuration information of the SS / PBCH block group sent by the network side; wherein the network side configures the configuration information based on the capability group information; a block group determination module is used to determine the SS / PBCH block group according to the configuration information.

[0021] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a network node is provided, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the method described above based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0022] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including: the network node as described above.

[0023] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the instructions are executed by a processor to perform the method described above.

[0024] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program comprising: instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing the embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present disclosure, they are used to explain the present disclosure and do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. The above and other purposes and advantages of the present disclosure will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding technical features or components will be represented by the same or corresponding figure marks.

[0026] FIG1 is a schematic flow chart of some embodiments of a signal transmission method according to the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining an SS / PBCH block group in some embodiments of a signal transmission method according to the present disclosure;

[0028] 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of generating a forwarding beam pattern;

[0029] FIG5 is a module diagram of some embodiments of a network node according to the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG6 is a module diagram of another embodiment of a network node according to the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG7 is a module diagram of a pattern determination module in some embodiments of a network node according to the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG8 is a module diagram of yet other embodiments of a relay terminal according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, not all features of the embodiments are described in the specification. However, it should be understood that many implementation-specific settings must be made in the process of implementing the embodiments in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as meeting those restrictions related to equipment and services, and these restrictions may vary depending on the implementation. In addition, it should be understood that although the development work may be very complex and time-consuming, it is only a routine task for those skilled in the art who benefit from the contents of this disclosure.

[0034] It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0035] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different steps, devices or modules, and do not represent any specific technical meanings, nor do they indicate a necessary logical order between them.

[0036] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” may refer to two or more than two, and “at least one” may refer to one, two, or more than two.

[0037] It should also be understood that any component, data or structure mentioned in the embodiments of the present disclosure can generally be understood as one or more, unless explicitly limited or otherwise indicated in the context.

[0038] In addition, the term "and / or" in this disclosure is merely a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this disclosure generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0039] It should also be understood that the description of the various embodiments in this disclosure focuses on the differences between the various embodiments, and the same or similar aspects thereof can be referenced with each other. For the sake of brevity, they will not be described one by one.

[0040] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0041] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0042] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0043] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0044] In addition, in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure with unnecessary details, only the processing steps and / or device structures that are closely related to at least the solution according to the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, while other details that are not closely related to the present disclosure are omitted. It should also be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the drawings indicate similar items, and therefore once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be discussed again for subsequent drawings.

[0045] In the related art known to the inventors, when the user performs initial random access, the PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel) configuration information is indicated by the physical random access channel configuration index prach-ConfigurationIndex parameter in SIB1 (System Information Block 1). The value of this parameter is an index value of 0-255, corresponding to the row index in the random access configuration table, specifically indicating the following information: Preamble format, system frame number of PRACH transmission, subframe number, starting OFDM symbol position, number of time slots used for transmitting PRACH in a subframe, number of PRACH time domain transmission opportunities in a PRACH time slot, and number of continuous symbols of PRACH. The number of frequency domain transmission opportunities of PRACH is indicated by the parameter msg1-FDM of SIB1, which can be configured as {1, 2, 4, 8}. The total number of transmission opportunities of PRACH in a time slot is determined by the number of its time domain transmission opportunities and the number of frequency domain transmission opportunities.

[0046] The parameter ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB in SIB1 indicates the number of PRACH transmission opportunities associated with each SSB (Synchronization Signal block) index, and the values ​​include {oneEighth, oneFourth, oneHalf, one, two, four, eight, sixteen}. For example, the value "oneHalf" means that 1 SSB index is associated with 2 PRACH transmission opportunities, and the value "two" means that 2 SSB indexes are associated with 1 PRACH transmission opportunity. Each value can correspond to a set of enumerated values, indicating the number of contention-based random access preambles corresponding to each SSB index. The value "oneHalf{n4}" means that 1 SSB index is associated with 2 PRACH transmission opportunities, and each SSB index corresponds to 4 contention preambles.

[0047] Each SSB index is associated with at least one PRACH transmission opportunity. The base station can indirectly obtain SSB index information by detecting the PRACH transmission opportunity used by the user. When the system is configured with N SSB indexes, the N SSB indexes are sequentially associated with the corresponding PRACH transmission opportunities according to a certain rule. After completing one round of association, if there are still remaining PRACH transmission opportunities, these SSB indexes will continue to be associated with the remaining PRACH transmission opportunities until the remaining PRACH transmission opportunities are insufficient to support a full round of SSB index association mapping. According to related technologies, PRACH transmission is not performed on the remaining PRACH transmission opportunities.

[0048] Network nodes such as IRS and RIS devices can be controlled by the base station and are transparent to the UE (User Equipment). This means that the UE is unaware of their existence. During the cell search phase, IRS and RIS devices can use different beams to forward broadcast signals (SSBs) to different areas to expand network coverage. Therefore, during the random access phase, Msg1 sent by users needs to be forwarded to the network on different ROs (Random Access Channel Occasions). The network needs to send additional control information to instruct network nodes such as IRS and RIS devices on the forwarding pattern used for auxiliary signal transmission.

[0049] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a signal transmission method that can implicitly indicate the forwarding beam pattern adopted by the network node in the relevant process of random access without the need for the network side to send additional control information. This can effectively save control signaling, improve the utilization rate and spectrum efficiency of network resources, and improve the reliability of data signal forwarding by the network node; moreover, it has little need for protocol changes and has good practicality.

[0050] FIG1 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a signal transmission method according to the present disclosure. The signal transmission method of the present disclosure is applied to a network node, as shown in FIG1 :

[0051] Step 101: Determine a forwarding beam pattern to be used during the duration of a PRACH transmission opportunity associated with an SS / PBCH block in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block group based on an association relationship between the SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group and the physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission opportunity, and frequency multiplexing information of the PRACH transmission opportunity.

[0052] In some embodiments, a forwarding beam pattern, also known as a reflection pattern, refers to the beamforming pattern used by a network node when forwarding signals. The forwarding beam pattern represents the specific electromagnetic wave spatial field strength formed through beamforming. For example, the forwarding beam pattern can be an electromagnetic wave pattern with a specific reflection / transmission pattern formed by adjusting electromagnetic elements, or a reflection / transmission electromagnetic wave pattern directed in certain directions.

[0053] Network nodes include wireless forwarding devices with beamforming functions and other equipment. Wireless forwarding devices include intelligent reflective surface IRS devices, reconfigurable intelligent surface RIS devices, network control relays and other devices.

[0054] Step 102: Perform signal forwarding based on the forwarding beam pattern during the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block.

[0055] In some embodiments, the network node uses the determined forwarding beam pattern to assist transmission during the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with each SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group. During the cell search phase, the network node can use different beams to forward broadcast signals to different areas to expand network coverage. During the random access phase, the random access sequence Msg1 sent by the user needs to be forwarded to the network side on different ROs.

[0056] The signal transmission method disclosed in the present invention determines the forwarding beam pattern of the network node assisted random access based on the correlation between SSB and RO. It can implicitly indicate the forwarding beam pattern adopted by the network node in the relevant process of random access without the need for the network side to send additional control information. It can effectively save control signaling, improve the utilization rate and spectrum efficiency of network resources, and improve the reliability of data signal forwarding by the network node.

[0057] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining an SS / PBCH block group in some embodiments of a signal transmission method according to the present disclosure, as shown in FIG2 :

[0058] Step 201: Send capability group information to the network side; wherein the capability group information includes: forwarding beam switching capability and / or forwarding beam pattern generation capability information and other information.

[0059] In some embodiments, the forwarding beam switching capability information includes the maximum duration for a network node to switch between forwarding beam patterns, that is, the maximum switching time required for the network node to switch from any forwarding beam pattern (reflection pattern) to any other forwarding beam pattern. The unit can be the number of symbols, the number of time slots, or commonly used time units, such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, etc.

[0060] The forwarding beam pattern generation capability information includes information such as the network node's ability to forward the incident beam to the desired direction at the same time, that is, whether the network node has the ability to forward beams from different incoming directions to the same desired direction at the same time. The forwarding beam pattern generation capability information can be determined by one or more capability identification bits, and the forwarding beam pattern generation capability information can be transmitted using one or more capability identification bits. When the capability identification bit is 1 bit, the value of the capability identification bit is 0, indicating that the network node does not have the forwarding beam pattern generation capability information; the value of the capability identification bit is 1, indicating that the network node has the forwarding beam pattern generation capability information.

[0061] When the number of capability identification bits is two, the values ​​of the two capability identification bits include a first value, a second value, a third value, and a fourth value. The first value indicates that the network node has the ability to forward an incoming beam from a single incoming direction to a desired direction at the same time; the second value, the third value, and the fourth value respectively indicate that the network node has the ability to forward incoming beams within a first angle range, a second angle range, and a third angle range, respectively, to the same desired direction at the same time.

[0062] For example, the first value, the second value, the third value, and the fourth value are "00", "01", "10", and "11" respectively. The value of the two capability identification bits is "00", which means that the network node can only forward an incident beam in a single direction to the desired direction; the value of the two capability identification bits is "01", which means that the network node can simultaneously forward multiple beams within the first angle range to the same desired direction; the value of the two capability identification bits is "10", which means that the network node can simultaneously forward multiple beams within the second angle range to the same desired direction; the value of the two capability identification bits is "11", which means that the network node can simultaneously forward multiple beams within the third angle range to the same desired direction. The first angle range, the second angle range, and the third angle range represent a specific incident angle range that can be set to multiple angle ranges. For example, the first angle range, the second angle range, and the third angle range are -30°-30°, -45°-45°, or -60°-60° of the network node antenna or surface normal, respectively.

[0063] Step 202: Receive configuration information of the SS / PBCH block group sent by the network side; wherein the network side configures the configuration information of the SS / PBCH block group based on the capability group information.

[0064] In some embodiments, an SS / PBCH block group includes at least one SS / PBCH block, the SS / PBCH block is configured with a synchronization signal block SSB index, and the SS / PBCH block includes the SSB index. Network-side devices include base stations, etc., and a network node determines an SS / PBCH block group based on configuration information sent by the network-side base station or other device. The network-side SS / PBCH block group includes one or more SS / PBCH blocks, and the multiple SS / PBCH blocks have different SSB indexes.

[0065] The time domain interval between SS / PBCH blocks satisfies the forwarding beam switching capability. When the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block is frequency division multiplexed, or when multiple SS / PBCH blocks are associated with the same PRACH transmission opportunity, the network node satisfies the forwarding beam pattern generation capability information.

[0066] For example, the network-side configured time domain intervals between SS / PBCH blocks in an SS / PBCH block group must meet the network node's forwarding beam switching capability. If the PRACH transmission opportunities associated with each SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group are frequency-division multiplexed, or if multiple SS / PBCH blocks are associated with the same PRACH transmission opportunity, the network node's forwarding beam pattern generation capability information is met. The SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group are forwarded in different directions by the network node using beamforming to achieve coverage in different areas.

[0067] Step 203: Determine the SS / PBCH block group according to the configuration information.

[0068] In some embodiments, multiple methods may be used to determine the forwarding beam pattern used by the SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group during the duration of the associated PRACH transmission opportunity. When the frequency reuse information indicates that frequency reuse is not used, and the association relationship is that one SS / PBCH block in an SS / PBCH block group is associated with one or more PRACH transmission opportunities, or when the frequency reuse information indicates that frequency reuse is used, and the association relationship is that all PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with one SS / PBCH block in an SS / PBCH block group, the forwarding beam pattern is determined based on the beam pattern used by the forwarding SS / PBCH block.

[0069] Various methods can be used to determine a forwarding beam pattern based on the beam pattern used by the SS / PBCH block. For example, when uplink and downlink beams are mutually different, the forwarding beam pattern is determined to be the same as the beam pattern used by the forwarding SS / PBCH block. When uplink and downlink beams are mutually different, an incident angle parameter is determined based on the main lobe direction of the beam pattern used by the forwarding SS / PBCH block, and the forwarding beam pattern is determined based on the incident angle parameter. That is, the forwarding beam pattern directed toward a network device, including various base stations, is generated based on the incident angle parameter.

[0070] In some embodiments, the network node determines the forwarding beam pattern to be adopted by the network node in one or more PRACH transmission opportunities associated with each SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group based on the association relationship between the SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group and one or more PRACH transmission opportunities and the frequency reuse parameters of the PRACH transmission opportunities configured on the network side.

[0071] When the PRACH transmission opportunities configured on the network side are not frequency reused (for example, the value of the frequency reuse parameter of the PRACH transmission opportunities configured on the network side is 1), and based on the association relationship between the SS / PBCH block group and the one or more PRACH transmission opportunities, it is determined that the one or more PRACH transmission opportunities are associated with only one SS / PBCH block in the one SS / PBCH block group; or when the PRACH transmission opportunities are frequency reused on the network side (for example, the value of the frequency reuse parameter of the PRACH transmission opportunities configured on the network side is not 1, but is 2, 4, 8, etc.), and based on the association relationship between the SS / PBCH block group and the one or more PRACH transmission opportunities, it is determined that all frequency reused PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with only one SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group, the network node determines a forwarding beam pattern to be used in the one or more PRACH transmission opportunities based on the one SS / PBCH block. The network node determines a forwarding beam pattern to be used by the network node in the one or more PRACH transmission opportunities based on the beam pattern used to forward the SS / PBCH block, as shown in FIG3 .

[0072] When uplink and downlink beam reciprocity exists, the forwarding beam pattern used by the network node in one or more PRACH transmission opportunities is determined to be consistent with the forwarding beam pattern used to forward the SS / PBCH block. When uplink and downlink beam reciprocity does not exist, the incident angle parameter is determined based on the main lobe direction of the beam pattern used by the SS / PBCH block (the incident angle is the opposite direction of the main lobe direction), and based on the incident angle parameter, a forwarding beam pattern is generated that points to the base station and other network devices.

[0073] In some embodiments, when the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity indicates that frequency reuse is not used, and the association relationship is that multiple SS / PBCH blocks are associated with one PRACH transmission opportunity, or when the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity indicates that frequency reuse is used, and the association relationship is that multiple PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with multiple SS / PBCH blocks, a forwarding beam pattern is determined based on the beam pattern used to forward the SS / PBCH block. A variety of methods can be used to determine the forwarding beam pattern, for example, determining multiple incident angle parameters based on the main lobe direction of the beam pattern used to forward multiple SS / PBCH blocks; and generating a forwarding beam pattern directed to the network device based on the multiple incident angle parameters.

[0074] In some embodiments, when the PRACH transmission opportunities configured by the network side are not frequency reused (for example, the value of the frequency reuse parameter of the PRACH transmission opportunities configured by the network side is 1), and based on the association relationship between the SS / PBCH block group and one or more PRACH transmission opportunities, it is determined that one PRACH transmission opportunity is associated with multiple SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group; or when the PRACH transmission opportunities with frequency reuse are configured on the network side (for example, the value of the frequency reuse parameter of the PRACH transmission opportunities configured by the network side is not 1, but 2, 4, 8, etc.), and based on the association relationship between the SS / PBCH block group and one or more PRACH transmission opportunities, it is determined that multiple (all) frequency reused PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with multiple SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group, the network node determines multiple incident angle parameters based on the beam main lobe direction of the beam pattern used to forward the multiple SS / PBCH blocks (the multiple incident angles are opposite directions of the multiple beam main lobe directions), and generates a forwarding beam pattern directed to the network device based on the multiple incident angle parameters, as shown in FIG4 . Various existing methods can be used to generate a forwarding beam pattern directed toward a network device according to multiple incident angle parameters.

[0075] The signal transmission method disclosed in the present invention determines the forwarding beam pattern of the network node-assisted random access based on the correlation between the SSB and the RO. It can implicitly indicate the forwarding beam pattern adopted by the network node in the relevant process of random access without the need for the network side to send additional control information. By implicitly indicating the forwarding pattern, control signaling can be effectively saved, the utilization rate of network resources and the spectrum efficiency can be improved, and the reliability of data signal forwarding by the network node can be improved. In addition, the need for protocol modification is relatively small, and the method has good practicality.

[0076] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG5 , the present disclosure provides a network node 50 comprising: a pattern determination module 51 and a signal forwarding module 52. The pattern determination module 51 determines a forwarding beam pattern to be used during the duration of a PRACH transmission opportunity associated with an SS / PBCH block in an SS / PBCH block group based on the association between the SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group and PRACH transmission opportunities and frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunities. The signal forwarding module 52 performs signal forwarding processing based on the forwarding beam pattern during the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block.

[0077] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , the network node 50 further includes an information reporting module 53, a configuration receiving module 54, and a block group determination module 55. The information reporting module 53 sends capability group information to the network, which includes information such as forwarding beam switching capability and / or forwarding beam pattern generation capability. The configuration receiving module 54 receives the SS / PBCH block group configuration information sent by the network. The network configures the SS / PBCH block group configuration information based on the capability group information. The block group determination module 55 determines the SS / PBCH block group based on the configuration information.

[0078] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7 , the pattern determination module 51 includes a first determination unit 511 and a second determination unit 512. The first determination unit 511 determines a forwarding beam pattern according to a beam pattern used for forwarding an SS / PBCH block when the frequency reuse information indicates that frequency reuse is not used and the association relationship is that one SS / PBCH block in one SS / PBCH block group is associated with one or more PRACH transmission opportunities, or when the frequency reuse information indicates that frequency reuse is used and the association relationship is that all PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with one SS / PBCH block in one SS / PBCH block group.

[0079] If uplink and downlink beams are mutually different, the first determining unit 511 determines that the forwarding beam pattern is the same as the beam pattern used to forward the SS / PBCH block. If uplink and downlink beams are mutually different, the first determining unit 511 determines an incident angle parameter based on the main lobe direction of the beam pattern used by the SS / PBCH block, and determines the forwarding beam pattern based on the incident angle parameter.

[0080] The second determination unit 512 determines the forwarding beam pattern according to the beam pattern adopted by the SS / PBCH block when the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity indicates that frequency reuse is not used and the association relationship is that multiple SS / PBCH blocks are associated with one PRACH transmission opportunity, or when the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity indicates that frequency reuse is used and the association relationship is that multiple PRACH transmission opportunities at the same moment are associated with multiple SS / PBCH blocks.

[0081] The second determining unit 512 determines a plurality of incident angle parameters according to the beam main lobe direction of the beam pattern used for forwarding the plurality of SS / PBCH blocks, and generates a forwarding beam pattern directed to the network device according to the plurality of incident angle parameters.

[0082] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 8, the network node may include a memory 81, a processor 82, a communication interface 83, and a bus 84. The memory 81 is used to store instructions, and the processor 82 is coupled to the memory 81. The processor 82 is configured to execute the above-mentioned signal transmission method based on the instructions stored in the memory 81.

[0083] Memory 81 can be high-speed RAM, non-volatile memory, or a memory array. Memory 81 can also be divided into blocks, and the blocks can be combined into virtual volumes according to certain rules. Processor 82 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the signal transmission method of the present disclosure.

[0084] In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a communication system, including a network node as described in any of the above embodiments. The communication system may be a 5G (5th generation) communication system, a 6G (6th generation) communication system, etc. The network node includes an intelligent reflective surface IRS device, a reconfigurable intelligent surface RIS device, and a plurality of other network nodes.

[0085] In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions. When the instructions are executed by a processor, the method in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0086] In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a computer program, comprising: instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method as described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0087] Computer readable storage media can adopt any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium can, for example, include but is not limited to a system, device or component of electricity, magnetism, light, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (non-exhaustive enumeration) of readable storage media can include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0088] The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be a computer program product, which includes computer program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of the method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above “Exemplary Method” section of this specification.

[0089] The present disclosure is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram 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 processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0090] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0091] The signal transmission method, network node, communication system, and storage medium in the above-mentioned embodiments determine the forwarding beam pattern adopted by the SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group during the duration of the associated PRACH transmission opportunity according to the association relationship between the SS / PBCH block group and the PRACH transmission opportunity and the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity, and perform signal forwarding processing based on the forwarding beam pattern; it can determine the forwarding beam pattern for the network node-assisted random access according to the correlation between the SSB and the RO, and can implicitly indicate the forwarding beam pattern adopted by the network node in the related process of random access without the need for the network side to send additional control information. By implicitly indicating the forwarding pattern, control signaling can be effectively saved, the utilization rate and spectrum efficiency of network resources can be improved, and the reliability of data signal forwarding by the network node can be improved; and the need for protocol modification is small, and it has good practicality; it can save network deployment costs, ensure service quality, and improve user experience.

[0092] The basic principles of the present disclosure have been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, and effects mentioned in this disclosure are merely illustrative and not restrictive, and should not be construed as necessarily possessed by each embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are provided for illustrative purposes and to facilitate understanding, rather than as limitations. These details do not limit the present disclosure to necessarily being implemented using these specific details.

[0093] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from the other embodiments. Reference can be made to the descriptions of the identical or similar parts between the various embodiments. For system embodiments, since they are essentially identical to the method embodiments, their description is relatively simple. For relevant parts, refer to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0094] The block diagrams of the devices, devices, equipment, and systems involved in this disclosure are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these devices, devices, equipment, and systems can be connected, arranged, or configured in any manner. Words such as "include," "comprise," "have," and the like are open-ended words, meaning "including but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably therewith. The words "or" and "and" used herein refer to the words "and / or" and can be used interchangeably therewith, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The word "such as" used herein refers to the phrase "such as but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably therewith.

[0095] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, device, and method of the present disclosure, each component or each step can be decomposed and / or recombined. Such decomposition and / or recombination should be regarded as equivalent solutions of the present disclosure.

[0096] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0097] The above description has been provided for the purpose of illustration and description. In addition, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure to the forms disclosed herein. Although a number of example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments may be combined, modified, or replaced without departing from the scope and essence of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A signal transmission method, applied to a network node, comprising: Determine, according to the association relationship between the synchronization signal and the SS / PBCH block in the physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block group and the physical random access channel PRACH transmission opportunity, and the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity, the forwarding beam pattern used within the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group; Signal forwarding is performed based on the forwarding beam pattern during the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block.

2. The signal transmission method according to claim 1, further comprising: Sending capability group information to the network side; wherein the capability group information includes: forwarding beam switching capability and / or forwarding beam pattern generation capability information; receiving configuration information of the SS / PBCH block group sent by the network side; wherein the network side configures the configuration information based on the capability group information; The SS / PBCH block group is determined according to the configuration information.

3. The signal transmission method according to claim 2, wherein: The forwarding beam switching capability information includes: a maximum duration for the network node to switch between forwarding beam patterns; The forwarding beam pattern generation capability information includes: capability information of the network node forwarding an incident beam to a desired direction at the same time.

4. The signal transmission method according to claim 3, wherein: The forwarding beam pattern generation capability information is determined by one or more capability identification bits.

5. The signal transmission method according to claim 4, wherein: The number of the multiple capability identification bits is two; The values ​​of the two capability identification bits include: a first value, a second value, a third value and a fourth value; The first value represents that the network node has the ability to forward an incident beam in a single incoming direction to the desired direction at the same time; The second value, the third value, and the fourth value respectively represent that the network node has the ability to forward incident beams within the first angle range, the second angle range, and the third angle range to the same desired direction at the same time.

6. The signal transmission method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: The SS / PBCH block group includes: at least one SS / PBCH block; the SS / PBCH block includes a synchronization signal block SSB index.

7. The signal transmission method according to claim 6, wherein: The time domain interval between the SS / PBCH blocks satisfies the forwarding beam switching capability; and / or, When the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block is frequency division multiplexing, or multiple SS / PBCH blocks are associated with the same PRACH transmission opportunity, the network node satisfies the forwarding beam pattern generation capability information.

8. The signal transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The determining, according to the association relationship between the SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group and the PRACH transmission opportunity and the frequency multiplexing information of the PRACH transmission opportunity, a forwarding beam pattern to be used within the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group comprises: When the frequency reuse information indicates that frequency reuse is not used, and the association relationship is that one SS / PBCH block in an SS / PBCH block group is associated with one or more PRACH transmission opportunities, or when the frequency reuse information indicates that frequency reuse is used, and the association relationship is that all PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with one SS / PBCH block in an SS / PBCH block group, the forwarding beam pattern is determined according to the beam pattern used for forwarding the one SS / PBCH block.

9. The signal transmission method according to claim 8, wherein: The determining, according to the forwarding beam pattern used for forwarding the one SS / PBCH block, the forwarding beam pattern comprises: In the case where uplink and downlink beams are mutually different, it is determined that the forwarding beam pattern is the same as the beam pattern used to forward the one SS / PBCH block.

10. The signal transmission method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The determining, according to the forwarding beam pattern used for forwarding the SS / PBCH block, the forwarding beam pattern comprises: In the absence of uplink and downlink beam reciprocity, determining an incident angle parameter according to a beam main lobe direction of a beam pattern used to forward the one SS / PBCH block; The forwarding beam pattern directed toward the network device is generated according to the incident angle parameter.

11. The signal transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The determining, according to the association relationship between the SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group and the PRACH transmission opportunity and the frequency multiplexing information of the PRACH transmission opportunity, a forwarding beam pattern to be used within the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH blocks in the SS / PBCH block group comprises: The frequency reuse information at the PRACH transmission opportunity indicates no frequency reuse, and the association relationship is one When multiple SS / PBCH blocks in an SS / PBCH block group are associated with one PRACH transmission opportunity, or when the frequency reuse information of the PRACH transmission opportunity indicates the use of frequency reuse and the association relationship is that all PRACH transmission opportunities at the same time are associated with multiple SS / PBCH blocks in one SS / PBCH block group, the forwarding beam pattern is determined according to the beam pattern used for forwarding the multiple SS / PBCH blocks.

12. The signal transmission method according to claim 11, wherein: The determining, according to the beam patterns used for forwarding the multiple SS / PBCH blocks, the forwarding beam pattern comprises: Determining a plurality of incident angle parameters according to a beam main lobe direction of a beam pattern used to forward the plurality of SS / PBCH blocks; A forwarding beam pattern directed toward the network device is generated according to the multiple incident angle parameters.

13. The signal transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The network node includes: a wireless forwarding device with a beamforming function.

14. A network node, comprising: A pattern determination module, configured to determine a forwarding beam pattern used within a duration of a PRACH transmission opportunity associated with an SS / PBCH block in the SS / PBCH block group according to an association relationship between a synchronization signal and an SS / PBCH block in a physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block group and a physical random access channel PRACH transmission opportunity, and frequency multiplexing information of the PRACH transmission opportunity; A signal forwarding module is used to perform signal forwarding processing based on the forwarding beam pattern within the duration of the PRACH transmission opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH block.

15. The network node of claim 14, further comprising: An information reporting module, used to send capability group information to the network side; wherein the capability group information includes: forwarding beam switching capability and / or forwarding beam pattern generation capability information; A configuration receiving module is used to receive the configuration information of the SS / PBCH block group sent by the network side; wherein the network side configures the configuration information based on the capability group information; The block group determination module is used to determine the SS / PBCH block group according to the configuration information.

16. A network node, comprising: Memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 based on instructions stored in the memory.

17. A communication system comprising: A network node as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, wherein the instructions are executed by a processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

19. A computer program comprising: Instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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