Random access resource selection method, information processing method, device, system, and medium

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure are a random access resource selection method, an information processing method, a device, a system, and a medium. The random access resource selection method comprises: on the basis of the priority of a characteristic of a terminal, determining a random access resource that the terminal randomly accesses.

Description

Random access resource selection, information processing method, device, system and medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of audio technology, and in particular to a random access resource selection, information processing method, device, system and medium. Background Art

[0002] Random access resources can be used for random access by terminals. Random access resources are also called Random Access Channel (RACH) resources. Depending on the random access process, random access resources can include four-step random access resources and two-step random access resources.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] With the development of technology, there is a need to further improve the random access effect of terminals.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a random access resource selection, information processing method, device, system, and medium.

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a random access resource selection method is provided, where the method is performed by a terminal and includes:

[0007] The random access resource for random access by the terminal is determined according to the priority of the characteristics of the terminal.

[0008] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing method, wherein the method is performed by a network device, and the method includes:

[0009] Configuration information is sent to a terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate a priority of a characteristic; wherein the priority is used for a terminal having the characteristic to select a random access resource.

[0010] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, wherein the terminal includes:

[0011] The processing module is configured to determine the random access resource for random access of the terminal according to the priority of the characteristics of the terminal.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, the network device including:

[0013] The transceiver module is configured to send configuration information to the terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the characteristic; wherein the priority is used for the terminal with the characteristic to select random access resources.

[0014] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0015] A terminal configured to execute the method provided by any one of the embodiments of the first aspect;

[0016] A network device is configured to execute the method provided by any one of the embodiments of the second aspect.

[0017] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, wherein the communication device includes:

[0018] one or more processors;

[0019] The processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the method provided by the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0020] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method provided by the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0021] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure selects random access resources according to the priority corresponding to the characteristics of the terminal, so that the terminal can select appropriate random access resources for random access, thereby improving the random access effect.

[0022] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing an architecture of a communication system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0025] FIG2 is a flow chart of a method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0026] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a random access resource selection method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0027] FIG4 is a flow chart showing an information processing method according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0028] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an information element (IE) according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0029] FIG6 is a schematic diagram showing an information element (IE) according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0030] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an information element (IE) according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0031] FIG8A is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0032] FIG8B is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0033] FIG9A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0034] FIG9B is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a random access resource selection method, which is performed by a terminal and includes:

[0036] The random access resources for random access by the terminal are determined according to the priorities of the characteristics of the terminal.

[0037] Based on the above solution, random access resources are selected according to the priority of characteristics, so that the terminal can select appropriate random access resources for random access, thereby improving random access effects such as random access success rate.

[0038] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, determining, based on the priority, a random access resource for random access by a terminal includes:

[0039] The random access resource for random access by the terminal is determined according to the priorities of M characteristics of the terminal, where M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0040] In the above embodiment, random access resources for a terminal are determined based on the priorities of multiple characteristics. This, on the one hand, facilitates increasing the number of available random access resources based on the multiple characteristics of the terminal, thereby selecting a more appropriate random access resource for random access. On the other hand, the random access resources configured by the network device can be selected by terminals with more characteristics, thereby improving the effective utilization of random access resources.

[0041] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, determining the random access resource used by the terminal according to M characteristics of the terminal includes: determining the random access resource for random access by the terminal according to the highest priority corresponding to the M characteristics.

[0042] Based on the above solution, when a terminal has M characteristics, the priorities associated with these M characteristics may be the same or different, and the random access resource corresponding to the highest priority is selected as the resource used for random access of the terminal.

[0043] In some embodiments, different characteristics share a priority; alternatively, the priorities of different characteristics are independent.

[0044] Based on the above solution, different features may share or not share priorities, thereby satisfying network configuration of random access resources, selection of random access resources and / or use of random access resources in different scenarios.

[0045] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, the characteristics include: enhanced capability reduction eRedCap and / or capability reduction RedCap.

[0046] Based on the above solution, the characteristics associated with the priority and corresponding to the random access resources include eRedCap and RedCap. In this way, random access resources can be set specifically for eRedCap and RedCap, thereby ensuring the random access effect of terminals with these two characteristics.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0048] Receive configuration information sent by the network device, where the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the feature.

[0049] Based on the above solution, the priority of the feature can be indicated by the network device configuration information, so the network device can flexibly set the priority of the feature according to the current network conditions, thereby controlling the features and / or terminal types of the terminals accessing the network.

[0050] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, the configuration information includes:

[0051] The first field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap and / or RedCap. Based on the above solution, eRedCap and RedCap share the same field indicating the priority, thus reducing the number of fields required to be carried in the configuration information, thereby reducing the bit overhead of the configuration information.

[0052] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0053] The second field is used to indicate the priority of the eRedCap;

[0054] The third field is used to indicate the priority of RedCap.

[0055] Based on the above scheme, in this case eRedCap and RedCap use different fields to indicate priorities, so that network devices can flexibly set the priorities of eRedCap and RedCap, thereby controlling the random access of terminals with different characteristics as needed, thereby reducing unnecessary network congestion and / or waste of network resources.

[0056] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, eRedCap and RedCap have the same priority.

[0057] Based on the above solution, eRedCap and RedCap have the same priority, so terminals with the characteristics of eRedCap and RedCap can share random access resources.

[0058] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an information processing method, which is executed by a network device and includes:

[0059] Configuration information is sent to the terminal, where the configuration information is used to indicate a priority of a characteristic; where the priority is used by a terminal having the characteristic to select a random access resource for random access by the terminal.

[0060] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, the characteristics include enhanced capability reduction eRedCap and / or capability reduction RedCap.

[0061] Based on the above solution, the configuration information includes:

[0062] The first field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap and / or RedCap.

[0063] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0064] The second field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap; the third field is used to indicate the priority of RedCap.

[0065] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, wherein the terminal includes:

[0066] The processing module is configured to determine a random access resource for random access by a terminal according to a priority, wherein the priority is associated with a characteristic of the terminal.

[0067] In a fourth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising:

[0068] The transceiver module is configured to send configuration information to the terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the characteristic; wherein the priority is used for the terminal with the characteristic to select a random access resource for random access of the terminal.

[0069] According to a fifth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0070] The terminal is configured to execute the random access resource selection method provided by any one of the technical solutions of the first aspect.

[0071] A network device is configured to execute the information processing method provided by any one of the technical solutions of the second aspect.

[0072] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, the communication device including:

[0073] one or more processors;

[0074] The processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the communication method described in the optional implementation manner of the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0075] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, which, when the instructions are executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0076] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0077] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0078] It is understandable that the above-mentioned terminals, network devices, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, and computer programs are all used to execute the methods provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0079] The present disclosure provides a random access resource selection, information processing method, device, system, and medium. In some embodiments, the terms random access resource selection, information processing method, device, system, and medium, communication method, information processing method, and communication method are interchangeable; the terms information indicating device, information processing device, and information transmission device are interchangeable; and the terms communication system and information processing system are interchangeable.

[0080] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0081] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0082] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0083] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "the", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English are used in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0085] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0086] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "in one case A, in another case B," or "in one case A, in another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0087] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0088] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no additional restrictions should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0089] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0090] In some embodiments, terms such as "...", "determine...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0091] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0092] In some embodiments, devices, etc. can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. Terms such as "device", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", and "subject" can be used interchangeably.

[0093] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.).

[0094] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station" "fixed station", "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "base station (cell)", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving base station", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0095] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0096] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced by a terminal. For example, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which the communication between the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the terminal is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, it is also possible to set the structure in which the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channels, downlink channels, etc. can be replaced by side channels, and uplinks, downlinks, etc. can be replaced by side links.

[0097] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device may have a structure that has all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0098] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0099] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0100] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0101] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0102] As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102. The network device 102 may include:

[0103] Access network equipment and / or core network equipment.

[0104] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0105] In some embodiments, the access network device may be, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, and at least one of an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0106] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0107] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0108] In some embodiments, the core network device may be a single device including a first network element, or may be a plurality of devices or a group of devices, each including a first network element. The network element may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0109] In some embodiments, the first network element is, for example, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0110] In some embodiments, the first network element is, for example, a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

[0111] In some embodiments, the first network element is used for access and mobility management, such as registration management, connection management, and mobility management, etc., and the name is not limited thereto.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first network element may be a network element independent of the core network device.

[0113] In some embodiments, the core network may further include a second network element, etc. The second network element may include: User Data Management (UDM), etc.

[0114] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0115] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1, or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in Figure 1 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in Figure 1, or may include other entities outside of Figure 1. The number and form of the entities may be arbitrary. The connection relationship between the entities is illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0116] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), future radio access (FRA), new radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these methods. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0117] In some cases, IoT devices are often powered by traditional batteries with limited lifespans, negatively impacting the user experience. The expected astronomical growth in the number of IoT network devices, coupled with the massive number of IoT devices, has pushed maintenance expenses, including labor and battery costs, to a whole new level. Billions of traditional batteries are discarded each year, with only a small fraction effectively recycled, negatively impacting the Earth's ecosystem. Maintaining IoT network operations and replacing batteries can be extremely challenging in extreme environmental conditions. Battery-free IoT communications have been proposed to improve network performance and sustainability, expanding their application scenarios. Furthermore, battery-free communications are more environmentally friendly and safer for children and the elderly. By eliminating traditional batteries, device size and cost can be significantly reduced, paving the way for a variety of new applications.

[0118] In some embodiments, various low power wide area (LPWA) technologies, such as machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), reduced capability (RedCap), etc., have been developed to meet the growing needs of vertical fields. These LPWA technologies achieve low cost, low power consumption and large-scale connectivity, which can meet the requirements of many applications. However, there are still many use cases and applications that cannot be solved in the following situations. First, battery-powered devices are not applicable, such as in extreme environmental conditions (such as high voltage, extremely high / low temperature, humid environment). Second, maintenance-free equipment is required (for example, traditional batteries that do not need to be replaced in the device). Finally, ultra-low complexity, very small device size / form factor (such as mm thickness), longer life cycle, etc. are required.

[0119] With the development of technology, a new type of terminal has been proposed. This new terminal type can be called a reduced capability terminal or user equipment (UE), or simply a new radio lightweight (RNlite) or redcap terminal.

[0120] The new terminal has one or more of the following features: low cost, low complexity, and a certain degree of coverage enhancement and power saving.

[0121] After the introduction of RedCap terminals, different from the usual applications of enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) terminals and / or RedCap terminals, RedCap terminals may include industrial sensors and / or some wearable devices.

[0122] In some cases, Redcap terminals need to be indicated in advance because the time-frequency domain resources for scheduling are limited. That is, the type of terminal can be identified during the random access process to facilitate reasonable scheduling.

[0123] Terminal-based early identification is performed through a portion of the Random Access Channel (RACH), which divides the random access resources according to the feature combination that needs to be supported.

[0124] In the random access resources used by the four-step (4-step) RACH and the random access resources used by the two-step (2-step) RACH, a portion of the feature combination preamble list (featurecombinationpreambleslist) is respectively allocated as a specific feature combination.

[0125] It can be considered that random access resources can be configured for the part used by the characteristic combination, and the rest are common RACH resources.

[0126] During the random access process of the terminal, a suitable random access resource will first be selected from a portion of random access resources mapped by the featureCombinationPreamblesList according to the feature or feature combination currently running on the terminal.

[0127] In some cases, typically for a certain feature combination, both two-step random access and four-step random access resources are selected simultaneously. Ultimately, the decision is made between the two-step and four-step random access resources. If two-step random access is selected first and fails, the four-step random access resource is used instead.

[0128] In order to further simplify the terminal, eRedCap was introduced based on Redcap.

[0129] The eRedCap is mainly used in a frequency range (FR) of 1.

[0130] The baseband bandwidth (BB) for terminals with the eRedCap feature or eRedCap terminals is further reduced to 5 MHz. For example, the BB of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and / or the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) can be reduced to 5 MHz.

[0131] For other physical channels or signals, the eRedCap terminal may be allowed to continue to support a maximum bandwidth of 20 Hz.

[0132] The eRedCap terminal can support various independent early indications, including but not limited to paging early indications.

[0133] However, after the introduction of the eRedCap terminal, its uplink and downlink data transmission bandwidth was limited to 5Mhz.

[0134] If the terminal supports it, the network device can be configured to configure an advance indication of an independent message (Message, Msg) 1 for eRedCap.

[0135] When the Msg1 indication of the RedCap terminal is configured but the Msg1 indication of the eRedCap terminal is not configured, the eRedCap terminal can share the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configured for the RedCap UE.

[0136] It is worth noting that message 3 can be used to distinguish between eRedCap terminals and RedCap terminals.

[0137] MsgA of two-step random access does not support advance indication.

[0138] For 4-step RACH, separate resources for early indication will be configured for eRedCap terminals, that is, a new specific feature combination will be added to eRedCap. In this way, if the network equipment is configured with four-step random access resources and / or early indications separately for eRedCap terminals, the eRedCap terminals will be given priority to use four-step random access resources for random access. Assuming that two-step random access resources and / or early indications (also called early indications) are not configured for the eRedCap terminals, eRedCap can reuse the two-step random access resources and / or early indications of the Redcap terminals.

[0139] At the same time, when configuring the priority of features, network devices will configure different priorities for different features. For priority eRedap terminals, two-step random access resources and four-step random access resources may not be selected at the same time. During the random access process, if two-step random access fails, it will not be able to fall back to four-step random access because the four-step random access resource is not selected.

[0140] FIG2 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , the present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method for a communication system 100, the method comprising:

[0141] S2101: The network device sends configuration information to the terminal.

[0142] In some embodiments, the network device may include but is not limited to an access network device.

[0143] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the feature.

[0144] In some embodiments, the configuration information may also be configuration information of random access resources.

[0145] The random access resource may include: a four-step random access resource and / or a two-step random access resource.

[0146] The random access resources may include but are not limited to: a random access preamble and / or a random access time-frequency resource.

[0147] The time-frequency resources of the random access may include but are not limited to random access opportunities (Random Occasion, RO).

[0148] Two-step random access resources can be used for two-step random access. Two-step random access involves a message A sent by the terminal and a message B sent by the network device. Message B can be a response to message A. Message A can carry the random access preamble. Message B can carry the uplink transmission resources returned when the terminal is allowed access and the contention-based random access conflict resolution result.

[0149] Four-step random access resources can be used for four-step random access. Four-step random access involves messages 1 and 3 sent by the terminal, and messages 2 and 4 sent by the network device. Message 2 may be a response message to message 1, carrying a random access response. Message 4 may be a response message to message 2. Message 1 may include a random access preamble, and message 2 may include uplink resources scheduled for the terminal allowed access. The terminal sends message 3 on the uplink resources scheduled in message 2. Message 4 carries the contention-based random access conflict resolution result.

[0150] In some embodiments, the characteristics herein include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0151] RedCap;

[0152] eRedCap;

[0153] Small Data Transmission (SDT);

[0154] Message 1 early indication (Msg1early Indicator);

[0155] Repetitions of message 3;

[0156] Network slice access layer group (Network slice AS group, NASG), etc. The NASG may include one or more network slice access layer group identifiers.

[0157] In some embodiments, the features corresponding to the random access resources may be carried by a feature combination information element (FEIE). In this case, the configuration information will carry the priority of each feature configured by the FIE. FEIE is also called a message element and is abbreviated as IE.

[0158] In some embodiments, the priorities of different characteristics may be carried by different fields.

[0159] In other embodiments, priorities of different characteristics may be carried by the same field.

[0160] In some embodiments, at least some of the different characteristics may share the same priority level.

[0161] In other embodiments, the priorities of different features may be independent of each other. For example, the priorities of different features may be independent of each other, meaning that the priorities of the different features are set separately. For example, the priorities of two features may be indicated by different fields. The priorities specifically indicated by different fields may be set independently without interfering with each other.

[0162] In some embodiments, different characteristics may have different priorities.

[0163] In other embodiments, at least some of the different characteristics may have the same priority.

[0164] For example, the priorities of eRedCap and RedCap may be the same.

[0165] As another example, the priorities of eRedCap and RedCap are independent of each other, but the priorities of eRedCap and RedCap may be the same.

[0166] In certain embodiments, the priority of eRedCap and RedCap can be indicated by identical field.In this case, the priority of eRedCap and RedCap is necessarily identical.

[0167] In other embodiments, the priorities of eRedCap and RedCap may be indicated by different fields, but the priorities indicated by different fields may be the same.

[0168] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes: a first field for indicating the priority of eRedCap and / or RedCap.

[0169] Exemplarily, the first field may include but is not limited to redcappriority-r17. Exemplarily, redcappriority-r17 may also be written as RedCapPriority-r17 or RedCappriority-r17 or RedcapPriority-r17.

[0170] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0171] The second field is used to indicate the priority of the eRedCap;

[0172] The third field is used to indicate the priority of RedCap.

[0173] The second field and the third field are different fields.

[0174] Exemplarily, the second field may include but is not limited to redcappriority-r17.

[0175] As another example, the third field may include but is not limited to eRedCappriority-r18.

[0176] In some embodiments, the network device may broadcast, multicast, or unicast the configuration information.

[0177] In some embodiments, a network device may broadcast a system information block containing configuration information.

[0178] In some embodiments, the network device may send the configuration information via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0179] In other embodiments, the network device may multicast configuration information to a group of terminals having specific characteristics.

[0180] In some embodiments, the network device sends the configuration information, and the terminal receives the configuration information.

[0181] S2102: Select random access resources.

[0182] In some embodiments, the terminal selects random access resources according to the priority of its own characteristics.

[0183] In some embodiments, the terminal selects random access resources according to the priority of its own characteristics.

[0184] In some embodiments, the terminal selects a random access resource from random access resources mapped to its own characteristics according to the priority of its own characteristics.

[0185] In some embodiments, the terminal may select a random access resource for random access according to the received configuration information and its own characteristics.

[0186] In some embodiments, the terminal may select two-step random access resources for performing two-step random access according to the received configuration information and its own characteristics.

[0187] In other embodiments, the terminal may select four-step random access resources for four-step random access according to the received configuration information and its own characteristics.

[0188] In some other embodiments, the terminal may select four-step random access resources and two-step random access resources according to received configuration information and its own characteristics.

[0189] In some embodiments, the terminal determines that it has candidate random access resources corresponding to (i.e., mapped to) its own characteristics, determines its own selectable random access resources, and then selects the random access resource corresponding to the characteristic with the highest priority based on the priority of its own characteristics as the random access resource for its own random access.

[0190] In this case, the random access resource may include: a four-step random access resource and / or a two-step random access resource.

[0191] For example, if a terminal has the eRedCap feature, and if eRedCap and RedCap have the same priority, then when selecting random access resources, the terminal with the eRedCap feature can reuse RedCap's two-step random access resources even if it is not configured with two-step random access resources. Furthermore, since eRedCap and RedCap have the same priority, the terminal with the eRedCap feature also selects RedCap's four-step random access resources. In this way, if two-step random access fails, the terminal with the eRedCap feature can fall back to four-step random access resources for four-step random access.

[0192] As shown in FIG3 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a random access resource selection method that can be executed by a terminal. The method may include:

[0193] S3101: Receive configuration information sent by a network device.

[0194] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the feature.

[0195] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes:

[0196] The first field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap and / or RedCap.

[0197] In some other embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0198] The second field is used to indicate the priority of the eRedCap;

[0199] The third field is used to indicate the priority of RedCap.

[0200] In some embodiments, the configuration information may also be configuration information of random access resources.

[0201] In some embodiments, the relevant description of the configuration information can refer to the relevant description of the embodiment corresponding to Figure 2.

[0202] S3102: Select random access resources.

[0203] It is worth noting that the manner in which the terminal selects random access resources can be found in the description of S2102 in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 2 .

[0204] In some embodiments, the random access resource for random access by the terminal is determined according to the priority of the characteristics of the terminal.

[0205] In some other embodiments, the random access resource for random access by the terminal is determined based on the priorities of M characteristics of the terminal, wherein the priority M associated with a characteristic is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0206] In some embodiments, different characteristics share a priority; alternatively, the priorities of different characteristics are independent.

[0207] Exemplarily, the priority of eRedCap and RedCap is the same.

[0208] In some embodiments, the terminal may select the random access resource to be used by itself according to a protocol agreement.

[0209] It is worth noting that the random access resource selection method may include step S3102, i.e., step S3101 may be omitted. For example, the terminal may determine the priority of various terminal features according to the protocol. In this case, the network device may not send configuration information, or the terminal does not need to receive configuration information from the network device.

[0210] As shown in FIG4 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an information processing method that can be executed by a network device. The method may include:

[0211] S4101: Send configuration information to the terminal.

[0212] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the feature.

[0213] In some embodiments, the priority is used to select random access resources for random access by terminals having characteristics.

[0214] For optional ways for the network device to send configuration information, see step S2101 shown in FIG. 2 .

[0215] In some, configuration information includes:

[0216] The first field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap and / or RedCap.

[0217] In some cases, the network device does not support RedCap but supports eRedCap, but the priority of eRedCap can be indicated to the terminal through the first field.

[0218] In some cases, the network device supports RedCap but not eRedCap, but can indicate the priority of RedCap to the terminal through the first field.

[0219] In some cases, the network device supports RedCap and eRedCap, but the priority of RedCap and eRedCap may be indicated to the terminal through the first field.

[0220] In some other embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0221] The second field is used to indicate the priority of the eRedCap;

[0222] The third field is used to indicate the priority of RedCap.

[0223] In some embodiments, if the network device does not support or has not enabled RedCap, the second field in the configuration information may be defaulted, or the second field may be empty.

[0224] In other embodiments, if the network device does not support or has not enabled eRedCap, the third field in the configuration information may be defaulted, or the third field may be empty.

[0225] In some embodiments, the network device supports or has enabled RedCap, and the second field in the configuration information indicates the priority of RedCap.

[0226] In other embodiments, the network device supports or has enabled eRedCap, and the third field in the configuration information indicates the priority of eRedCap.

[0227] In some embodiments, the network device supports or has enabled RedCap and eRedCap, then the second field in the configuration information indicates the priority of RedCap, and the third field in the configuration information indicates the priority of eRedCap.

[0228] In some embodiments, eRedCap and RedCap have the same priority.

[0229] If the first field is used to indicate the priority of both RedCap and eRedCap, the priority of eRedCap and RedCap must be the same. If the second field is used to indicate the priority of RedCap and the third field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap, the priority of RedCap and eRedCap can be made the same by setting the indication content of the second and third fields.

[0230] It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the priority of a feature is determined by a protocol, and the network device may not send configuration information specifically indicating the priority of the feature.

[0231] As an embodiment, for 4-step RACH, separate resources for early indication will be configured for the eRedCap terminal, that is, a new specific feature combination is added to eRedCap. In this way, if the network device is configured to configure four-step random access resources and / or early indications separately for the eRedCap terminal, the eRedCap terminal will be given priority to select the four-step random access resources for random access. Assuming that the two-step random access resources and / or early indications (also referred to as early indications) are not configured for the eRedCap terminal, eRedCap can reuse the two-step random access resources and / or early indications of the Redcap terminal. For the eRedCap terminal, the two-step random access resources and the four-step random access resources may not be selected at the same time. In the random access process, if the two-step random access fails, it will not be able to fall back to the four-step random access because the four-step random access resources are not selected.

[0232] In view of this, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for random access resource selection of a terminal, so as to simultaneously select two-step random access resources and four-step random access resources, so that when the two-step random access fails, the terminal can have four-step random access resources for the terminal to fall back to four-step random access. In view of this. The terminal can select two-step random access resources and four-step random access resources according to a plurality of features with the same priority according to network configuration or protocol agreement, so that the terminal can fall back to four-step random access resources when the two-step random access fails. For example, the network can be configured or the protocol can be agreed that different features have the same priority, and these features can all be used by the terminal to perform a RACH resource selection process according to priority.

[0233] In some embodiments, this priority may also be referred to as a service priority.

[0234] In some embodiments, the protocol may stipulate that the priorities of multiple features can be reused. For example, feature A reuses the priority of feature B.

[0235] In some embodiments, the network can configure the priorities of multiple features to be reused. For example, Feature A reuses the priority of Feature B.

[0236] In one embodiment, the protocol may stipulate that multiple characteristics use the same priority.

[0237] For example, the agreement may stipulate that redcap and eRedCap may have the same priority.

[0238] In one embodiment, the network may configure multiple characteristics to have the same priority.

[0239] For example, network configurable redcap and eRedCap may have the same priority.

[0240] In one embodiment, the protocol may stipulate that the priority of redcap also applies to eRedCap.

[0241] In one embodiment, the agreement may stipulate the priority of newly added eRedCaps.

[0242] In one embodiment, the protocol may stipulate that the priority of the newly added eRedCap may be the same as that of the redcap.

[0243] In one embodiment, the priority of the network configurable redcap also applies to the eRedCap.

[0244] In one embodiment, the network can configure the priority of newly added eRedCaps.

[0245] In one embodiment, the network may configure the newly added eRedCap to have the same priority as redcap.

[0246] Of course, the above is just an example of using redcap and eRedcap. In a specific implementation, the feature can also be SDT, early indication of message 1, repetition of message 3 and / or network slice access layer identifier list.

[0247] In one embodiment, for an eRedcap terminal, the higher layers within the terminal notify the MAC layer that the "eRedcap" feature is applicable to the current random access procedure. Alternatively, the MAC layer independently determines that the "eRedcap" feature is applicable to the current random access procedure.

[0248] In another embodiment, higher layers within the terminal notify the MAC layer that the "eRedcap" feature is a feature that triggers the current random access procedure. Alternatively, the MAC layer independently determines that the "eRedcap" feature is a feature that triggers the current random access procedure. The higher layers may include the RRC layer and / or the NAS layer.

[0249] In one embodiment, if the eRedcap terminal can use the random access resources configured for the "Redcap" feature, the "Redcap" feature is also an applicable feature of the current random access process of the eRedcap terminal or a feature triggering the current random access process.

[0250] In one embodiment, when selecting a resource set based on the priority of a characteristic, the currently available random access resource is selected based on the characteristic with the highest priority for all currently applicable characteristics. Assuming that for an eRedcap terminal, both the "Redcap" characteristic and the "eRedcap" characteristic are applicable characteristics for the current random access procedure or characteristics that trigger the current random access procedure, the eRedcap terminal can use multiple characteristics, such as the "Redcap" characteristic and the "eRedcap" characteristic, to select random access resources.

[0251] In one embodiment, if a terminal is allowed to use more than one feature for random access resource selection when selecting a resource set based on feature priorities, the network device needs to configure more than one feature. Furthermore, the priorities of the multiple features configured by the network device are the same.

[0252] In one embodiment, within the set of available random access resources in the random access process, those random access resources configured with characteristics are identified. If a terminal has multiple characteristics, the terminal uses its own characteristics in descending order of priority, matching them with the characteristics configured for the random access resources to determine the random access resources available to the terminal. Note that a priority level can correspond to one or more characteristics.

[0253] In one embodiment, in the set of available random access resources in the random access procedure, those random access resources configured with characteristics are identified. The characteristics used to identify the random access resources are: the characteristics with the highest priority among all the characteristics of the random access procedure. The terminal MAC layer finds those resources configured with characteristics, which can be used by the terminal with the highest priority characteristics in the random access procedure. It is worth noting that: there can be one or more characteristics with the highest priority at this time. At this time, if it is found that more than one resource set can meet all the applicable characteristics of the current random access procedure of the terminal or all the characteristics triggering the current random access procedure, then these resource sets are considered available.

[0254] In one embodiment, if a random access resource set is configured with all applicable characteristics of the current random access procedure of the terminal, then the random access resource set can be used for the corresponding terminal.

[0255] Exemplarily, if the network device is configured with two-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT, Redcap, and slice, and the network device is also configured with four-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT, eRedcap, and slice. If for an eRedcap terminal, if the eRedcap terminal can use the random access resources configured for the "Redcap" feature, then the "Redcap" feature is also an applicable feature of the current random access process of the eRedcap terminal or a feature that triggers the current random access process, then the eRedcap terminal can consider that both the two-step random access resource and the four-step random access resource are available. That is, at this time, the two-step random access resource set and the four-step random access resource are both resource sets that can meet all applicable features of the current random access process of the terminal or all features that trigger the current random access process.

[0256] In one embodiment, among the available random access resource sets for the random access procedure, more than one random access resource set is identified that satisfies all applicable features of the current random access procedure, or triggers some features or a subset of all features of the current random access procedure. In this case, the MAC will continue to select random resource availability according to the priority level of the features.

[0257] The specific steps are as follows:

[0258] First, the currently available random access resources are selected based on the highest priority characteristic (there may be multiple highest priority characteristics), that is, the random access resource set associated with the highest priority characteristic is identified from the available random access resource sets associated with the characteristic in the current random access process.

[0259] Then do the following:

[0260] If the MAC entity identifies more than one available random access resource, it is necessary to select subsequent available random access resources based on the highest priority characteristic among the remaining characteristics until all available random access resources are identified. The remaining characteristics may be: characteristics that have not been considered in the identification process. That is, characteristics that have participated in identification will no longer participate in identification, that is, characteristics that have been considered will no longer be considered. Because multiple characteristics applicable to the current random access process of a terminal have the same priority, it may be necessary to select random access resources mapped to multiple characteristics with the same priority during a certain identification process.

[0261] If the MAC entity does not identify a random access resource set configured with the highest-priority characteristic, the identification process is repeated using the previously identified available random access resource set and the characteristics applicable to the current random access procedure as input. The characteristics used as input are the highest-priority characteristics among the remaining characteristics. These remaining characteristics may include characteristics applicable to the current random access procedure in addition to the characteristics already considered. Note that there may be one or more characteristics with the highest priority.

[0262] Example 1

[0263] The protocol adds a feature eRedCap to the feature combination of random access resource mapping.

[0264] In some embodiments, the eRedCap terminal may include: a terminal with the characteristic eRedCap or a terminal that supports eRedCap separately.

[0265] The eRedCap terminal is different from the Redcap terminal.

[0266] Redcap terminals are different from conventional terminals. Conventional terminals may include but are not limited to eRedCap terminals and Redcap terminals. For example, conventional terminals may include but are not limited to eMBB terminals.

[0267] eRedCap terminals support smaller baseband bandwidths. For example, eRedCap terminals have smaller baseband bandwidths than RedCap terminals. RedCap terminals can also have smaller baseband bandwidths than regular terminals. Baseband bandwidth here can also be referred to as baseband processing bandwidth.

[0268] As an embodiment, the protocol may stipulate or the network may configure: this characteristic or a combination of this characteristic and other characteristics is used to associate with a set of random access resources.

[0269] In one embodiment, the protocol may stipulate or the network device may configure that eRedCap and Redcap may have the same priority.

[0270] In some embodiments, a protocol may stipulate or a network device may configure: priorities of multiple features, and the priorities of these features may be the same or different.

[0271] Example 2:

[0272] The network device may add a feature eRedCap to the feature combination of random access resource mapping.

[0273] The network device can indicate the priority of each feature to the terminal through configuration information.

[0274] As an embodiment, the protocol stipulates that the priority of the original characteristics of one type of terminal can also be applied to the characteristics of other types of terminals.

[0275] The priority of the feature Redcap can be applied to the feature eRedCap. In this way, Redcap and eRedCap share the same feature priority.

[0276] As an embodiment: RedCap and eRedCap have the same priority. The protocol may stipulate that no field indicating the priority of eRedCap is added, but the priority of R17 RedCap is directly used as the priority of eRedCap.

[0277] As an embodiment: if RedCap does not exist in the network, such as the network device does not support access of RedCap terminals, the network device can still use Redcap priority (eg, redCapPriority-r17) to configure priority for eRedcap.

[0278] As an embodiment, the protocol stipulates that the priority of the newly added feature eRedCap is the same as the priority of Redcap.

[0279] As an embodiment: if the priority of Redcap (eg, redCapPriority-r17) and the priority of eRedcap (eg, eRedCapPrioirty-r18) are both configured, the two take the same value, so that the priorities of RedCap and eRedCap are the same.

[0280] In one embodiment, if the applicable characteristics when the terminal initiates random access are Redcap and eRedCap, since Redcap and eRedCap have the same priority, the eRedCap terminal can use the random access resources of Redcap, and / or the Redcap terminal can use the random access resources of eRedCap.

[0281] Example 3:

[0282] The FeatureCombination IE may indicate one or more features associated with a random access resource set.

[0283] As shown in FIG5 , the characteristics indicated by the feature combination IE may include but are not limited to at least one of the following:

[0284] redCap-r17, corresponding to feature redCap;

[0285] smallData-r17, corresponding to characteristic SDT;

[0286] nsag-r17, which may correspond to the characteristic NSAG;

[0287] msg3-Repetitions-r17, which may correspond to repeated transmissions of characteristic message 3;

[0288] eredCap-r18, which may correspond to the feature eRedCap.

[0289] Example 4:

[0290] The Feature Priorities IE may indicate the priority of a feature. For example, the Feature Priorities IE may indicate the priority of features such as redCap, network slicing, SDT, and enhanced coverage with repeated transmission of Message 3. For example, a lower priority value may represent a higher priority. The network device may map these priorities to at least one FeatureCombinationPreambles.

[0291] If the network device does not have the redCap priority configured, it means that the network device does not support redCap. In this case, the network device can use eRedCapPriority-r18 to indicate the priority of the eRedCap feature.

[0292] As shown in FIG6 , the Feature Priorities IE may indicate the priorities of multiple features, including but not limited to:

[0293] redCapPriority-r17, indicating the priority of redCap;

[0294] eredCapPriority-r18, which indicates the priority of eRedCap. It is worth noting that eredCapPriority-r18 is an optional field;

[0295] slicingPriority-r17, which indicates the priority of network slicing. If a terminal has the characteristics of network slicing, it means that the terminal can support communication using network slicing;

[0296] msg3-Repetitions-Priority-r17, which indicates the priority of message 3 repetitions;

[0297] sdt-Priority-r17, which indicates the priority of small data transmission.

[0298] The feature priority (featurePriorities) IE indicates the priority of the feature. These priorities are used to determine which FeatureCombinationPreambles the terminal should use based on the protocol agreement or network configuration when a feature is mapped to multiple FeatureCombinationPreambles. The lower the value, the higher the priority. Except for Redcap and eRedCap, the network device will not configure the same priority for multiple features. That is, when the network device configures the priority for a feature, it can only configure the same priority for Redcap and eRedCap. The network device issues priority indication signaling for all features mapped to at least one FeatureCombinationPreambles.

[0299] Example 5:

[0300] When performing random access resource availability selection, the MAC entity of the terminal may perform the following operations:

[0301] Step 1: Among the available random access resource sets associated with features in the current random access process, identify the random access resource set associated with the highest priority feature and proceed to step 2. It is worth noting that there may be one or more features with the highest priority.

[0302] Step 2: If the MAC entity identifies a single random access resource set associated with the highest priority feature, the terminal may use the random access resources in the single random access resource set for random access. A random access resource set may include one or more random access resources.

[0303] Step 3: If the MAC entity identifies multiple random access resource sets associated with the highest priority characteristic, proceed to step 4.

[0304] Step 4: Repeat the identification process using the identified random access resource set and the characteristics applicable to the current random access procedure as input. The characteristics used as input may include, in addition to the characteristics already considered (i.e., the characteristics already involved in the identification), the characteristics assigned the highest priority among all remaining characteristics applicable to the random access procedure. Note that the highest priority characteristics among the remaining characteristics in this identification step may be one or more.

[0305] Step 5: If the MAC entity does not identify the random access resource set configured with the highest priority feature, proceed to step 6.

[0306] Step 6: Repeat the identification process using the previously identified set of available random access resources and the characteristics applicable to the current random access procedure as input. The characteristics used as input may include, in addition to the characteristics already considered, the characteristics assigned the highest priority among the remaining characteristics applicable to the random access procedure. Note that there may be one or more characteristics with the highest priority among the remaining characteristics.

[0307] Example 6:

[0308] When performing random access resource selection, the MAC entity of the terminal can perform the following operations:

[0309] Step 1: Identify, from the set of available random access resources for the random access procedure, those resources configured with a characteristic that has the highest priority among all characteristics in the current random access procedure. Alternatively, identify those resources configured with a characteristic that can be used by the terminal with the highest priority characteristic in the random access procedure. Note that there may be one or more characteristics with the highest priority.

[0310] After step 1, if a single random access resource set is identified, the terminal selects that random access resource set. Otherwise, if more than one random access resource set is identified, the terminal continues the identification process using the identified available random access resource sets and the highest-priority characteristic among the remaining characteristics applicable to the current random access procedure as input. In other words, the terminal seeks random access resources configured with characteristics that can be used by the terminal with the highest-priority characteristic among all characteristics in the random access procedure. The above identification process is repeated until all characteristics corresponding to the random access resources have been considered. It is worth noting that at this point, there can be one or more characteristics with the highest priority in each identification process.

[0311] If no random access resource set is identified after step 1, the identification process continues by using the previously identified set of available random access resources and the highest-priority remaining characteristics applicable to the current random access procedure as input. In other words, the process searches for random access resources configured with characteristics that can be used by the terminal with the highest-priority characteristic among all characteristics for the random access procedure. This process is repeated until all random access resources or terminal characteristics have been considered. It is important to note that one or more highest-priority characteristics may be used in each identification process.

[0312] Example 7:

[0313] During the identification process, there may be one or more features with the highest priority. Some specific examples are given below:

[0314] 1) If a network device is configured with two-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT, Redcap, and network slices, and the network device is also configured with four-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT, eRedcap, and slices, if a terminal that supports SDT and eRedcap and Slices can use two-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT, Redcap, and slices, or use four-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT, eRedcap, and slices, then two resource sets will be found that can support all feature combinations; both resource sets are available.

[0315] 2) If the network device is configured with two-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT and Redcap (and the network device is also configured with four-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT and eRedcap, then for an eRedcap terminal that supports SDT and Slice, it can use two-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT and Redcap, or it can use four-step random access resources to support the feature combination of SDT and eRedcap, that is, there are two optional resources that can support subsets of all feature combinations. At this time, the terminal will make a decision according to Example 6.

[0316] Step 1: Assuming SDT is the highest-priority combination, random access resources are found in the two random access resource sets that can support the SDT feature. At this point, both optional resource sets are selected. The subsequent steps exclude SDT and continue searching for resources in the two resource sets that can support the next-highest-priority feature. Because Redcap and eRedcap have the same priority, both sets are selected because they can be used by the next-highest-priority feature. At this point, all features have been considered, and the selection process is complete.

[0317] Example 8:

[0318] In one embodiment, for an eRedcap terminal, the higher layer notifies the MAC layer that the random access procedure it initiates uses the "eRedcap" feature. In other words, the "eRedcap" feature is applicable to the current random access procedure, or in other words, the "eRedcap" feature is the feature that triggers the current random access procedure. If the eRedcap terminal can use random access resources configured for the "Redcap" feature, then the "Redcap" feature is also applicable to the current random access procedure, or in other words, the feature that triggers the current random access procedure.

[0319] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device or a core network device) in any of the above methods.

[0320] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above devices is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above devices, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0321] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of a hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document to implement the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0322] FIG8A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG8A , the terminal provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a processing module 601 configured to determine a random access resource priority for random access of a terminal according to a priority characteristic of the priority terminal.

[0323] In some embodiments, the terminal may further include a processing module. The transceiver module may execute steps related to information processing performed by the terminal.

[0324] In some embodiments, the terminal may further include a processing module that can execute steps related to information processing performed by the terminal.

[0325] In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to determine the random access resource for random access by the terminal according to priorities of M characteristics of the terminal, wherein the priority M associated with a characteristic is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0326] In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to determine the random access resource for random access by the terminal according to the highest priority corresponding to the M characteristics.

[0327] In some embodiments, different characteristics share a priority; alternatively, the priorities of different characteristics are independent.

[0328] In some embodiments, the characteristics include: enhanced capability reduction eRedCap and / or capability reduction RedCap.

[0329] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may be configured to receive configuration information sent by the network device, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the feature.

[0330] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes:

[0331] The first field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap and / or RedCap.

[0332] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0333] The second field is used to indicate the priority of the eRedCap;

[0334] The third field is used to indicate the priority of RedCap.

[0335] In some embodiments, eRedCap and RedCap have the same priority.

[0336] FIG8B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG8B , the network device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

[0337] The transceiver module 602 is configured to send configuration information to the terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the characteristic; wherein the priority is used for the terminal with the characteristic to select a random access resource for random access of the terminal.

[0338] Exemplarily, the transceiver module may be configured to perform operations related to transceiver among all operations performed by the network device.

[0339] In some embodiments, the characteristics include enhanced capability reduction eRedCap and / or capability reduction RedCap.

[0340] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes:

[0341] The first field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap and / or RedCap.

[0342] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0343] The second field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap; the third field is used to indicate the priority of RedCap.

[0344] Optionally, the transceiver module 602 is used to execute steps related to information transmission and reception in any of the above methods executed by the network device, which will not be repeated here.

[0345] In some embodiments, the network device further includes one or more processing modules, which can be used to perform information processing.

[0346] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 8100 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 8100 can be a terminal and a network device (e.g., an access network device or a core network device), or a terminal (e.g., a terminal device (UE)), or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports a network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports a terminal to implement any of the above communication methods. The communication device 8100 can be used to implement the communication method described in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiment.

[0347] As shown in Figure 9A, the communication device 8100 includes one or more processors 8101. The processor 8101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The processor 8101 is used to call instructions to enable the communication device 8100 to execute any of the above communication methods.

[0348] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more memories 8102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 8102 may be located outside the communication device 8100.

[0349] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more transceivers 8103. When the communication device 8100 includes one or more transceivers 8103, the communication steps such as sending and receiving in the above method are performed by the transceiver 8103, and the other steps are performed by the processor 8101.

[0350] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, and transceiver circuit may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0351] Optionally, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more interface circuits 8104, which are connected to the memory 8102. The interface circuits 8104 can be used to receive signals from the memory 8102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 8102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 8104 can read instructions stored in the memory 8102 and send the instructions to the processor 8101.

[0352] The communication device 8100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 8100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 8100 may not be limited by FIG. 9A . The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a set of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC set may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0353] 9B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 8200 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 8100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 8200 shown in FIG9B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0354] The chip 8200 includes one or more processors 8201 , and the processor 8201 is used to call instructions so that the chip 8200 executes any of the above communication methods.

[0355] In some embodiments, chip 8200 further includes one or more interface circuits 8202, which are connected to memory 8203. Interface circuit 8202 can be used to receive signals from memory 8203 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to memory 8203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 8202 can read instructions stored in memory 8203 and send the instructions to processor 8201. Optionally, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, and transceiver are interchangeable.

[0356] In some embodiments, the chip 8200 further includes one or more memories 8203 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 8203 may be outside the chip 8200.

[0357] The present disclosure also provides a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on the communication device 8100, causes the communication device 8100 to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but may also be a transient storage medium.

[0358] The present disclosure further provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 8100, enables the communication device 8100 to perform any of the above communication methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0359] The present disclosure also provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the above communication methods.

[0360] Other embodiments of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present invention that follow the general principles of the present invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the present invention being indicated by the following claims.

[0361] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A random access resource selection method, wherein: Executed by a terminal, the method includes: A random access resource for random access by the terminal is determined according to the priority of the characteristic of the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The determining, according to the priority of the characteristic of the terminal, a random access resource for random access by the terminal includes: The random access resource for random access by the terminal is determined according to the priorities of the M characteristics of the terminal, where M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The determining, according to the priorities of the M characteristics of the terminal, a random access resource for random access by the terminal includes: The random access resource for random access of the terminal is determined according to the highest priority corresponding to the M characteristics.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Different features share priorities; or, Different features have independent priorities.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The characteristics include: enhanced capacity reduction eRedCap and / or capacity reduction RedCap.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The method further comprises: Configuration information sent by a network device is received, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate a priority of a feature.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The configuration information includes: The first field is used to indicate the priority of the eRedCap and / or the RedCap.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The configuration information includes at least one of the following: The second field is used to indicate the priority of the eRedCap; The third field is used to indicate the priority of the RedCap.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein: The eRedCap and RedCap have the same priority.

10. An information processing method, wherein: Executed by a network device, the method includes: Configuration information is sent to a terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate a priority of a characteristic; wherein the priority is used for a terminal having the characteristic to select a random access resource.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The characteristics include enhanced capacity reduction eRedCap and / or capacity reduction RedCap.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The configuration information includes: The first field is used to indicate the priority of the eRedCap and / or the RedCap.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The configuration information includes at least one of the following: The second field is used to indicate the priority of eRedCap; the third field is used to indicate the priority of the RedCap.

14. A terminal, wherein: The terminal comprises: The processing module is configured to determine the random access resource for random access of the terminal according to the priority of the characteristic of the terminal.

15. A network device, comprising: The transceiver module is configured to send configuration information to the terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate the priority of the characteristic; wherein the priority is used for the terminal with the characteristic to select random access resources.

16. A communication system, wherein: include: A terminal, configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; A network device configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

17. A communication device, wherein: The communication device comprises: one or more processors; The processor is used to call instructions so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or claims 10 to 13.

18. A storage medium, wherein: The storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or claims 10 to 13.

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