Prach transmission method and apparatus, and prach reception method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a PRACH transmission method and apparatus, and a PRACH reception method and apparatus. The method comprises: a UE determining a second number of ROs related to a time period, wherein the time period is an association pattern period (SSB-to-RO association pattern period) for a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and the PRACH occasions (ROs); and the UE repeatedly transmitting a preamble on the second number of ROs.

Description

PRACH sending and receiving method and device Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies. Background Art

[0002] To enhance the uplink coverage of network equipment (such as base stations), NR Rel-18 studies enhancing the power of Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmitted by terminal equipment (UE) through multiple PRACH transmissions, thereby enabling network equipment to receive PRACHs sent by terminal equipment in areas with weaker coverage, thereby improving the coverage of the initial access channel and ensuring that terminal equipment at the cell edge can access the cell, thereby improving the coverage capability of the system.

[0003] For the PRACH resource configuration scheme, relevant PRACH resource information is configured in the system information, including rach-ConfigCommon and additionalRACH-ConfigList-r17. Network devices configure PRACH resource information such as frequency domain resources and PRACH configuration index through radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Terminal devices can obtain PRACH opportunity (RO) and other time-frequency resource related information by looking up the PRACH configuration index in the table.

[0004] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is merely intended to provide a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of this application and facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Simply because these solutions are described in the background technology section of this application, it should not be assumed that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The inventors discovered that when a terminal device performs PRACH transmission, it is necessary to map the synchronization signal block (SSB) to the RO. For single PRACH transmission, the SSB-to-RO association period (also referred to as the association period) and the SSB-to-RO association pattern period (also referred to as the association pattern period) can be used.

[0007] However, for multiple PRACH transmission, the preamble needs to be repeatedly transmitted on at least multiple ROs in the time domain. Therefore, within the current time period, it cannot be guaranteed that the number of ROs mapped to the same SSB index in the time domain is greater than or equal to the repetition number of the multiple PRACH transmission. It is necessary to determine the time period for the multiple PRACH transmission.

[0008] To address at least one of the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a PRACH sending and receiving method and apparatus.

[0009] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a PRACH sending method is provided, including:

[0010] The terminal device determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an association pattern period (SSB-to-RO association pattern period) of the first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs);

[0011] The terminal device repeatedly sends a preamble on the second number of ROs.

[0012] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a PRACH sending apparatus is provided, configured in a terminal device, the apparatus including:

[0013] a processing unit configured to determine a second number of ROs associated with a time period, the time period being an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of the first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs);

[0014] A sending unit is configured to repeatedly send a preamble on the second number of ROs.

[0015] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a PRACH receiving method is provided, including:

[0016] The network device receives a preamble repeatedly sent by the terminal device on a second number of ROs;

[0017] The terminal device determines the second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs).

[0018] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a PRACH receiving apparatus is provided, configured in a network device, the apparatus comprising:

[0019] a receiving unit configured to receive a preamble repeatedly sent by a terminal device on a second number of ROs;

[0020] The terminal device determines the second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs).

[0021] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a communication system is provided, including:

[0022] a terminal device that determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, the time period being an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of the first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs);

[0023] A network device receives the preamble repeatedly sent by the terminal device on the second number of ROs.

[0024] One of the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is that the terminal device determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is a period of a pattern of association of the first number of SSBs with the ROs. Thus, the terminal device can quickly obtain RO resources for multi-PRACH transmission and ensure that all SSBs in the multi-PRACH transmission are mapped to the ROs, thereby improving the coverage capability of the system.

[0025] With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the present application can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present application include many variations, modifications and equivalents.

[0026] Features described and / or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0027] It should be emphasized that the term "include / comprising" when used herein refers to the presence of features, integers, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The elements and features described in one figure or one embodiment of the present application can be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other figures or embodiments. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several figures and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0029] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a PRACH transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG3 is an example diagram of an associated pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG4 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG5 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG6 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG7 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG8 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG9 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG10 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG11 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG12 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG13 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG14 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG15 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG16 is another example diagram of an association pattern period according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG17 is an example diagram of a PRACH configuration according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a PRACH receiving method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of a PRACH transmitting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of a PRACH receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG21 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The above and other features of the present application will become apparent through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, which illustrate some embodiments in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the present application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish different elements from the name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or temporal order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising", "including", "having", etc. refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components or components.

[0053] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc. include plural forms and should be broadly understood to mean "a" or "a type" rather than being limited to "one." Furthermore, the term "said" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "according to" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", and the term "based on" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that complies with any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A, LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0055] Furthermore, communication between devices in the communication system may be carried out according to communication protocols of any stage, for example, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), future 6G, etc., and / or other communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0056] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to, for example, a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to the communication network and provides services to the terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0057] Among them, base stations may include but are not limited to: NodeB (NodeB or NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) and 5G base station (gNB), IAB host, etc., and may also include remote radio head (RRH, Remote Radio Head), remote radio unit (RRU, Remote Radio Unit), relay (relay) or low-power node (such as femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" can include some or all of their functions. Each base station can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area. The term "cell" can refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "user equipment" (UE) or "terminal equipment" (TE) refers to, for example, a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a subscriber station (SS), an access terminal (AT), a station, and so on.

[0059] Among them, terminal devices may include but are not limited to the following devices: cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, machine-type communication devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, smart phones, smart watches, digital cameras, etc.

[0060] For another example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the terminal device can also be a machine or device for monitoring or measurement, including but not limited to: machine type communication (MTC) terminal, vehicle-mounted communication terminal, device-to-device (D2D) terminal, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminal, and so on.

[0061] In addition, the term "network side" or "network device side" refers to one side of the network, which can be a base station or one or more network devices as described above. The term "user side" or "terminal side" or "terminal device side" refers to the user or terminal side, which can be a UE or one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified herein, "device" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0062] The following describes the scenarios of the embodiments of the present application through examples, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0063] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, schematically illustrating a situation using a terminal device and a network device as an example. As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 may include a network device 101 and terminal devices 102 and 103. For simplicity, FIG1 illustrates only two terminal devices and one network device as an example, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present application, existing services or future services can be transmitted between the network device 101 and the terminal devices 102 and 103. For example, these services may include but are not limited to: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), etc.

[0065] It is worth noting that FIG1 shows that both terminal devices 102 and 103 are within the coverage range of network device 101, but the present application is not limited thereto. Both terminal devices 102 and 103 may not be within the coverage range of network device 101, or one terminal device 102 may be within the coverage range of network device 101 while the other terminal device 103 is outside the coverage range of network device 101.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, the high-layer signaling may be, for example, radio resource control (RRC) signaling; for example, an RRC message, including, for example, an MIB, system information, or a dedicated RRC message; or an RRC information element (RRC IE). The high-layer signaling may also be, for example, MAC (Medium Access Control) signaling; or a MAC control element (MAC CE). However, the present application is not limited thereto.

[0067] For PRACH transmission, to facilitate the terminal device to quickly obtain the time domain resources for PRACH transmission, the time domain pattern of SSB-RO mapping for PRACH transmission can be predetermined and repeated in the time domain. Based on the configuration of RO (PRACH occasion), the PRACH configuration period for PARCH transmission can be obtained.

[0068] However, due to conflicts with SSBs or downlink channels, a PRACH configuration period may drop some RO resources and may not be able to map all SSBs. Therefore, an SSB-to-RO association period is defined for single PRACH transmission to ensure that all SSB indices are mapped at least once. However, the SSB-to-RO mapping pattern formed by the SSB-to-RO association period is not guaranteed to be repeatable in the time domain, so an SSB-to-RO association pattern period is defined.

[0069] For multiple PRACH transmission, it is also necessary to determine a time-domain repetitive pattern of SSB-RO mapping that can send multiple PRACH transmissions, so that the terminal device can quickly obtain the RO resources of the multiple PRACH transmissions.

[0070] However, multiple PRACH transmission requires repeated transmission of the preamble on at least multiple ROs in the time domain. The association pattern period defined for single PRACH transmission does not necessarily guarantee that the number of ROs mapped to the same SSB index in the time domain is greater than or equal to the number of repetitions of multiple PRACH transmissions. Therefore, for multiple PRACH transmission using the legacy SSB-RO mapping method, it is necessary to further determine the period (or time length) of the SSB-RO mapping pattern that can be repeated.

[0071] In the following description, without causing confusion, the terms "PRACH" and "physical random access channel" or "random access information" can be interchanged, the terms "PDCCH" and "physical downlink control channel" or "downlink control information" can be interchanged, and the terms "PDSCH" and "physical downlink data channel" or "downlink data" can be interchanged.

[0072] In addition, transmitting or receiving PRACH can be understood as transmitting or receiving random access information carried by PRACH; transmitting or receiving PDCCH can be understood as transmitting or receiving downlink control information carried by PDCCH; transmitting or receiving PDSCH can be understood as transmitting or receiving downlink data carried by PDSCH. The preamble can be called a random access preamble or a PRACH preamble.

[0073] Embodiments of the first aspect

[0074] The present invention provides a method for transmitting a PRACH, which is described from the perspective of a terminal device. FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the method for transmitting a PRACH according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG2 , the method includes:

[0075] 201. The terminal device determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs);

[0076] 202. The terminal device repeatedly sends a preamble on the second number of ROs.

[0077] It is worth noting that FIG2 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG2 above.

[0078] In some embodiments, the time period X is, for example, in milliseconds (ms). The second number N is the repetition number of the PRACH transmission, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The terminal device repeatedly transmits the preamble on N ROs, i.e., the N ROs transmit the same preamble. For example, N ROs transmitting the same preamble can be referred to as an RO group, i.e., an RO group includes N ROs, where N is the repetition number of the PRACH transmission.

[0079] The PRACH transmissions targeted by the embodiments of the present application may be referred to as multiple PRACH transmissions, but are not limited thereto. For example, other terms may be used, such as MSG 1 repetion, PRACH repetition, multiple MSG1 transmissions, etc. In addition, the repetition number may also be referred to as the number of multiple PRACH transmissions.

[0080] In some embodiments, the time period is determined based on valid PRACH occasions (ROs) configured by separate PRACH occasion configurations and / or common PRACH occasion configurations.

[0081] For example, the PRACH resource configured by rach-ConfigCommon-r17 in AdditionalRACH-Config-r17 is a configuration of PRACH occasions. The PRACH resource configured by rach-ConfigCommon-r17 in AdditionalRACH-Config-r17 (i.e., configuration of PRACH occasions) is used only for multiple PRACH transmission or only for the msg1-repetition feature (or for multiple PRACH transmissions). The separate configuration of PRACH occasions is separate from the configuration of PRACH occasions for other features or the configuration of PRACH occasions for single PRACH transmission.

[0082] Alternatively, the PRACH resources configured by rach-ConfigCommon-r17 in AdditionalRACH-Config-r17 (i.e., configuration of PRACH occasions) are used for multiple PRACH transmission or msg1-repetition (or for multiple PRACH transmissions) features, and for other features such as redcap and / or smalldata and / or nsag and / or msg3-Repetition. The configuration of PRACH occasions is the configuration of PRACH occasions for multiple PRACH transmissions and other features, or the common configuration of PRACH occasions for single PRACH transmission.

[0083] For another example, the PRACH resources configured by rach-ConfigCommon-r17 in AdditionalRACH-Config-r17 (i.e., the configuration of PRACH occasions) are used only for multiple PRACH transmission or have only one repetition number feature, msg1-repetition (or for multiple PRACH transmissions). The separate configuration of PRACH occasions means that the multiple PRACH transmissions for this repetition number are separate from the multiple PRACH transmissions for other repetition numbers.

[0084] Alternatively, the PRACH resources configured by rach-ConfigCommon-r17 in AdditionalRACH-Config-r17 (i.e., the configuration of PRACH occasions) are used for multiple PRACH transmission or msg1-repetition (or for multiple PRACH transmissions) with multiple repetition numbers. The configuration of PRACH occasions is the common configuration of PRACH occasions for multiple PRACH transmissions with multiple repetition numbers.

[0085] The above is an exemplary description of the PRACH configuration related to the present application. The present application is not limited to this. For example, the specific configuration name can be changed, and configurations or signaling or information with the same or similar functions or effects are all within the scope of the present application.

[0086] In some embodiments, the time period may be determined based on a valid RO determined by a separate PRACH opportunity configuration, or may be determined based on a valid RO determined by a common PRACH opportunity configuration.

[0087] In some embodiments, features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different numbers of repetitions correspond to separate PRACH opportunity configurations, or features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different numbers of repetitions correspond to a common PRACH opportunity configuration.

[0088] For example, the PRACH configuration may be configured by higher layer parameters rach-ConfigCommon and msgA-ConfigCommon, and the PRACH resources or PRACH occasions resources may be determined according to the configured PRACH configuration.

[0089] For example, a PRACH resource may be associated with a feature or a combination of features; the feature or combination of features is indicated by an RRC parameter, and the PRACH resource or PRACH occasions configured by the PRACH configuration are associated with (or used for) which feature or combination of features.

[0090] A feature or a combination of features may include MSG1 repetition / multiple PRACH transmission, for example, the feature or combination of features may include multiple PRACH transmissions or may include multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers.

[0091] For example, the feature indicating the configuration of PRACH occasions is multiple PRACH transmissions with repetition number 2, or the features combination is a combination of repetition number 2 and repetition number 4.

[0092] For another example, separate PRACH opportunity configuration can be understood as follows: the feature or combination of features is that the configuration of PRACH occasions for MSG1 repetition / multiple PRACH transmission and the configuration of PRACH occasions for single PRACH transmissions are separate configurations; or, multiple PRACH transmissions and single PRACH transmissions are distinguished on separate ROs.

[0093] A common PRACH occasion configuration can be understood as follows: the configuration of PRACH occasions for MSG1 repetition / multiple PRACH transmissions and the configuration of PRACH occasions for single PRACH transmissions are the same configuration, or a common (shared) configuration. Alternatively, multiple PRACH transmissions and single PRACH transmissions are distinguished on shared ROs.

[0094] In an embodiment of the present application, valid ROs may follow the definition of valid RO in the 38.213 protocol, such as ROs that do not conflict with the SSB and whose time interval with the SSB is not less than a threshold, and ROs that do not conflict / overlap with the downlink time domain unit in the TDD configuration; the present application is not limited thereto.

[0095] The above schematically illustrates the PRACH resources. The first quantity K will be further described below.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first number K is configured and / or indicated by first information from a network device, the first information includes radio resource control (RRC) signaling and / or MAC CE and / or downlink control information, and K is a positive integer.

[0097] For example, the network device may indicate the K value through information in SIB1.

[0098] In some embodiments, the first number configured and / or indicated by the network device is a value in a set of candidate values.

[0099] For example, the candidate value set of the K value and the K value are indicated in SIB1. The K value can be configured in BWP-UplinkCommon, AdditionalRACH-Config, RACH-ConfigCommon, or FeatureCombinationPreambles; the present application is not limited thereto.

[0100] For example, the candidate values ​​of K are {K1, K2, K3, …}, and the gNB configures a K value from the candidate value set.

[0101] Figure 3 is an example diagram of an association pattern period in an embodiment of the present application, where only valid ROs are shown for convenience. As shown in Figure 3, the number of SSB indices is 4. Based on the PRACH configuration and the SSB and preamble configurations, it can be seen that there are 8 valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain within an association pattern period. If this PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4, then two RO groups associated with the same SSB can be determined within an association pattern period. That is, the valid ROs associated with SSB 0 shown in Figure 3 can form two RO groups (RO group 1 and RO group 2). As shown in Figure 3, one association pattern period can be determined as a repeatable pattern that associates SSBs with ROs. For example, the candidate values ​​for K are {1, 2, 3, 4}, and the gNB will configure a value from the candidate value set, that is, K is 1.

[0102] Figure 4 is another example diagram of the association pattern period of an embodiment of the present application, in which only valid ROs are shown for convenience. As shown in Figure 4, the number of SSB indices is 8. According to the PRACH configuration and the configurations such as SSB and preamble, it can be seen that: in one association pattern period, there are 4 valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain. If this PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 8, then one RO group associated with the same SSB can be determined within two association pattern periods. As shown in Figure 4, valid ROs associated with SSB 0 can form one RO group. As shown in Figure 4, two association pattern periods can be determined as a repeatable pattern for associating SSBs with ROs. For example, the candidate values ​​for K are {1, 2, 3, 4}, and the gNB will configure a value from the candidate value set, that is, K is 2.

[0103] In some embodiments, a first correlation pattern period corresponds to a first candidate value set, and a second correlation pattern period corresponds to a second candidate value set; the first correlation pattern period is different from the second correlation pattern period.

[0104] For example, the K values ​​corresponding to the association pattern period values ​​are shown in Table 1 below.

[0105] Table 1. Correspondence between Association pattern period and K value

[0106] Figure 5 is another example diagram of the association pattern period of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the number of SSB indexes is 8. According to the PRACH configuration and the configurations such as SSB and preamble, it can be seen that: a PRACH configuration period is 10ms, and 4 SSBs can be mapped in a PRACH configuration period. An association pattern period consists of 2, 4, and 2 association periods respectively, and an association pattern period is 80ms. It can be seen from Table 1 above that: the configurable K value is {1, 2, 4, 8, 16}. The ROs marked in gray in Figure 5 are invalid ROs (invalid ROs) or ROs that cannot map SSBs (which can be called unused ROs).

[0107] As shown in Figure 5, within one association pattern period, there are three valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain. If this PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 2, then within two association pattern periods, three RO groups associated with the same SSB can be determined. As shown in Figure 5, the valid ROs associated with SSB 0 form three RO groups (RO Group 1, RO Group 2, and RO Group 3). As shown in Figure 5, two association pattern periods can be determined as repeatable patterns for associating SSBs with ROs. For example, the candidate values ​​for K are {1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 16}. The gNB configures a value from the candidate set, i.e., K is 2.

[0108] The above example illustrates the case where the network device directly configures the K value. The following example illustrates the case where the K value is obtained through other parameters.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first number is obtained based on at least second information, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indices sent by the PRACH.

[0110] In some embodiments, a single repetition number is configured for the PRACH transmission; or multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein one of the multiple repetition numbers corresponds to a first number, wherein the first number is equal to the configured repetition number, or the first number is an integer multiple of the configured repetition number, or the first number is the least common multiple of the number of SSB indices and the configured repetition number.

[0111] For example, only one number of multiple PRACH transmissions may be configured, or multiple numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions may be configured, with different numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions corresponding to different values ​​of K. Features of different numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions may correspond to common / separate configurations of PRACH occasions, or different numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions may be on shared ROs / separate ROs.

[0112] In this case, the K value may be equal to the configured number of multiple PRACH transmissions, or the K value may be an integer multiple of the configured number of multiple PRACH transmissions, or the K value may be the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the repetition number; the present application is not limited thereto.

[0113] For example, taking the K value equal to the configured number of multiple PRACH transmissions, N ROs with similar time domain positions of the same SSB can be associated to form an RO group, where N is the repetition number of multiple PRACH transmissions of the configured PRACH occasion.

[0114] Figure 6 is another example diagram of the association pattern period of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the number of SSB indexes is 4. According to the PRACH configuration and the configurations such as SSB and preamble, it can be seen that: in one association pattern period, there are 2 valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain, of which the ROs marked in gray are invalid ROs or unused ROs. And if the PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4, then the K value is equal to the repetition number, that is, K=4, and the repeated RO groups pattern is 4 association pattern periods. Among them, the ROs that make up RO group 1 are the 4 ROs that are closest in the time domain to SSB 0, and the ROs that make up RO group 2 are the 4 ROs that are closest in the time domain to SSB 0.

[0115] For another example, assuming that the K value is equal to the configured number of multiple PRACH transmissions, N ROs that map the same SSB and have the same relative position in the time domain within each association pattern period constitute an RO group. The relative position in the time domain is defined as the relative position of the RO relative to the starting position in the time domain of the association pattern period, where N is the repetition number of multiple PRACH transmissions for that configured PRACH occasion.

[0116] Figure 7 is another example diagram of the association pattern period of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the number of SSB indexes is 4. According to the PRACH configuration and the configurations such as SSB and preamble, it can be seen that: there are 2 valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain in one association pattern period, of which the ROs marked in gray are invalid ROs or unused ROs. And this PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4, then the K value is equal to the repetition number, that is, K=4, and the repeated RO groups pattern is 4 association pattern periods. The ROs that make up RO group 1 are the four ROs that have the same relative position in the time domain and are associated with SSB 0 in each association pattern period, and the ROs that make up RO group 2 are the four ROs that have the same relative position in the time domain and are associated with SSB 0 in each association pattern period.

[0117] In some embodiments, multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein the multiple repetition numbers correspond to a first number, wherein the first number is equal to a maximum value among the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is an integer multiple of the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is a least common multiple of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the number of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is a least common multiple of the SSB index number and the multiple configured repetition numbers.

[0118] For example, multiple numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions may be configured, and the K value corresponds to all configured numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions; wherein features of different numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions correspond to common / separate configuration of PRACH occasions, or different numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions are on shared ROs / separate ROs.

[0119] In this case, the K value may be equal to the maximum value of the configured multiple number of multiple PRACH transmissions, or the K value may be equal to an integer multiple of the maximum value of the configured multiple number of multiple PRACH transmissions, or the K value may be equal to the least common multiple of the configured multiple number of multiple PRACH transmissions, or the K value may be equal to the number of configured number of multiple PRACH transmissions (for example, K=2 when two repetition numbers are configured), or the K value may be the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the repetition number; the present application is not limited thereto.

[0120] For example, taking the K value being equal to the maximum value among the configured number of multiple PRACH transmissions as an example, the configured number of multiple PRACH transmissions are on shared ROs.

[0121] Figure 8 is another example diagram of an association pattern period in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, based on the PRACH configuration and configurations such as SSB and preamble, it can be seen that there are 4 valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain in one association pattern period. If this PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with repetition numbers of 2 and 4, then the K value is equal to the maximum repetition number value used for multiple PRACH transmissions in this PRACH configuration, that is, K = 4. Therefore, the four association pattern periods can be determined as a repeatable pattern for associating SSBs with RO groups.

[0122] As shown in Figure 8 , the number of SSBs is 4. Valid ROs associated with SSB 0 can form RO groups associated with SSB 0. For multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4, four valid ROs that are close in time domain position in Figure 8 form an RO group, as shown by the four ROs in block 801 in Figure 8 . For multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 2, two valid ROs that are close in time domain position in Figure 8 form an RO group, as shown by the two ROs in block 802 in Figure 8 . Furthermore, the multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 2 and the multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4 are on shared ROs.

[0123] For another example, taking the case where the K value is equal to the maximum value among the configured multiple number of multiple PRACH transmissions, the configured multiple number of multiple PRACH transmissions are on separate ROs.

[0124] Figure 9 is another example diagram of the association pattern period of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, the number of SSB indexes is 4. According to the separate PRACH configuration with a repetition number of 4 and a repetition number of 2, corresponding separate ROs in different frequency domains are obtained. There are 4 valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain in the association pattern period of the two multiple PRACH transmissions. The PRACH configuration of the two multiple PRACH transmissions is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with repetition numbers of 2 and 4, respectively, then the K value is equal to the largest repetition number value therein, that is, K = 4. Therefore, the 4 association pattern periods can be determined as a repeatable pattern for associating SSBs with RO groups.

[0125] As shown in Figure 9 , for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4, valid ROs associated with SSB 0 / 1 can form an RO group associated with SSB 0 / 1. In Figure 9 , four valid ROs that are close in time domain position form an RO group, as shown by the four ROs in block 901 in Figure 9 .

[0126] As shown in Figure 9 , for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 2, valid ROs associated with SSB 0 / 1 can form an RO group associated with SSB 0 / 1. In Figure 9 , two ROs that are close in time domain position form an RO group, as shown by the two ROs in block 902 in Figure 9 .

[0127] The above example illustrates the case where the K value is obtained through other parameters. The following describes the case where the default value or fixed value is used.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first number is a default or fixed value.

[0129] For example, the K value is a fixed default value, such as K=8, which means that multiple PRACH transmissions can obtain a maximum repetition number value.

[0130] For another example, the value of K is a value in a candidate set. For example, for different association pattern period values, the value of K is one of the candidate values ​​in the set, and the value of K is the minimum association pattern period value for each SSB index to be associated with at least one RO group.

[0131] Taking the candidate value set as an example, for example, for the first association pattern period, the candidate value set of K is the first set. For the second association pattern period, the candidate value set of K is the second set. For example, the association pattern period value pairs and the corresponding K values ​​are shown in Table 2 below.

[0132] Table 2. Correspondence between Association pattern period and K value

[0133] Taking the minimum association pattern period value as an example, the K value is the minimum value that can ensure that all SSBs are associated with the RO group.

[0134] Figure 10 is another example diagram of the association pattern period in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 10, the number of SSB indices is 4. Based on the PRACH configuration and the SSB and preamble configurations, it can be seen that: a PRACH configuration period is 10ms, there are 8 PRACH configuration periods in an association pattern period, so it is 80ms, and there are two valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain within an association pattern period. The ROs marked in gray are invalid ROs or unused ROs. This PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4.

[0135] According to Table 2 above, for an association pattern period of 80ms, the set of candidate values ​​for K is {1, 2, 4, 8}. For multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4, four ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain form an RO group. As shown in Figure 10, at least two association pattern periods are required to ensure that all SSBs are associated with one RO group. In this case, the K value is 2.

[0136] For another example, K is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs in the time domain in time period X to form at least one RO group, or K is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs associated with the same SSB index in the time domain in time period X to be greater than or equal to the number of multiple PRACH transmissions.

[0137] Figure 11 is another example diagram of the association pattern period in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 11, the number of SSB indices is 8. Based on the PRACH configuration and the SSB and preamble configurations, it can be seen that: a PRACH configuration period is 10ms, and 4 SSBs can be mapped in a PRACH configuration period. An association pattern period consists of 2, 4, and 2 association periods, respectively, and an association pattern period is 80ms.

[0138] If the repetition number of multiple PRACH transmission is 2, as shown in Figure 11, the number of ROs associated with the same SSB index in one association pattern period is 3, which is greater than the repetition number 2 of multiple PRACH transmission. Therefore, ROs in at least one association pattern period can form an RO group. In this case, the time period X is one association pattern period, that is, K is 1.

[0139] As shown in Figure 11, invalid ROs are ROs that conflict with the SSB burst or UL / DL TDD configuration. Invalid ROs are represented by gray blocks in Figure 11. Unused ROs are ROs that cannot be mapped to the eight SSB indexes, meaning that an SSB-to-RO mapping cycle cannot be formed. Unused ROs are represented by grid blocks in Figure 11.

[0140] The following further describes the PRACH resource configuration of the embodiment of the present application. The K value can be obtained from these configurations, and the time period X can be determined.

[0141] In some embodiments, for all PRACH configurations with PRACH transmission for a feature or feature combination in an uplink common configuration, the time periods of all PRACH configurations correspond to the first number; or,

[0142] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and all of the feature combinations correspond to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to all of the feature combinations corresponds to the first number; or,

[0143] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and one feature combination corresponds to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature combination corresponds to the first number; or,

[0144] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration having a PRACH configuration for PRACH transmission, and one of the features corresponds to PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, the time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature corresponds to the first number.

[0145] Figure 12 is an example diagram of a PRACH configuration according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12, the PRACH configuration may include BWP-UplinkCommon, AdditionalRACH-Config, rach-ConfigCommon, featureCombinationPreambles, etc. For the specific meanings of these configurations, please refer to the relevant technologies.

[0146] For example, for all AdditionalRACH-Configs in BWP-UplinkCommon, one K value or multiple K values ​​may be determined, that is, one time period X or multiple time periods X. The multiple PRACH transmissions applicable to different AdditionalRACH-Configs in BWP-UplinkCommon may have different repetition numbers.

[0147] For another example, for an AdditionalRACH-Config in BWP-UplinkCommon, all featureCombinationPreambles in rach-ConfigCommon in the AdditionalRACH-Config may determine one K value or multiple K values, that is, one time period X or multiple time periods X. The features or feature combinations of different featureCombinationPreambles in rach-ConfigCommon may apply to different multiple PRACH transmissions and have different repetition numbers.

[0148] For another example, for an AdditionalRACH-Config in BWP-UplinkCommon, a featureCombinationPreambles in rach-ConfigCommon in the AdditionalRACH-Config may determine one K value or multiple K values, that is, one time period X or multiple time periods X. The feature combination of a featureCombinationPreambles is multiple PRACH transmissions with different repetition numbers.

[0149] The above examples illustrate how to obtain the K value, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, various methods may be combined.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and / or the second information, or the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and a default value or a fixed value, or the first quantity is obtained based on the second information and a default value or a fixed value; the first information is used to configure and / or indicate the first quantity, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indexes sent by the PRACH.

[0151] For example, the K value directly configured by the network device can be combined with the default K value. For example, for multiple PRACH transmission, there are K association pattern periods in time period X;

[0152] When the UE is configured with a K value: the time period X is determined by the configured K value, and the association pattern duration between SSB and RO groups is K association pattern periods;

[0153] When the UE is not configured with a K value: the time period X is determined according to the default K value, and the pattern duration between the SSB and RO groups is K association pattern periods, or the K value is the minimum value in the candidate value set that associates at least one RO group with each SSB index.

[0154] For another example, the direct configuration of the K value by the network device can be combined with obtaining the K value through other parameters. For example, for multiple PRACH transmission, there are K association pattern periods in time period X;

[0155] When the UE is configured with a K value: the time period X is determined by the configured K value, and the association pattern duration between SSB and RO groups is K association pattern periods;

[0156] When the UE is not configured with a K value:

[0157] Multiple PRACH transmissions use separate configurations of PRACH occasions, or, for a random access procedure where the feature indicates multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of N, the value of K is the repetition number of the multiple PRACH transmissions, or,

[0158] Multiple PRACH transmissions use separate configurations of PRACH occasions, or multiple PRACH transmissions with different repetition numbers use a common configuration of PRACH occasions, or, for the feature indication of the random access procedure as multiple PRACH transmissions, the K value is the maximum value of the repetition number configured for the multiple PRACH transmissions.

[0159] For another example, it can be jointly indicated with a parameter indicating the number of multiple PRACH transmissions, and the value of K is a multiple of the number of multiple PRACH transmissions. Table 3 shows an example of a joint indication with other parameters.

[0160] Table 3

[0161] The following is a schematic illustration of the limitations on the K value.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first number of associated pattern periods is the minimum duration capable of determining a repeated PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern); for PRACH opportunities (RO) that cannot or do not need to constitute the PRACH opportunity group in the associated pattern period, the SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0163] In some embodiments, the PRACH transmission not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO) includes at least multiple PRACH transmissions. For example, the ROs are at least not used for multiple PRACH transmissions and may be used for single PRACH transmissions.

[0164] Figure 13 is another example diagram of an association pattern period in an embodiment of the present application, using the example of directly configuring the K value on a network device. As shown in Figure 13, the number of SSB indices is 2. Based on the PRACH configuration, as well as the SSB and preamble configurations, it can be seen that within an association pattern period, there are six valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain. If this PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4, then within one association pattern period, one RO group associated with the same SSB can be determined.

[0165] As shown in Figure 13, the first four valid ROs associated with SSB 0 can form one RO group. The two ROs marked in gray in this association pattern period and associated with SSB 0 can no longer form an RO group with four multiple PRACH transmissions. Therefore, these two ROs are no longer associated with an SSB or used for PRACH transmissions. As shown in Figure 13, one association pattern period can be determined as a repeatable pattern that associates SSBs with ROs. For example, if the candidate values ​​for K are {1, 2, 3, 4}, the gNB configures a value from the candidate set, i.e., K is 1.

[0166] Figure 14 is another example diagram of an association pattern period in an embodiment of the present application, using the example of directly configuring the K value on a network device. As shown in Figure 14, the number of SSB indices is 2. Based on the PRACH configuration, as well as the SSB and preamble configurations, it can be seen that within an association pattern period, there are six valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain. If this PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 8, then within two association pattern periods, one RO group associated with the same SSB can be determined.

[0167] As shown in Figure 14, the first six valid ROs associated with SSB 0 can form one RO group. The four ROs marked in gray in this association pattern period and associated with SSB 0 can no longer form an RO group with eight multiple PRACH transmissions. Therefore, these four ROs are no longer associated with an SSB or used for PRACH transmissions. As shown in Figure 14, one association pattern period can be determined as a repeatable pattern for associating SSBs with ROs. For example, if the candidate values ​​for K are {1, 2, 3, 4}, the gNB configures a value from the candidate set, i.e., K is 2.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repeated PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern); all valid PRACH opportunities (RO) in the first number of associated pattern periods are used for the PRACH transmission.

[0169] For example, the PRACH transmission is multiple PRACH transmission, that is, the same preamble is repeatedly transmitted in the PRACH transmission. The present application is not limited thereto, and the PRACH transmission may also use other names.

[0170] Figure 15 shows another example of an association pattern period in an embodiment of the present application, using the example of directly configuring the K value on a network device. As shown in Figure 15 , the number of SSB indices is 2. Based on the PRACH configuration, as well as the SSB and preamble configurations, it can be seen that within an association pattern period, there are six valid ROs associated with the same SSB in the time domain. If this PRACH configuration is used for multiple PRACH transmissions with a repetition number of 4, then within one association pattern period, one RO group associated with the same SSB can be determined.

[0171] As shown in Figure 15, the first four valid ROs associated with SSB 0 form one RO group (RO group 1). The last two ROs associated with SSB 0 in this association pattern period can be combined with the first two ROs associated with SSB 0 in the next association pattern period to form an RO group (RO group 2). The remaining four ROs associated with SSB 0 in the second association pattern period can form another RO group (RO group 3). As shown in Figure 15, two association pattern periods can be determined to form a repeatable pattern for associating SSBs with ROs. For example, if the candidate values ​​for K are {1, 2, 3, 4}, the gNB will configure a value from the candidate set, i.e., K is 2.

[0172] In some embodiments, within the time period, for a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot form an RO group mapping a third number of SSB indexes after an integer number of PRACH opportunity groups (RO groups), the SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0173] For example, N ROs can form a complete RO group. After multiple ROs within the time period form an integer number of RO groups, one or more ROs may remain. If these ROs cannot form an RO group that maps all SSB indexes, SSB indexes are not mapped on these ROs or PRACH transmission is not performed on these ROs.

[0174] In some embodiments, the PRACH transmission not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO) is a multiple PRACH transmission. For example, the ROs are at least not used for multiple PRACH transmissions, but may be used for single PRACH transmissions.

[0175] FIG16 is another example diagram of the association pattern period of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG16 , the number of SSB indexes (the third number) is 8. According to the PRACH configuration and the configurations such as SSB and preamble, it can be known that: a PRACH configuration period is 10ms, and a PRACH configuration period can map 4 SSBs. An association pattern period is composed of 2, 4, and 2 association periods respectively, and an association pattern period is 80ms.

[0176] If the repetition number of multiple PRACH transmission is 2, as shown in Figure 16, the number of ROs associated with the same SSB index in one association pattern period is 3, which is greater than the repetition number 2 of multiple PRACH transmission. Therefore, ROs in at least one association pattern period can form an RO group. In this case, time period X is one association pattern period, that is, K is 1.

[0177] As shown in Figure 16, ROs in the last association period of each association pattern period cannot form an RO group and are no longer used for multiple PRACH transmission. Figure 16 uses diagonal blocks to represent ROs not used for multiple PRACH transmission. Invalid ROs are ROs that conflict with SSB bursts or UL / DL TDD configurations. Figure 16 uses gray blocks to represent invalid ROs. Unused ROs are RO sets that cannot be mapped to the eight SSB indexes, that is, cannot form an SSB-to-RO mapping cycle. Figure 16 uses grid blocks to represent unused ROs.

[0178] Figure 17 is another example diagram of the association pattern period of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 17, the number of SSB indexes is 8. If the repetition number of multiple PRACH transmission is 4, it can be seen from Figure 17 that the number of ROs associated with the same SSB index in one association pattern period is 3. At least ROs in two association pattern periods can form an RO group, so the time period X is 2 association pattern periods, that is, K is 2.

[0179] As shown in Figure 17, ROs in the last two association periods of the last association pattern period in each time period X cannot form an RO group and are no longer used for multiple PRACH transmission. Figure 17 uses diagonal blocks to represent ROs not used for multiple PRACH transmission. Invalid ROs are ROs that conflict with SSB bursts or UL / DL TDD configurations. Invalid ROs are represented by gray blocks in Figure 17. Unused ROs are RO sets that cannot be mapped to the eight SSB indexes, that is, they cannot form an SSB-to-RO mapping cycle. Unused ROs are represented by grid blocks in Figure 17.

[0180] In some embodiments, the maximum value of the first number is Kmax; the maximum value of the time period is Tmax, and the unit of the time period is, for example, milliseconds (ms).

[0181] For example, Kmax is a default fixed value or is indicated by the base station. For example, K is the maximum value of the configured numbers of multiple PRACH transmissions, and the maximum value will not exceed Kmax.

[0182] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can quickly obtain RO resources for sending multiple PRACH transmissions and ensure the sending of multiple PRACH transmissions, thereby improving the coverage capability of the system.

[0183] Furthermore, different SSB and RO group mapping pattern repetition periods can be used for different multiple PRACH transmission configurations. For scenarios where transmission latency needs to be reduced, the repetition period for mapping all SSBs to RO groups can be minimized, thereby reducing the interval and / or duration of multiple PRACH transmissions and the time it takes for the base station to detect PRACH, thereby reducing the transmission latency of multiple PRACH transmissions.

[0184] In addition, for scenarios with limited resources, RO resources for transmitting multiple PRACH transmissions can be utilized as much as possible, thereby improving resource utilization of PRACH transmission.

[0185] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0186] As can be seen from the above embodiment, the terminal device determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is the association pattern period of the first number of SSBs and ROs. As a result, the terminal device can quickly obtain RO resources for multi-PRACH transmission and ensure that all SSBs in the multi-PRACH transmission are mapped to ROs, thereby improving the coverage capability of the system.

[0187] Embodiments of the second aspect

[0188] The embodiment of the present application provides a PRACH receiving method, which is described from the perspective of a network device. The embodiment of the second aspect can be combined with the embodiment of the first aspect, and the same contents as the embodiment of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0189] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a PRACH receiving method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG18 , the method includes:

[0190] 1802. The network device receives a preamble repeatedly sent by the terminal device on a second number of ROs.

[0191] The terminal device determines the second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs).

[0192] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG18 , the method may further include:

[0193] 1801. The network device sends PRACH configuration information and / or indication information to the terminal device.

[0194] It is worth noting that FIG18 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be removed. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG18 above.

[0195] In some embodiments, the time period is determined based on valid PRACH occasions (ROs) configured by separate PRACH occasion configurations and / or common PRACH occasion configurations.

[0196] In some embodiments, the second number N is the repetition number of the PRACH transmission, and N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0197] In some embodiments, features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different numbers of repetitions correspond to separate PRACH opportunity configurations, or features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different numbers of repetitions correspond to a common PRACH opportunity configuration.

[0198] In some embodiments, the first number K is configured and / or indicated by first information from a network device, the first information includes radio resource control (RRC) signaling and / or MAC CE and / or downlink control information, and K is a positive integer.

[0199] In some embodiments, the first number configured and / or indicated by the network device is a value in a set of candidate values.

[0200] In some embodiments, a first correlation pattern period corresponds to a first candidate value set, and a second correlation pattern period corresponds to a second candidate value set; the first correlation pattern period is different from the second correlation pattern period.

[0201] In some embodiments, the first number is obtained based on at least second information, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indices sent by the PRACH.

[0202] In some embodiments, one repetition number is configured for the PRACH transmission; or, multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein one repetition number in the multiple repetition numbers corresponds to a first quantity.

[0203] In some embodiments, the first number is equal to the configured repetition number, or the first number is an integer multiple of the configured repetition number, or the first number is the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the configured repetition number.

[0204] In some embodiments, a plurality of repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein the plurality of repetition numbers correspond to a first quantity.

[0205] In some embodiments, the first number is equal to the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is an integer multiple of the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the number of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the multiple configured repetition numbers.

[0206] In some embodiments, the first number is a default or fixed value.

[0207] In some embodiments, the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs in the time domain in the time period to form at least one RO group, or the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs associated with the same SSB index in the time domain in the time period to be greater than or equal to the number of repetitions sent by the PRACH.

[0208] In some embodiments, the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and / or the second information, or the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and a default value or a fixed value, or the first quantity is obtained based on the second information and a default value or a fixed value;

[0209] The first information is used to configure and / or indicate the first quantity, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indexes sent by the PRACH.

[0210] In some embodiments, the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repetitive PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern);

[0211] For a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot or does not need to constitute the PRACH opportunity group in the associated pattern period, an SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0212] In some embodiments, the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repetitive PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern);

[0213] All valid PRACH opportunities (ROs) in the first number of associated pattern periods are used for the PRACH transmission.

[0214] In some embodiments, within the time period, for a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot form an RO group mapping a third number of SSB indexes outside an integer number of PRACH opportunity groups (RO groups), the SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0215] In some embodiments, the PRACH transmission not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO) is a multiple PRACH transmission.

[0216] In some embodiments, for all PRACH configurations with PRACH transmission for a feature or feature combination in an uplink common configuration, the time periods of all PRACH configurations correspond to the first number; or,

[0217] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and all of the feature combinations correspond to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to all of the feature combinations corresponds to the first number; or,

[0218] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and one feature combination corresponds to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature combination corresponds to the first number; or

[0219] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration having a PRACH configuration for PRACH transmission, and one of the features corresponds to PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, the time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature corresponds to the first number.

[0220] In some embodiments, the maximum value of the first number is Kmax; the maximum value of the time period is Tmax, and the unit of the time period is, for example, milliseconds (ms).

[0221] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0222] As can be seen from the above embodiment, the terminal device determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is the association pattern period of the first number of SSBs and ROs. As a result, the terminal device can quickly obtain RO resources for multi-PRACH transmission and ensure that all SSBs in the multi-PRACH transmission are mapped to ROs, thereby improving the coverage capability of the system.

[0223] Embodiments of the third aspect

[0224] The embodiment of the present application provides a PRACH transmitting device. The device may be, for example, a terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the terminal device, and the contents that are the same as those in the embodiment of the first aspect are not repeated here.

[0225] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of a PRACH transmitting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG19 , the PRACH transmitting apparatus 1900 includes:

[0226] a processing unit 1901 for determining a second number of ROs associated with a time period, the time period being an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs);

[0227] The sending unit 1902 is configured to repeatedly send a preamble on the second number of ROs.

[0228] In some embodiments, the time period is determined based on valid PRACH occasions (ROs) configured by separate PRACH occasion configurations and / or common PRACH occasion configurations.

[0229] In some embodiments, the second number N is the repetition number of the PRACH transmission, and N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0230] In some embodiments, features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different numbers of repetitions correspond to separate PRACH opportunity configurations, or features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different numbers of repetitions correspond to a common PRACH opportunity configuration.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first number K is configured and / or indicated by first information from a network device, the first information includes radio resource control (RRC) signaling and / or MAC CE and / or downlink control information, and K is a positive integer.

[0232] In some embodiments, the first number configured and / or indicated by the network device is a value in a set of candidate values.

[0233] In some embodiments, a first correlation pattern period corresponds to a first candidate value set, and a second correlation pattern period corresponds to a second candidate value set; the first correlation pattern period is different from the second correlation pattern period.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first number is obtained based on at least second information, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indices sent by the PRACH.

[0235] In some embodiments, one repetition number is configured for the PRACH transmission; or, multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein one repetition number in the multiple repetition numbers corresponds to a first quantity.

[0236] In some embodiments, the first number is equal to the configured repetition number, or the first number is an integer multiple of the configured repetition number, or the first number is the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the configured repetition number.

[0237] In some embodiments, a plurality of repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein the plurality of repetition numbers correspond to a first quantity.

[0238] In some embodiments, the first number is equal to the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is an integer multiple of the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the number of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the multiple configured repetition numbers.

[0239] In some embodiments, the first number is a default or fixed value.

[0240] In some embodiments, the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs in the time domain in the time period to form at least one RO group, or the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs associated with the same SSB index in the time domain in the time period to be greater than or equal to the number of repetitions sent by the PRACH.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and / or the second information, or the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and a default value or a fixed value, or the first quantity is obtained based on the second information and a default value or a fixed value;

[0242] The first information is used to configure and / or indicate the first quantity, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indexes sent by the PRACH.

[0243] In some embodiments, the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repetitive PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern);

[0244] For a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot or does not need to constitute the PRACH opportunity group in the associated pattern period, an SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0245] In some embodiments, the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repetitive PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern);

[0246] All valid PRACH opportunities (ROs) in the first number of associated pattern periods are used for the PRACH transmission.

[0247] In some embodiments, within the time period, for a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot form an RO group mapping a third number of SSB indexes outside an integer number of PRACH opportunity groups (RO groups), the SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0248] In some embodiments, the PRACH transmission not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO) is a multiple PRACH transmission.

[0249] In some embodiments, for all PRACH configurations with PRACH transmission for a feature or feature combination in an uplink common configuration, the time periods of all PRACH configurations correspond to the first number; or,

[0250] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and all of the feature combinations correspond to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to all of the feature combinations corresponds to the first number; or,

[0251] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and one feature combination corresponds to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature combination corresponds to the first number; or

[0252] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration having a PRACH configuration for PRACH transmission, and one of the features corresponds to PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, the time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature corresponds to the first number.

[0253] In some embodiments, the maximum value of the first number is Kmax; the maximum value of the time period is Tmax.

[0254] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG19 , the PRACH transmitting apparatus 1900 may further include:

[0255] The receiving unit 1903 receives PRACH configuration information and / or indication information sent by the network device.

[0256] It is worth noting that the above only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The PRACH transmitting apparatus 1900 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0257] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG19 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0258] Through the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is the association pattern period of the first number of SSBs and ROs. As a result, the terminal device can quickly obtain RO resources for multi-PRACH transmission and ensure that all SSBs in the multi-PRACH transmission are mapped to ROs, thereby improving the coverage capability of the system.

[0259] Embodiments of the fourth aspect

[0260] The embodiment of the present application provides a PRACH receiving device. The device may be, for example, a network device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the network device, and the contents that are the same as those in the first and second aspects of the embodiment are not repeated here.

[0261] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of a PRACH receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG20 , the PRACH receiving apparatus 2000 includes:

[0262] A receiving unit 2001 receives a preamble repeatedly sent by a terminal device on a second number of ROs;

[0263] The terminal device determines the second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs).

[0264] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG20 , the PRACH receiving apparatus 2000 may further include:

[0265] The sending unit 2002 sends PRACH configuration information and / or indication information to the terminal device.

[0266] It is worth noting that the above only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The PRACH receiving apparatus 2000 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0267] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG20 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0268] Through the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is the association pattern period of the first number of SSBs and ROs. As a result, the terminal device can quickly obtain RO resources for multi-PRACH transmission and ensure that all SSBs in the multi-PRACH transmission are mapped to ROs, thereby improving the coverage capability of the system.

[0269] Embodiments of the fifth aspect

[0270] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, and reference may be made to FIG1 . The contents that are the same as those in the first to fourth aspects of the embodiments will not be repeated.

[0271] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include at least:

[0272] a terminal device that determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, the time period being an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of the first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs);

[0273] A network device receives the preamble repeatedly sent by the terminal device on the second number of ROs.

[0274] An embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, which may be, for example, a base station, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other network devices.

[0275] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 21 , network device 2100 may include a processor 2110 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and a memory 2120. Memory 2120 is coupled to processor 2110. Memory 2120 can store various data and also store an information processing program 2130, which is executed under the control of processor 2110.

[0276] For example, the processor 2110 may be configured to execute a program to implement the PRACH reception method as described in the embodiment of the second aspect. For example, the processor 2110 may be configured to perform the following control: receiving a preamble repeatedly sent by a terminal device on a second number of ROs;

[0277] The terminal device determines the second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs).

[0278] In addition, as shown in Figure 21, network device 2100 may further include: a transceiver 2140 and an antenna 2150; wherein, the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described here in detail. It is worth noting that network device 2100 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Figure 21; in addition, network device 2100 may also include components not shown in Figure 21, and reference may be made to the prior art for details.

[0279] The embodiment of the present application also provides a terminal device, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other devices.

[0280] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 22, terminal device 2200 may include a processor 2210 and a memory 2220. Memory 2220 stores data and programs and is coupled to processor 2210. It should be noted that this diagram is exemplary; other types of structures may be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunications or other functions.

[0281] For example, the processor 2210 may be configured to execute a program to implement the PRACH transmission method as described in the embodiment of the first aspect. For example, the processor 2210 may be configured to perform the following control: determining a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an association pattern period (SSB-to-RO association pattern period) of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs); and repeatedly transmitting a preamble on the second number of ROs.

[0282] As shown in Figure 22 , the terminal device 2200 may further include: a communication module 2230, an input unit 2240, a display 2250, and a power supply 2260. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 2200 does not necessarily include all of the components shown in Figure 22 , and these components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 2200 may also include components not shown in Figure 22 , for which reference may be made to the prior art.

[0283] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program causes the terminal device to execute the PRACH sending method described in the embodiment of the first aspect.

[0284] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a terminal device to execute the PRACH sending method described in the embodiment of the first aspect.

[0285] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program causes the network device to perform the PRACH reception method described in the embodiment of the second aspect.

[0286] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a network device to execute the PRACH reception method described in the embodiment of the second aspect.

[0287] The above devices and methods of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software. The present application relates to such a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the devices or components described above, or enables the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.

[0288] The method / device described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams shown in the figure and / or one or more combinations of functional block diagrams can correspond to various software modules of the computer program flow or to various hardware modules. These software modules can respectively correspond to the various steps shown in the figure. These hardware modules can be implemented by solidifying these software modules, for example, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0289] The software module may be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

[0290] One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any appropriate combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application. One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0291] The present application has been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application based on the spirit and principles of the present application, and such modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0292] Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following additional notes are also disclosed:

[0293] 1. A PRACH transmission method, comprising:

[0294] The terminal device determines a second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an association pattern period (SSB-to-RO association pattern period) of the first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs);

[0295] The terminal device repeatedly sends a preamble on the second number of ROs.

[0296] 2. The method according to Note 1, wherein the time period is determined based on a valid PRACH opportunity (valid RO) configured by a separate PRACH occasion configuration and / or a common PRACH occasion configuration.

[0297] 3. The method according to Note 2, wherein the second number N is a repetition number of the PRACH transmission, and N is a positive integer greater than 1;

[0298] Features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different repetition numbers correspond to separate PRACH opportunity configurations, or features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different repetition numbers correspond to a common PRACH opportunity configuration.

[0299] 4. A method according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein the first number K is configured and / or indicated by first information from a network device, the first information includes radio resource control (RRC) signaling and / or MACCE and / or downlink control information, and K is a positive integer.

[0300] 5. The method according to Note 4, wherein the first quantity configured and / or indicated by the network device is a value in a set of candidate values.

[0301] 6. The method according to Note 5, wherein the first association pattern period corresponds to a first candidate value set, and the second association pattern period corresponds to a second candidate value set; and the first association pattern period is different from the second association pattern period.

[0302] 7. A method according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein the first number is obtained at least based on second information, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indices sent by the PRACH.

[0303] 8. The method according to Note 7, wherein a repetition number is configured for the PRACH transmission; or, multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein one repetition number among the multiple repetition numbers corresponds to a first quantity.

[0304] 9. The method according to Note 8, wherein the first number is equal to the configured number of repetitions, or the first number is an integer multiple of the configured number of repetitions, or the first number is the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the configured number of repetitions.

[0305] 10. The method according to Note 7, wherein multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein the multiple repetition numbers correspond to a first quantity.

[0306] 11. The method according to Note 10, wherein the first number is equal to the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is an integer multiple of the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the number of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the multiple configured repetition numbers.

[0307] 12. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein the first quantity is a default value or a fixed value.

[0308] 13. A method according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs in the time domain in the time period to form at least one RO group, or the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs associated with the same SSB index in the time domain in the time period to be greater than or equal to the number of repetitions sent by the PRACH.

[0309] 14. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and / or the second information, or the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and a default value or a fixed value, or the first quantity is obtained based on the second information and a default value or a fixed value;

[0310] The first information is used to configure and / or indicate the first quantity, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indexes sent by the PRACH.

[0311] 15. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 14, wherein the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repeated PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern);

[0312] For a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot or does not need to constitute the PRACH opportunity group in the associated pattern period, an SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0313] 16. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 14, wherein the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repeated PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern);

[0314] All valid PRACH opportunities (ROs) in the first number of associated pattern periods are used for the PRACH transmission.

[0315] 17. A method according to any one of Notes 1 to 16, wherein, within the time period, for a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot form an RO group mapping a third number of SSB indexes outside an integer number of PRACH opportunity groups (RO groups), the SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0316] 18. The method according to Note 17, wherein the PRACH transmission not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO) is multiple PRACH transmission.

[0317] 19. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 18, wherein:

[0318] For all PRACH configurations with PRACH transmission for features or feature combinations in the uplink common configuration, the time periods of all PRACH configurations correspond to the first number; or,

[0319] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and all of the feature combinations correspond to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to all of the feature combinations corresponds to the first number; or,

[0320] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and one feature combination corresponds to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature combination corresponds to the first number; or

[0321] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration having a PRACH configuration for PRACH transmission, and one of the features corresponds to PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, the time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature corresponds to the first number.

[0322] 20. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 19, wherein the maximum value of the first number is Kmax; and the maximum value of the time period is Tmax.

[0323] 21. A PRACH receiving method, comprising:

[0324] The network device receives a preamble repeatedly sent by the terminal device on a second number of ROs;

[0325] The terminal device determines the second number of ROs associated with a time period, where the time period is an SSB-to-RO association pattern period of a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) and PRACH opportunities (ROs).

[0326] 22. The method according to Note 21, wherein the time period is determined based on a valid PRACH opportunity (valid RO) configured by separate PRACH occasion configurations and / or common PRACH occasion configurations.

[0327] 23. The method according to Note 22, wherein the second number N is a repetition number of the PRACH transmission, and N is a positive integer greater than 1;

[0328] Features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different repetition numbers correspond to separate PRACH opportunity configurations, or features or combinations of features transmitted by PRACH with different repetition numbers correspond to a common PRACH opportunity configuration.

[0329] 24. A method according to any one of Notes 21 to 23, wherein the first number K is configured and / or indicated by first information from a network device, the first information includes radio resource control (RRC) signaling and / or MAC CE and / or downlink control information, and K is a positive integer.

[0330] 25. The method according to Note 24, wherein the first quantity configured and / or indicated by the network device is a value in a set of candidate values.

[0331] 26. The method according to Note 25, wherein the first associated pattern period corresponds to a first candidate value set, and the second associated pattern period corresponds to a second candidate value set; and the first associated pattern period is different from the second associated pattern period.

[0332] 27. A method according to any one of Notes 21 to 23, wherein the first number is obtained at least based on second information, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indices sent by the PRACH.

[0333] 28. The method according to Note 27, wherein a repetition number is configured for the PRACH transmission; or, multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein one repetition number among the multiple repetition numbers corresponds to a first quantity.

[0334] 29. The method according to Note 28, wherein the first number is equal to the configured number of repetitions, or the first number is an integer multiple of the configured number of repetitions, or the first number is the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the configured number of repetitions.

[0335] 30. The method according to Note 27, wherein multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein the multiple repetition numbers correspond to a first quantity.

[0336] 31. The method according to Note 30, wherein the first number is equal to the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is an integer multiple of the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the number of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the SSB index number and the multiple configured repetition numbers.

[0337] 32. The method according to any one of Notes 21 to 23, wherein the first quantity is a default value or a fixed value.

[0338] 33. A method according to any one of Notes 21 to 23, wherein the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs in the time domain in the time period to form at least one RO group, or the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of ROs associated with the same SSB index in the time domain in the time period to be greater than or equal to the number of repetitions sent by the PRACH.

[0339] 34. The method according to any one of Notes 21 to 23, wherein the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and / or the second information, or the first quantity is obtained based on the first information and a default value or a fixed value, or the first quantity is obtained based on the second information and a default value or a fixed value;

[0340] The first information is used to configure and / or indicate the first quantity, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSB) indexes sent by the PRACH.

[0341] 35. The method according to any one of Notes 21 to 34, wherein the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repeated PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern);

[0342] For a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot or does not need to constitute the PRACH opportunity group in the associated pattern period, an SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0343] 36. The method according to any one of Notes 21 to 34, wherein the first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repeated PRACH opportunity group pattern (RO group pattern);

[0344] All valid PRACH opportunities (ROs) in the first number of associated pattern periods are used for the PRACH transmission.

[0345] 37. A method according to any one of Notes 21 to 36, wherein, within the time period, for a PRACH opportunity (RO) that cannot form an RO group mapping a third number of SSB indexes outside an integer number of PRACH opportunity groups (RO groups), the SSB index is not mapped on the PRACH opportunity (RO) or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO).

[0346] 38. The method according to Note 37, wherein the PRACH transmission not performed on the PRACH opportunity (RO) is multiple PRACH transmission.

[0347] 39. The method according to any one of Notes 21 to 38, wherein:

[0348] For all PRACH configurations with PRACH transmission for features or feature combinations in the uplink common configuration, the time periods of all PRACH configurations correspond to the first number; or,

[0349] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and all of the feature combinations correspond to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to all of the feature combinations corresponds to the first number; or,

[0350] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and one feature combination corresponds to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature combination corresponds to the first number; or

[0351] For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration having a PRACH configuration for PRACH transmission, and one of the features corresponds to PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, the time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature corresponds to the first number.

[0352] 40. The method according to any one of Notes 21 to 39, wherein the maximum value of the first number is Kmax; and the maximum value of the time period is Tmax.

[0353] 41. A terminal device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the PRACH sending method as described in any one of Notes 1 to 20.

[0354] 42. A network device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the PRACH reception method as described in any one of Notes 21 to 40.

Claims

1. A PRACH sending device, configured in a terminal device, comprising: a processing unit that determines a second number of PRACH opportunities associated with a time period, the time period being a period of an association pattern of the first number of synchronization signal blocks with the PRACH opportunities; A sending unit is configured to repeatedly send the preamble on the second number of PRACH opportunities.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The time period is determined based on valid PRACH opportunities configured by separate PRACH opportunity configurations and / or common PRACH opportunity configurations.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The second number N is the number of repetitions sent by the PRACH, where N is an integer greater than 1; Features or feature combinations of PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions correspond to separate PRACH opportunity configurations, or features or feature combinations of PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions correspond to common PRACH opportunity configurations.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first number K is configured and / or indicated by first information from a network device, the first information includes radio resource control signaling and / or MAC CE and / or downlink control information, and K is a positive integer.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The first number configured and / or indicated by the network device is a value in a set of candidate values.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The first association pattern period corresponds to a first candidate value set, and the second association pattern period corresponds to a second candidate value set; the first association pattern period is different from the second association pattern period.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first number is obtained at least based on second information, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal block indexes sent by the PRACH.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: A repetition number is configured for the PRACH transmission; or, multiple repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein one repetition number among the multiple repetition numbers corresponds to a first quantity.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The first number is equal to the configured number of repetitions, or the first number is an integer multiple of the configured number of repetitions, or the first number is the least common multiple of the number of synchronization signal block indices and the configured number of repetitions.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein: A plurality of repetition numbers are configured for the PRACH transmission, wherein the plurality of repetition numbers correspond to a first quantity.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The first number is equal to the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is an integer multiple of the maximum value of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the number of the multiple configured repetition numbers, or the first number is the least common multiple of the number of synchronization signal block indices and the multiple configured repetition numbers.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first quantity is a default value or a fixed value; Alternatively, the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of PRACH opportunities in the time domain in the time period to constitute at least one PRACH opportunity group, or the first number is the minimum value that enables the number of PRACH opportunities associated with the same synchronization signal block index in the time domain in the time period to be greater than or equal to the number of repetitions sent by the PRACH.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first quantity is obtained according to the first information and / or the second information, or the first quantity is obtained according to the first information and a default value or a fixed value, or the first quantity is obtained according to the second information and a default value or a fixed value; The first information is used to configure and / or indicate the first quantity, and the second information is used to configure and / or indicate the number of repetitions and / or the number of synchronization signal block indexes sent by the PRACH.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repeated PRACH opportunity group pattern; For a PRACH opportunity in the associated pattern period that cannot or does not need to constitute the PRACH opportunity group, not mapping a synchronization signal block index on the PRACH opportunity or not performing PRACH transmission on the PRACH opportunity; Among them, the PRACH transmission not performed on the PRACH opportunity is multiple PRACH transmission.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first number of associated pattern periods is a minimum duration capable of determining a repeated PRACH opportunity group pattern; All valid PRACH opportunities in the first number of associated pattern periods are used for the PRACH transmission.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein During the time period, for PRACH opportunities outside the integer number of PRACH opportunity groups that cannot form a PRACH opportunity group mapped with a third number of synchronization signal block indexes, synchronization signal block indexes are not mapped on the PRACH opportunities or PRACH transmission is not performed on the PRACH opportunities.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein: For all PRACH configurations with PRACH transmission for features or feature combinations in the uplink common configuration, the time periods of all PRACH configurations correspond to the first number; or, For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and all the feature combinations correspond to multiple PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and the time period of the PRACH transmissions corresponding to all the feature combinations corresponds to the first number; or, For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration, a PRACH configuration having PRACH transmission, and one of the feature combinations corresponds to a plurality of PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, and a time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature combination corresponds to the first number; or, For a feature or feature combination in the uplink common configuration having a PRACH configuration for PRACH transmission, and one of the features corresponds to PRACH transmissions with different numbers of repetitions, the time period of the PRACH transmission corresponding to the one feature corresponds to the first number.

18. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The maximum value of the first number is Kmax; the maximum value of the time period is Tmax.

19. A PRACH receiving device, configured in a network device, the device comprising: A receiving unit, which receives the preamble repeatedly sent by the terminal device on a second number of PRACH opportunities; The terminal device determines the second number of PRACH opportunities associated with a time period, and the time period is an association pattern period of the first number of synchronization signal blocks and PRACH opportunities.

20. A communication system comprising: A terminal device that determines a second number of PRACH opportunities associated with a time period, the time period being an association pattern period of the first number of synchronization signal blocks and the PRACH opportunities; A network device that receives a preamble that is repeatedly sent by the terminal device on the second number of PRACH opportunities.

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