Communication method and apparatus, and device, chip, storage medium, product and program

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a communication method and apparatus, and a device, a chip, a storage medium, a product and a program. The method comprises: a terminal device using one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission, and the uplink channel and / or uplink signal, which are / is sent by the one or more spatial filters, is used by the first network device to determine a first TA value of the first network device; and the terminal device receiving first information sent by a second network device, wherein the first information is used for indicating the first TA value, and the first TA value is used by the terminal device to perform uplink transmission with the first network device.

Description

Communication method, device, equipment, chip, storage medium, product and program Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and specifically to a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, product, and program. Background Art

[0002] A special type of network device has been introduced into communication systems. This type of network device only has uplink receiving capabilities and does not require downlink sending capabilities, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of network devices. This allows for more deployment of this type of network device in communication systems, reducing the distance between terminal devices and network devices, thereby enhancing uplink coverage without increasing the complexity of terminal devices.

[0003] However, for the network devices that only support uplink transmission, since they do not have any downlink transmission, how to determine the timing advance (TA) value of such network devices is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, product, and program.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0007] The terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device; the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the one or more spatial filters is used by the first network device to determine a first TA value of the first network device;

[0008] The terminal device receives first information sent by the second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0009] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0010] The first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by a terminal device; the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by the one or more spatial filters is used to determine a first TA value of the first network device;

[0011] The first network device sends first information to the terminal device through the second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value. The second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission. The first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0012] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0013] The second network device receives third information sent by the first network device; the third information is used to indicate a first TA value of the first network device; the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission;

[0014] The second network device sends first information to the terminal device; the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising:

[0016] A first sending unit is configured to use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device; the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the one or more spatial filters is used by the first network device to determine a first TA value of the first network device;

[0017] The first receiving unit is configured to receive first information sent by the second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0018] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising:

[0019] A second receiving unit is configured to use one or more spatial filters to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by a terminal device; the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by the one or more spatial filters is used to determine a first TA value of the first network device;

[0020] The second sending unit is configured to send the first TA value to the terminal device through a second network device, where the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission; the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0021] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising:

[0022] A third receiving unit is configured to receive third information sent by the first network device; the third information is used to indicate a first TA value of the first network device; the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; and the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission;

[0023] The third sending unit is configured to send first information to the terminal device; the first information is used to indicate the first TA value; the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0024] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the communication method of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0025] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip for implementing the communication method of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0026] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the communication method of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0027] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by at least one processor, it implements the communication method of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0028] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, comprising computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the communication method of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0029] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the communication method of any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0030] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, product and program, wherein the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device that does not support downlink transmission, and accordingly, the first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device to implement beam scanning of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal. In this way, the first network device can use the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent / received by one or more spatial filters to determine the first TA value of the first network device, and indicate the first TA value to the terminal device through the second network device. In this way, the method for obtaining the TA value of the first network device that does not support downlink transmission is clarified, thereby ensuring the correct transmission of uplink data and improving the stability of the communication system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0032] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram 1 of a timing advance value adjustment format;

[0033] FIG2 shows a second schematic diagram of a timing advance value adjustment format;

[0034] FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of signaling indicating a timing advance value;

[0035] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing a downlink reference time of a timing advance value;

[0036] FIG5 shows a flow chart 1 of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG6A shows a second flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG6B shows a third flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG7 is a schematic diagram showing a downlink reference time of a timing advance value provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG8 shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG9 shows a schematic diagram of signaling interaction for TA acquisition of UL-only TRP based on PDCCH order provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG10 shows a schematic diagram of signaling interaction for obtaining a TA for a UL-only TRP based on a TA timer according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0050] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this application only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0051] In the following description, reference is made to “some embodiments”, which describes a subset of all possible embodiments, but it will be understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0052] It should also be pointed out that the terms "first\second\third" involved in the embodiments of the present application are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of the objects. It can be understood that "first\second\third" can be interchanged with a specific order or sequence where permitted, so that the embodiments of the present application described here can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described here.

[0053] In addition, the term "and / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0054] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0055] It should also be understood that the “predefined”, “protocol agreement”, “predetermined” or “predefined rules” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (for example, a terminal device), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, the New Radio (NR) protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0056] The technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application can be combined arbitrarily without conflict. In the description of the present application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0057] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as LTE system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Internet of Things (IoT) system, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, enhanced Machine Type Communications (eMTC) system, 5G communication system (also known as NR communication system), or future communication systems.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be a device that provides voice / data to the user, for example, a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. At present, some examples of terminals are: access terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, mobile Internet device (MID), wearable device, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, wireless terminal in industrial control (Industrial Control), wireless terminal in self-driving (Self Driving), wireless terminal in remote medical surgery (Remote Medical Surgery), wireless terminal in smart grid (Smart Grid), wireless terminal in transportation safety (Transportation Safety), wireless terminal in smart city (Smart City), wireless terminal in smart home (Smart Home), cellular phone, cordless phone, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Assistant, PDA), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, wearable devices, terminal devices in a 5G network, or terminal devices in a future evolved public land mobile communication network (Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN), etc., the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0059] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0060] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0061] It should be noted that terminal devices and network devices (Network, NW) can communicate with each other using certain air interface technologies (such as NR or LTE technology). Terminal devices can also communicate with each other using certain air interface technologies (such as NR or LTE technology).

[0062] It should be noted that the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device, or it can be a device that can support the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a next generation radio access network (NG RAN) device, or a base station (gNB) in an NR system, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or the network device may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN, etc.

[0064] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0065] In the current NR standard, a terminal device can be configured with up to four Timing Advance Groups (TAGs) in a Cell Group (CG). The Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration of the TAGs can be as follows:

[0066] Generally, a CG can have multiple serving cells (Serving Cells), and each serving cell can be assigned a TAG identifier (ID). Each TAG can have a timer (TimeAlignmentTimer), and the terminal device can count the timer. When the timer times out, the terminal device can consider that the TAG is out of uplink synchronization. The network device can adjust the TA value through the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) or other signaling within the time when the timer is running, thereby resetting the timer. At this time, the terminal device can consider that the TAG is in uplink synchronization state.

[0067] For example, assuming that the timer value is configured to 500ms, if the network device updates (adjusts) the TA value once within 500ms, the terminal device can consider the uplink to be synchronized; otherwise, if the network device does not update (adjust) the TA value once within 500ms, the terminal device can consider the uplink to be out of sync, and may initiate a random access channel (RACH) process when uplink data arrives.

[0068] The TA value is based on the first path of the downlink channel received by the terminal device, that is, the first symbol of the time slot where the channel is located as the downlink reference, and the early transmission is performed on this basis. The calculation formula of the TA value is as follows: TA=(N TA +N TA,offset )*T C (1)

[0069] Among them, N TA,offset T is the pre-configured timing advance offset for each serving cell in a CG; C is the minimum time unit in the NR system, T C =1 / (4096*480kHz); N TA is the TA adjustment amount.

[0070] N TA There are two ways to calculate :

[0071] The first N TA Calculation method: N TA Differential adjustment can be provided through the MAC CE of the network device. TA Adjustment It can be in the last N TA Adjustment Based on the time adjustment forward or backward, N TAThe adjustment is calculated as follows:

[0072] Where μ is the subcarrier spacing, T A is the quantitative TA value.

[0073] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a timing advance value adjustment format. The differential adjustment format of the timing advance value of the MAC CE can be to adjust the T based on the original TA. A As shown in Figure 1, the MAC CE is encoded in 8 bits per byte, where the TAG ID is 2 bits, the TA command (i.e., timing advance command) is 6 bits, and Oct 1 represents one byte, i.e., 8 bits.

[0074] The second N TA Calculation method: The MAC CE of the network device directly gives an absolute value N TA , its value range is 0 to 3846, and its indication range for TA is N TA =T A *16*64*2 μ At this time, the network device can indicate the absolute value of the TA of its uplink transmission to the terminal device.

[0075] Figure 2 shows a second schematic diagram of the timing advance value adjustment format. The TA command can be applied to the primary timing advance group (TAG, PTAG) corresponding to the MAC entity. In this case, since the MAC CE only applies to PTAG, it does not need to include the TAG ID. As shown in Figure 2, the MAC CE is encoded as an 8-bit byte, where the TA command is 12 bits, Oct 1 represents one byte, and Oct 2 represents one byte, that is, Oct 1 and Oct 2 each have 8 bits, and R indicates that it is set to 0.

[0076] In addition, during the initial access process of the terminal device to the cell, after the terminal device sends the PRACH to the network device, within a certain time window, the terminal device can expect the network device to send a TA value indication through a MAC Random Access Response (RAR).

[0077] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the signaling indicating the timing advance value. As shown in Figure 3, in this signaling, the TA command is 12 bits, the uplink grant (UL Grant) is 27 bits, the temporary cell-radio network temporary identifier (TCRNTI) is 16 bits, and Oct 1 to Oct 7 each represent a byte, with 8 bits each, and R indicates a 0. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the initial TA absolute value, which is 12 bits.

[0078] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the downlink reference time of the timing advance value. As shown in Figure 4, if the terminal device works in the single transmission / reception point (STRP) mode, the downlink reference time of the TA value of the terminal device starts from the reception time of the downlink frame i and advances forward (N TA +N TA,offset )*T C The time is used as the sending time point of the uplink frame i, thereby sending the uplink channel or signal.

[0079] The embodiments of the present application relate to an uplink multi-transmission / reception point (TRP) communication solution. The following describes multi-TRP transmission.

[0080] To enhance uplink communication coverage and transmission reliability, the terminal device can send PUCCH / PUSCH carrying the same content to different TRPs, that is, the terminal device can support repeated transmission of uplink PUCCH / PUSCH based on multiple TRPs. In addition, with the popularization of multi-antenna terminal devices, the terminal device can also support a mechanism for multiple antenna panels to transmit PUCCH / PUSCH to multiple TRPs at the same time.

[0081] To further enhance uplink coverage, a special type of network device (e.g., a TRP) is introduced into the communication system. This type of network device only has the ability to transmit and receive uplink signals, that is, it does not support downlink signals. This type of network device can be called an uplink-only TRP (UL-only TRP).

[0082] Understandably, for FDD systems, UL-only TRPs can only support the uplink spectrum reception capability of FDD, without the need for downlink spectrum transmission, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. In this case, the network can deploy more UL-only TRPs, reducing the distance between terminal devices and TRPs, thereby enhancing uplink coverage without increasing terminal device complexity.

[0083] In practice, the terminal device needs to send uplink channels or signals to the TRP based on the TA value associated with the TRP to avoid the delay in signaling between the terminal device and the TRP during spatial transmission. Therefore, obtaining the TA value of the TRP is a key step in the communication process.

[0084] However, for UL-only TRP, since it does not have any downlink transmission, the terminal device cannot measure this type of TRP to obtain the downlink reference time to send the uplink channel and / or signal based on the reference time. The terminal device cannot estimate the path loss to perform power control on the uplink channel and / or signal. Furthermore, since UL-only TRP does not support downlink transmission, the terminal device cannot determine the spatial relation information for sending the uplink channel and / or uplink signal. Therefore, how to determine the TA value of UL-only TRP is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0085] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, wherein a terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device that does not support downlink transmission. Accordingly, the first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device to implement beam scanning of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal. In this way, the first network device can determine the first TA value of the first network device using the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent / received by one or more spatial filters. In this way, the method for obtaining the TA value of the first network device that does not support downlink transmission is clarified, thereby ensuring the correct transmission of uplink data and improving the stability of the communication system.

[0086] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0087] FIG5 shows a flow chart 1 of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the method may include the following steps.

[0088] S110. The terminal device sends an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device using one or more spatial filters.

[0089] Accordingly, the first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

[0090] The uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the one or more spatial filters are used to determine the first TA value of the first network device.

[0091] S120. The first network device sends first information to the terminal device through the second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device; the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission.

[0092] It should be noted that the first network device may be a network device that does not support downlink transmission. That is, the first network device only supports the transmission of uplink channels and / or uplink signals, and the first network device has no downlink transmission, and even no downlink reference signal transmission. Exemplarily, the first network device may be the UL-only TRP provided in the above embodiment. In addition, the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission; specifically, the second network device may be a network device that only supports downlink transmission, or a device that supports uplink and downlink transmission; the second network device may be called a conventional network device, or a conventional TRP, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0093] It should also be noted that the second network device is connected to the first network device via a backhaul link. The second network device and the first network device can be connected directly or through other network devices, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this. In addition, the terminal device can be within the communication coverage of the second network device and can receive downlink information sent by the second network device.

[0094] Because the first network device does not support downlink transmission, the terminal device cannot determine, through downlink measurements, the spatial filter used to transmit the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device. In other words, the terminal device does not have any downlink measurements from the first network device to serve as a reference. Therefore, the terminal device and the first network device cannot determine in advance which spatial filter directions have better uplink performance, and thus cannot determine the TA value appropriate for the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0095] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may perform beam sweeping of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal. Beam sweeping of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal refers to transmitting the uplink channel and / or uplink signal using beams in different directions, so that the first network device can select an appropriate beam (pair) and thereby determine an accurate first TA value.

[0096] It should be noted that the term "spatial filter" can be used to characterize a "beam (pair)." "Beam (pair)" means "beam" or "beam pair." In the embodiments of the present application, a beam can refer to a transmit beam or a receive beam, and a beam pair refers to a pair of a transmit beam and a receive beam.

[0097] That is, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

[0098] In one possible implementation, if a terminal device uses one spatial filter to transmit an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to a first network device, the first network device may use multiple spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device, thereby achieving scanning of the uplink receive beam.

[0099] In another possible implementation, if the terminal device uses multiple spatial filters to transmit uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device, the first network device may use a single spatial filter to receive the uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the terminal device, thereby achieving scanning of the uplink transmit beam.

[0100] It should be noted that the operation of the terminal device using one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, and the operation of the first network device using a spatial filter to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device, can be predefined by the protocol or determined by the terminal device and the first network device based on the implementation. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0101] It can be understood that the first network device can measure the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device through beam scanning, and determine the first TA value of the first network device based on the measurement results of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. Specifically, the first network device can measure the uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by one or more spatial filters respectively, and select the uplink channel and / or uplink signal that meets the conditions (or is suitable / preferable) according to the measurement results; then, the first network device can determine (estimate) the corresponding TA value based on the measurement results of the selected uplink channel and / or uplink signal to obtain the first TA value of the first network device. In this way, the first network device can determine the spatial filter with better uplink performance through the terminal device beam scanning, thereby determining the TA value suitable for the uplink channel and / or uplink signal of the current terminal device.

[0102] In some embodiments, the uplink channel and / or uplink signal may include a physical random access channel (PRACH) and / or a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0103] It can be understood that the uplink signal may include SRS, and the uplink channel may include PRACH.

[0104] In some embodiments, the measurement results of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel may include but are not limited to one or more of the following: a reference signal receiving power (RSRP) result of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel, a time of arrival (ToA) result of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel, a signal to noise ratio (SNR) result, a TA result, etc.

[0105] Furthermore, after the first network device measures the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device through beam scanning and determines the first TA value of the first network device, the first TA value can be indicated to the second network device that supports downlink transmission. Then, the second network device can send first information to the terminal device and indicate the first TA value to the terminal device through the first information.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the second network device to the terminal device may be RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling (eg, Absolute TA MAC CE), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0107] It can be seen that in the communication method provided by the application embodiment, the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device that does not support downlink transmission. Correspondingly, the first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device to achieve beam scanning of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal. In this way, the first network device can use the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent / received by one or more spatial filters to determine the first TA value of the first network device. In this way, the method for obtaining the TA value of the first network device that does not support downlink transmission is clarified, thereby ensuring the correct transmission of uplink data and improving the stability of the communication system.

[0108] In one embodiment of the present application, uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by a terminal device through one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources. Correspondingly, uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by a first network device through one or more spatial filters may be associated with one or more transmission resources.

[0109] It can be understood that the terminal device and the first network device can use one or more transmission resources associated with one or more spatial filters to perform beam scanning of uplink channels and / or uplink signals. Specifically, the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters associated with the one or more transmission resources to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device on one or more transmission resources, or in other words, the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device on the transmission resources associated with the one or more spatial filters. In addition, the first network device can use one or more spatial filters associated with one or more transmission resources to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the terminal device on one or more transmission resources, or in other words, the first network device can use one or more spatial filters to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the terminal device on one or more transmission resources associated with one or more filters.

[0110] Because the first network device does not support downlink transmission, the first network device cannot configure a spatial filter related to uplink transmission (for example, a transmission configuration indication TCI state) for the terminal device through downlink signaling. In an embodiment of the present application, one or more spatial filters can be associated with one or more transmission resources so that the spatial filter can be characterized by the transmission resource associated with the spatial filter.

[0111] It should be noted that the transmission resources associated with different spatial filters may be the same or different, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitation on this.

[0112] It should also be noted that the uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources. The one or more transmission resources here can be configured by the network or selected by the terminal device itself. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0113] Exemplarily, the one or more transmission resources may be configured by the second network device for the terminal device. The one or more transmission resources may be dedicated transmission resources for the terminal device to send an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device, or may be transmission resources reused from the second network device, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0114] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned one or more transmission resources may also be preconfigured, or the terminal device may select them from predefined candidate transmission resources.

[0115] In some embodiments, the transmission resources may include one or more of the following:

[0116] Transmission timing;

[0117] Preamble sequence.

[0118] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may transmit an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device at one or more transmission opportunities using one or more spatial filters associated with the one or more transmission times, or in other words, the terminal device may transmit an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device at a transmission opportunity associated with the one or more spatial filters through one or more spatial filters. Alternatively, the first network device may receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at one or more transmission opportunities using one or more spatial filters associated with one or more transmission opportunities, or in other words, the first network device may receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at one or more transmission opportunities associated with one or more filters through one or more spatial filters.

[0119] For example, if the uplink channel and / or uplink signal is a PRACH, the transmission timing may be a random access channel (RACH) timing. That is, the terminal device may transmit the PRACH to the first network device using one or more spatial filters on one or more RACH timings. Correspondingly, the first network device may receive the PRACH transmitted by the terminal device using one or more spatial filters on one or more RACH timings.

[0120] For example, if the uplink channel and / or uplink signal is an SRS, the transmission opportunity may be an SRS resource. That is, the terminal device may transmit the SRS to the first network device using one or more spatial filters on one or more SRS resources. Correspondingly, the first network device may receive the SRS transmitted by the terminal device using one or more spatial filters on one or more SRS resources.

[0121] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may use one or more preambles and one or more spatial filters associated with the one or more preambles to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device may use one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent using the one or more preambles.

[0122] In some embodiments, the uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources and may include one or more of the following:

[0123] The uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple transmission resources; wherein different spatial filters are associated with different transmission resources;

[0124] Uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by multiple spatial filters are associated with one transmission resource;

[0125] The uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by a spatial filter is associated with multiple transmission resources.

[0126] It can be understood that in one possible implementation, the terminal device can use different spatial filters (e.g., transmit spatial filters) on multiple transmission resources to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device. In another possible implementation, the terminal device can use multiple spatial filters (e.g., transmit spatial filters) on the same transmission resource to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device. In yet another possible implementation, the terminal device can use the same spatial filter (e.g., transmit spatial filter) on multiple transmission resources to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device.

[0127] Accordingly, for the first network device on the network side, the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources and may include one or more of the following:

[0128] The uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple transmission resources; wherein different spatial filters are associated with different transmission resources;

[0129] Uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by multiple spatial filters are associated with one transmission resource;

[0130] The uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by a spatial filter is associated with multiple transmission resources.

[0131] It can be understood that in one possible implementation, the first network device can use different spatial filters (e.g., receiving spatial filters) on multiple transmission resources to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by terminal devices. In another possible implementation, the first network device can use multiple spatial filters (e.g., receiving spatial filters) on the same transmission resource to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by terminal devices. In yet another possible implementation, the first network device can use the same spatial filter (e.g., receiving spatial filter) on multiple transmission resources to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by terminal devices.

[0132] Exemplarily, the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, which may include one or more of the following:

[0133] The terminal device uses multiple spatial filters (e.g., transmit spatial filters) at a transmission opportunity to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device; the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple preamble sequences;

[0134] The terminal device uses different spatial filters (e.g., transmit spatial filters) on multiple transmission occasions to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device;

[0135] The terminal device uses a spatial filter at a transmission opportunity to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device;

[0136] The terminal device uses the same spatial filter (eg, a transmit spatial filter) at multiple transmission opportunities to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device.

[0137] Accordingly, the first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device, which may include one or more of the following:

[0138] The first network device uses multiple spatial filters (e.g., receiving spatial filters) at a transmission opportunity to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the terminal device; the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple preamble sequences;

[0139] The first network device uses a spatial filter at a transmission opportunity to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device;

[0140] The first network device uses different spatial filters (e.g., receiving spatial filters) at multiple transmission opportunities to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device;

[0141] The first network device uses the same spatial filter (eg, a receiving spatial filter) at multiple transmission opportunities to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

[0142] In one possible implementation, if the terminal device and the first network device support simultaneous transmission of multiple antenna panels, the terminal device can use multiple different spatial filters (e.g., transmit spatial filters) at the same transmission opportunity to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device can use multiple spatial filters (e.g., receive spatial filters) at a transmission opportunity to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the terminal device.

[0143] In this scenario, for the terminal device, in order to distinguish different spatial filters, the preamble sequences associated with the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the terminal device using different spatial filters (e.g., transmit spatial filters) can be different, or in other words, the terminal device can use different preamble sequences to send the uplink channels and / or uplink signals on different spatial filters (e.g., transmit spatial filters). It is understandable that since different preamble sequences are associated with different spatial filters of the terminal device, the preamble sequence can be used to indicate the spatial filter used by the terminal device.

[0144] It should be noted that the terminal device and the first network device use multiple different spatial filters to transmit uplink channels and / or uplink signals at the same transmission time, and multiple panels are required to perform different receive beamforming.

[0145] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may use a spatial filter (e.g., a transmitting spatial filter) at a transmission timing to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device may use different spatial filters at the transmission timing to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device. In this way, scanning of the uplink receiving beam of the first network device is achieved. Alternatively, the terminal device uses multiple different spatial filters (e.g., transmitting spatial filters) at the same transmission timing to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device may use the same spatial filter at a transmission timing to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device. In this way, scanning of the uplink transmitting beam of the terminal device is achieved.

[0146] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may use different spatial filters (e.g., transmit spatial filters) at multiple transmission occasions to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device to scan the uplink transmit beam. Correspondingly, the first network device may use the same spatial filter (e.g., receive spatial filter) at the multiple transmission occasions to receive the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the terminal device.

[0147] In this scenario, for the terminal device, since different transmission timings are associated with different spatial filters, the transmission timing can be used to characterize the spatial filter used by the terminal device.

[0148] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may use the same spatial filter (e.g., a transmit spatial filter) at multiple transmission times to send an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device to scan the uplink receive beam. Correspondingly, the first network device may use different spatial filters (e.g., receive spatial filters) at the multiple transmission times to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device. In this scenario, for the terminal device, the spatial filters represented by different transmission times are the same.

[0149] It should be noted that the terminal device can select any one of the above three methods to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device according to the protocol pre-definition. In addition, the terminal device can also select any one of the above three methods to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device according to the specific implementation, or the terminal device can select any one of the above three methods to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device according to the preset rules. For example, the terminal device can measure the downlink reference signals of other neighboring cells other than the first network device, and determine whether to use the same or different spatial filters to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal at different transmission times based on the measurement results of the downlink reference signals of the neighboring cells. Among them, the downlink signal includes but is not limited to: Synchronization Signal and PBCH Block (SSB) and / or Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS).

[0150] Similarly, the first network device may select any of the three aforementioned methods to receive an uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by a terminal device according to the protocol pre-defined method. Furthermore, the first network device may also select any of the three aforementioned methods to receive an uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by a terminal device according to specific implementation. In other words, the first network device may select any of the three aforementioned methods to receive an uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by a terminal device according to a preset rule.

[0151] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network device can measure the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device through beam scanning, and determine the first TA value of the first network device based on the measurement results of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

[0152] In some embodiments, if the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources, that is, if the first network device receives the uplink channels and / or uplink signals on one or more transmission resources using the associated one or more spatial filters, then the first network device may measure the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received on the one or more transmission resources to obtain measurement results corresponding to the one or more transmission resources. Furthermore, the first network device may select a transmission resource that meets the first condition based on the measurement results corresponding to the one or more transmission resources.

[0153] In some embodiments, the first condition may include one or more of the following:

[0154] Among one or more transmission resources, the transmission resource with the maximum received power (e.g., RSRP) of the associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal;

[0155] Among one or more transmission resources, the transmission resource with the largest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal;

[0156] Among one or more transmission resources, the transmission resource with the smallest TA value of the associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0157] It can be understood that the first network device can select a suitable or better transmission resource corresponding to the uplink channel and / or uplink signal based on the measurement results of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal (referred to as the first transmission resource in the embodiment of the present application). The first transmission resource can be associated with a spatial filter. That is, the first network device measures the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device through beam scanning, and selects a suitable or better first transmission resource corresponding to the uplink channel and / or uplink signal. In this way, the first network device can determine that the spatial filter associated with the first transmission resource has better uplink performance, thereby determining the TA value suitable for the uplink channel and / or uplink signal of the current terminal device. In other words, the first TA value of the first network device in the embodiment of the present application is determined by the first network device based on the measurement results of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource. The first transmission resource here is a transmission resource in which the uplink channel and / or uplink signal associated with the one or more transmission resources meets the first condition.

[0158] In one embodiment of the present application, the first network device sending the first information to the terminal device through the second network device in S120 can be implemented in the following manner:

[0159] The first network device sends third information to the second network device, where the third information triggers the second network device to send the first information to the terminal device, where the third information is used to indicate the first TA value;

[0160] The second network device sends first information to the terminal device; the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0161] In one embodiment of the present application, the second network device may indicate the first TA value to the terminal device via the first information in a variety of ways. In one possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device may belong to the same TAG, and the second network device may not independently indicate the first TA value of the first network device. The indication of the first TA value depends to a certain extent on the second TA value of the second network device. In another possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device may belong to different TAGs, and the second network device may independently indicate the first TA value and the second TA value, respectively. The following describes the indication of the first TA value using Method #A and Method #B.

[0162] Method #A: The first network device and the second network device may belong to the same TAG.

[0163] In a possible implementation, the first information may include:

[0164] Baseline TA value;

[0165] a first TA offset associated with the first network device;

[0166] A second TA offset associated with the second network device; and a first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset.

[0167] In this implementation, the second network device can configure multiple TA offsets for the TAG using the first information. Different TA offsets are provided to different network devices, and each network device is configured with an independent TA offset. Different network devices in the TAG share a reference TA value.

[0168] That is, the second network device can configure a first TA offset for the first network device and a second TA offset for the second network device. The first TA value of the first network device can be determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset, and the second TA value of the second network device can be determined based on the reference TA value and the second TA offset.

[0169] In another possible implementation, the first information may include:

[0170] a second TA value of the second network device;

[0171] a first differential value associated with the first network device;

[0172] The first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the second TA value and the first differential value.

[0173] In this implementation, the second network device may directly indicate the second TA value of the second network device and the first differential value through the first information. The first differential value here may be the difference between the first TA value of the first network device and the second TA value of the second network device.

[0174] In this way, the first TA value of the first network device can be obtained based on the second TA value and the first differential value. Compared with the previous implementation, indicating the first TA by the first differential value can reduce the amount of data carried by the first information and reduce data overhead.

[0175] In another possible implementation, the first information may include:

[0176] a first differential value associated with the first network device;

[0177] A second differential value associated with the second network device; and a first TA value determined based on the first differential value and a historical TA value of the first network device.

[0178] In this implementation, the second network device can indicate the first differential value for the first network device and the second differential value for the second network device. It should be noted that the first differential value in this implementation is the difference between the new first TA value and the old first TA value. In other words, the first differential value is based on the historical first TA value of the first network device. Similarly, the second differential value is the difference between the new second TA value and the old second TA value. In other words, the second differential value is based on the historical second TA value of the second network device.

[0179] It is understandable that the terminal device can determine the current new first TA value based on the first differential value indicated by the first information and the historical first TA value of the first network device. In addition, the terminal device can also determine the current new second TA value based on the second differential value indicated by the first information and the historical second TA value of the second network device.

[0180] In this implementation, the second network device may only carry the differential value associated with each network device, which can further reduce the data volume of the first information and reduce data overhead.

[0181] In mode #B, the first network device and the second network device belong to different TAGs.

[0182] The first information includes:

[0183] Baseline TA value;

[0184] A first TA offset associated with the first network device; a first TA value determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset; and a downlink reference time of the first TA value being the same as a downlink reference time of the second TA value of the second network device.

[0185] It is understandable that since the first network device and the second network device belong to different TAGs, the second network device can independently indicate the first TA value of the first network device. In this embodiment of the present application, the second network device can configure an independent TA value and an independent first TA offset for the first network device through the first information.

[0186] In this implementation, since the first network device does not support downlink transmission, there is no independent downlink reference time. Based on this, the downlink reference time of the first TA value of the first network device can be based on the downlink reference time of the second TA value of the second network device. That is to say, the first TA value can be timed ahead based on the downlink reference time of the second TA value of the second network device. Exemplarily, referring to Figure 7, since the first network device does not support downlink transmission, the downlink reference time of the first TA value of the first network device can be the time point of the downlink frame i sent by the second network device, that is, when the terminal device sends an uplink frame i to the first network device, it can be advanced by the first TA value based on the time point of the downlink frame i of the second network device.

[0187] In some embodiments, if one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources, the third information sent by the first network device to the second network device may indicate the first transmission resource corresponding to the first TA value. The spatial filter used by the terminal device is characterized by the first transmission resource for beam indication.

[0188] It should be noted that the first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the measurement results of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource. The first transmission resource is a transmission resource whose associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal satisfies the first condition among one or more transmission resources. The selection of the first transmission resource from the one or more transmission resources by the first network device can be referred to the description in the above embodiment and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0189] Correspondingly, the first information sent by the second network device to the terminal device may also indicate the first transmission resource.

[0190] It can be understood that since one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources, the first network device can use the selected first transmission resource to indicate the spatial filter of the terminal device. This is because the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters associated with one or more transmission resources to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device on one or more transmission resources. Therefore, the terminal device is aware of the spatial filters associated with each transmission resource. In this way, when the first network device cannot configure the TCI state for the terminal device through the downlink channel, the transmission resource can be used for beam indication.

[0191] In summary, in the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device that does not support downlink transmission. Correspondingly, the first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device to achieve beam scanning of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal. In this way, the first network device can determine the first TA value of the first network device using the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent / received by one or more spatial filters. In this way, the method for obtaining the TA value of the first network device that does not support downlink transmission is clarified, thereby ensuring the correct transmission of uplink data and improving the stability of the communication system.

[0192] In one embodiment of the present application, there are multiple ways to trigger a terminal device to obtain a first TA value of a first network device, that is, there are multiple ways to trigger a terminal device to use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device to obtain a first TA value. In one possible implementation, the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, and obtaining the first TA value may be triggered by the network. In another possible implementation, the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, and obtaining the first TA value may be triggered by a TA timer. The following describes the detailed process of triggering a terminal device to use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device through method #1 and method #2.

[0193] Method #1: The terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device, and obtaining the first TA value is triggered by the network.

[0194] 6A , in one embodiment of the present application, before the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, S110, the following steps may be further included:

[0195] S100A. The terminal device receives second information sent by a second network device, where the second information triggers the terminal device to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0196] That is, the terminal device in S110 uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, which may be triggered based on the second information received in S100.

[0197] In some embodiments, the second network device can trigger the terminal device to access the first network device based on actual needs and obtain the first TA value of the first network device. For example, the first network device is an indoor deployment, and the second network device is an outdoor deployment. When the terminal device is closer to the first network device but farther from the second network device, the second network device can send second information to the terminal device, triggering the terminal device to transmit an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device to obtain the first TA value of the first network device, thereby improving the uplink coverage of the terminal device.

[0198] In some embodiments, the second information may be dedicated signaling, ie, signaling dedicated to instructing the terminal device to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device to obtain the TA value of the first network device.

[0199] In some embodiments, the second information may be a PDCCH command, ie, a PDCCH order. That is, the second network device may trigger the terminal device to perform beam scanning of uplink channels and / or uplink signals on the first network device through the PDCCH order.

[0200] It should be noted that the second information may also be other information used to trigger the terminal device to send an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0201] In some embodiments, the second information may indicate one or more transmission resources.

[0202] It can be understood that when the second network device triggers the terminal device to obtain the first TA value of the first network device, it can indicate to the terminal device the transmission resources used for the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device through beam scanning. In this way, the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device on the indicated transmission resources to realize beam scanning of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0203] Accordingly, the second network device may also indicate the one or more transmission resources to the first network device. In this way, the first network device may receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device on the indicated one or more transmission resources. Furthermore, the first network device may estimate the first TA value based on the received uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0204] In some embodiments, the terminal device may associate one or more transmission resources indicated by the second network device with one or more spatial filters. The terminal device may use the associated one or more spatial filters to transmit uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device over the one or more transmission resources. In this way, the network can use transmission resources to indicate spatial filters, thereby implementing beam indication.

[0205] The association relationship between one or more transmission resources and one or more spatial filters can be referred to the description in the above embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0206] In some embodiments, the transmission resources may include one or more of the following:

[0207] leader sequence;

[0208] Transmission timing.

[0209] Exemplarily, the second information may include index values ​​of one or more preamble sequences and / or index values ​​of one or more transmission opportunities. It should be noted that the index values ​​of one or more preamble sequences may be replaced by one or more preamble sequence IDs. Similarly, the index values ​​of one or more transmission opportunities may be replaced by one or more transmission opportunity IDs. As long as different preamble sequences and transmission opportunities can be distinguished, they are all within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

[0210] It is understandable that the second network device can indicate one or more preamble sequences and / or transmission opportunities for uplink channel and / or uplink signal beam scanning to the terminal device through the second information. In this way, the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device based on the one or more preamble sequences and / or one or more transmission opportunities.

[0211] Exemplarily, the terminal device uses multiple spatial filters (e.g., transmitting spatial filters) at one transmission opportunity to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device; the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple preamble sequences; or, the terminal device uses different spatial filters (e.g., transmitting spatial filters) at multiple transmission opportunities to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device; or, the terminal device uses the same spatial filter (e.g., transmitting spatial filter) at multiple transmission opportunities to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device.

[0212] In some embodiments, the second network device may also indicate to the first network device one or more preamble sequences and / or transmission opportunities for uplink channel and / or uplink signal beam scanning. In this way, the first network device may use one or more spatial filters to transmit the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the receiving terminal device based on the one or more preamble sequences and / or one or more transmission opportunities.

[0213] Exemplarily, the first network device uses multiple spatial filters (e.g., receiving spatial filters) at a transmission timing to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device; the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple preamble sequences; or, the first network device uses different spatial filters (e.g., receiving spatial filters) at multiple transmission timings to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device; or, the first network device uses the same spatial filter (e.g., receiving spatial filter) at multiple transmission timings to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

[0214] In one possible implementation, the one or more transmission opportunities indicated by the second information may be dedicated transmission opportunities for the terminal device to transmit an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device. For example, the second network device may configure the first network device-dedicated transmission opportunities for the terminal device in advance via RRC signaling. Thus, when the second network device determines that the terminal device intends to initiate access to the first network device, it may send the second information to the terminal device, indicating the one or more transmission opportunities via the second information.

[0215] In another possible implementation, the one or more transmission opportunities indicated by the second information may be transmission opportunities associated with the first downlink reference signal. That is, the index values ​​of the one or more transmission opportunities carried in the second information are index values ​​of the transmission opportunities associated with the first downlink reference signal. The first downlink reference signal is any one of multiple downlink reference signals sent by the second network device.

[0216] It is understandable that the second network device can indicate one or more uplink transmission opportunities associated with a downlink reference signal of its own (referred to as the first downlink reference signal in this embodiment of the application) to the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can use the one or more uplink transmission opportunities associated with the first downlink reference signal of the second network device to implement beam scanning with the uplink channel and / or uplink signal of the first network device.

[0217] Exemplarily, the second information may include one or more PRACH mask index values ​​(PRACH Mask Index) for indicating one or more RACH opportunities associated with the SSB indicated by the second network device. In other words, the second network device may lend one or more RACH opportunities associated with the SSB to the first network device for use.

[0218] It should be noted that the above-mentioned first downlink reference signal can be configured by the second network device (for example, through RRC signaling configuration), or it can be selected by the terminal device itself, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Among them, the terminal device selects the first downlink reference signal, and it can be that the terminal device measures one or more downlink reference signals associated with the second network device, and selects a suitable downlink reference signal (for example, the downlink reference signal with the largest RSRP and / or the downlink reference signal with the largest SNR) as the first downlink reference signal based on the measurement results. Among them, the downlink reference signal associated with the terminal device can be SSB, or CSI-RS, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0219] Method #2: The terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device, and obtaining the first TA value is triggered by a timer.

[0220] 6B , in one embodiment of the present application, before the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, S110, the following steps may be further included:

[0221] S100B. The terminal device determines that the TA timer has timed out, and the TA timer is used to trigger the terminal device to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0222] That is, in S110 , the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, which may be triggered when the TA timer times out.

[0223] It is understandable that the terminal device can maintain a TA timer. When the TA timer expires, the terminal device can be considered to be out of synchronization with the first network device in the uplink. Since the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission, the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device when it is determined that the TA timer has expired.

[0224] In an embodiment of the present application, since the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device, the beam scanning of the uplink channels and / or uplink signals is triggered by the TA timer. Therefore, when the terminal device performs beam scanning, it is necessary to first determine one or more transmission resources for the beam scanning.

[0225] In some embodiments, one or more transmission resources are configured for the second network device, or selected by the terminal device from candidate transmission resources.

[0226] It can be understood that since the first network device does not support downlink transmission, the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send uplink channels and / or uplink signals to the first network device, and the one or more transmission resources used for beam scanning of the uplink channels and / or uplink signals can be configured by the second network device, or the terminal device can select from the candidate transmission resources by itself.

[0227] In one possible implementation, the second network device may configure one or more transmission resources for the terminal device in advance through RRC signaling. Exemplarily, the second network device may configure one or more transmission resources for the terminal device through RRC pre-configuration. Alternatively, the second network device may indicate to the terminal device a downlink reference signal for the first network device through RRC pre-configuration, and the terminal device may use the one or more transmission resources associated with the downlink reference signal indicated by the second network device as one or more transmission resources for beam scanning.

[0228] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may select one or more transmission resources from the candidate transmission resources according to a preset rule, wherein the candidate transmission resources may be preconfigured or predefined, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0229] Exemplarily, the terminal device may measure the downlink reference signal of the second network device, select an appropriate downlink reference signal based on the measurement result, and use one or more transmission resources associated with the selected downlink reference signal as one or more transmission resources for beam scanning.

[0230] In some embodiments, the one or more transmission resources may include one or more of the following:

[0231] one or more transmission opportunities;

[0232] One or more leader sequences.

[0233] In some embodiments, the one or more transmission opportunities determined by the terminal device may be transmission opportunities dedicated to the first network device.

[0234] In some embodiments, the one or more transmission opportunities determined by the terminal device may be transmission opportunities associated with a downlink reference signal (referred to as the first downlink reference signal in this embodiment of the present application) of the second network device.

[0235] It should be noted that the above-mentioned first downlink reference signal can be configured by the second network device (for example, through RRC signaling configuration), or it can be selected by the terminal device itself, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Among them, the terminal device selects the first downlink reference signal, and it can be that the terminal device measures one or more downlink reference signals associated with the second network device, and selects a suitable downlink reference signal (for example, the downlink reference signal with the largest RSRP and / or the downlink reference signal with the largest SNR) as the first downlink reference signal based on the measurement results. Among them, the downlink reference signal associated with the terminal device can be SSB, or CSI-RS, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0236] It should be noted that, in the process of the terminal device using one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device in S110, the terminal device can perform power control at the same time.

[0237] In some embodiments, the transmission power of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device is configured / indicated by the second network device.

[0238] It is understandable that because the first network device does not support downlink transmission, the terminal device cannot determine the path loss of the first network device. Based on this, the terminal device can support preconfigured or predefined transmit power, wherein the terminal device can preconfigure or predefine one or more transmit powers. The second network device can indicate one of the one or more transmit powers to the terminal device.

[0239] Exemplarily, the terminal device may preconfigure or predefine four transmit powers: 23 dBm, 20 dBm, 17 dBm, and 14 dBm. The second network device may use 2 bits to indicate one of the transmit powers for sending the PRACH.

[0240] Exemplarily, the second network device may indicate one of the one or more transmit powers to the terminal device according to deployment conditions of the first network device and the second network device.

[0241] It should be noted that if the preconfigured or predefined transmit power has only one value, then there is no need for the second network device to provide an indication, and the terminal device can use the preconfigured or predefined transmit power to send PRACH.

[0242] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine the transmission power of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device based on the path loss and path loss offset parameters of the second network device.

[0243] The path loss of the second network device is determined based on a first downlink reference signal; the first downlink reference signal is any downlink reference signal among multiple downlink reference signals associated with the second network device.

[0244] It is understandable that the terminal device can perform power control based on path loss (PL). Since the first network device does not support downlink transmission, the terminal device can use the path loss of the second network device and add a path loss offset parameter to the path loss of the second network device to obtain the path loss between the terminal device and the first network device. In this way, the transmit power of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device is determined based on the path loss between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0245] In some embodiments, the path loss offset parameter is predefined or configured by the second network device, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0246] In some embodiments, the second network device can configure a path loss offset parameter for the terminal device based on the functions implemented by the first network device and the second network device, or the deployment of the first network device and the second network device. For example, if the second network device is an outdoor network device and the first network device is an indoor network device, the path loss offset parameter can be set to -10dB. If the second network device is an indoor network device and the first network device is an outdoor network device, the path loss offset parameter can be set to 10dB.

[0247] It should be noted that the terminal device can measure a downlink reference signal of the second network device (referred to as the first downlink reference signal in this embodiment of the present application), and the path loss of the second network device can be obtained based on the transmission power of the first reference signal and the strength of the received signal (such as RSRP).

[0248] It should be noted that the above-mentioned first downlink reference signal can be configured by the second network device (for example, through RRC signaling configuration), or it can be selected by the terminal device itself, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Among them, the terminal device selects the first downlink reference signal, and it can be that the terminal device measures one or more downlink reference signals associated with the second network device, and selects a suitable downlink reference signal (for example, the downlink reference signal with the largest RSRP and / or the downlink reference signal with the largest SNR) as the first downlink reference signal based on the measurement results. Among them, the downlink reference signal associated with the terminal device can be SSB, or CSI-RS, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0249] In one embodiment of the present application, the power control of the terminal device may also be used in conjunction with power ramping.

[0250] In an embodiment of the present application, within a first period of time after the terminal device sends an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal, if the terminal device does not receive the second information sent by the second network device, the terminal device adjusts the transmission power of the uplink channel and / or the uplink signal, and uses one or more spatial filters to send the uplink channel and / or the uplink signal to the first network device.

[0251] It can be understood that when the terminal device sends an uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device according to the determined transmission power, and waits for a certain period of time (recorded as the first period of time in the embodiment of the present application) and does not receive a TA indication from the second network device, then the terminal device can selectively resend the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to perform another beam scan, and adjust the transmission power to perform power climbing.

[0252] For example, if a transmission power of 17 dBm is used for the first time, a transmission power of 20 dBm may be used for the second time, with a step size of 3 dB, until the upper limit of the terminal device's transmission power is reached, or a TA indication is received from the second network device.

[0253] In practical applications, as shown in Figure 4, each TA value needs to be based on a downlink reference time for timing advance. In one embodiment of the present application, the downlink reference time of the first TA value of the first network device can be determined based on the reception time of the first reference signal, where the first downlink reference signal is any downlink reference signal among multiple downlink reference signals associated with the second network device.

[0254] Exemplarily, referring to the schematic diagram of the downlink reference time of the first TA value shown in FIG7 , the downlink frame i sent by the second network device may be the downlink frame where the first reference signal is located.

[0255] It should be noted that the above-mentioned first downlink reference signal can be configured by the second network device (for example, through RRC signaling configuration), or it can be selected by the terminal device itself, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Among them, the terminal device selects the first downlink reference signal, and it can be that the terminal device measures one or more downlink reference signals associated with the second network device, and selects a suitable downlink reference signal (for example, the downlink reference signal with the largest RSRP and / or the downlink reference signal with the largest SNR) as the first downlink reference signal based on the measurement results. Among them, the downlink reference signal associated with the terminal device can be SSB, or CSI-RS, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0256] In summary, in the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device that does not support downlink transmission. Correspondingly, the first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device to achieve beam scanning of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal. In this way, the first network device can determine the first TA value of the first network device using the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent / received by one or more spatial filters. In this way, the method for obtaining the TA value of the first network device that does not support downlink transmission is clarified, thereby ensuring the correct transmission of uplink data and improving the stability of the communication system.

[0257] The following describes in detail the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the random access scenario.

[0258] In this scenario, the first network device can be a UL-only TRP, and the second network device can be a regular TRP. Referring to the scenario diagram shown in Figure 8, the UL-only TRP and the regular TRP can communicate via the backhaul link. Among them, the UL-only TRP only supports uplink transmission and does not have any downlink transmission. The regular TRP supports at least downlink transmission. Under normal circumstances, the regular TRP can perform uplink and downlink transmission simultaneously.

[0259] Conventional TRP can send a downlink reference signal SSB, and the terminal device can obtain the TA value of the conventional TRP based on the SSB sent by the conventional TRP. It can be understood that for the TA acquisition of conventional TRP, SSB has two main purposes. First, SSB can be used to calculate the path loss for the transmit power control of PRACH, that is, it is used as a PL RS (Pathloss Reference Signal); second, SSB can be used for downlink time synchronization, and the uplink TA value is based on the downlink reference time (reference timing). In addition, the transmission of PRACH is also based on the downlink frame, that is, the TA value of PRACH is 0.

[0260] The serving cell where the conventional TRP is located is associated with a TAG. The TAG can be configured with one or more of the following: TAG ID, implicit downlink reference time, TA offset, and TA value.

[0261] Based on the different ways of triggering the terminal device to obtain TA, it can be divided into two embodiments, and the corresponding signaling process is described in detail below.

[0262] Embodiment 1: The terminal device acquires the TA of the UL-only TRP based on the PDCCH order. Referring to FIG9 , the TA acquisition of the UL-only TRP based on the PDCCH order includes the following steps.

[0263] S1. Conventional TRP sends a PDCCH order (corresponding to the second information in the above embodiment) to the terminal device.

[0264] Among them, the PDCCH order instructs the terminal device to perform PRACH beam scanning at different RACH timings.

[0265] In current NR technology, the network can send a PDCCH order to the terminal device through a conventional TRP. The PDCCH order contains at least the following information:

[0266] 1) Preamble index value (Preamble indx) for random access, usually 6 bits.

[0267] It can be understood that the PDCCH order indicates non-contention-based random access, and a preamble index other than all 0s should be used, that is, an exact preamble should be indicated to the terminal device.

[0268] 2) SSB index value (SSB index), usually 6 bits.

[0269] It can be understood that the terminal device uses the SSB index to determine the RACH occasion to transmit the PRACH.

[0270] 3)PRACH Mask index(es), usually 4 bits.

[0271] It can be understood that the PRACH Mask index is used to indicate one of the multiple RACH opportunities associated with the above-mentioned SSB, that is, the terminal device can determine a PRACH sending opportunity through the SSB index and the PRACH Mask index.

[0272] It should be noted that the SSB index does not come from the UL-only TRP. Therefore, the SSB cannot be used as a downlink reception reference time (DL reference timing), nor can it be used as a PL RS to estimate the path loss to determine the power of sending PRACH. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present application, it is necessary to enhance the PDCCH order. Among them, at the stage when the terminal device accesses the UL-only TRP, the terminal device and the network cannot know in advance which spatial filter directions have better uplink performance and their corresponding TA values. Therefore, in this embodiment, the conventional TRP instructs the terminal device to perform PRACH beam scanning at different RACH times through the PDCCH order.

[0273] In step S1, the conventional TRP sends a PDCCH order to the terminal device, which may be an enhanced PDCCH order. Different from the PDCCH order sent by the conventional TRP, the PDCCH order may include the following contents:

[0274] 1)Preamble indx

[0275] 2)SSB index

[0276] It should be noted that the SSB indicated by the SSB index here comes from the regular TRP. Among them, the reception time of the SSB indicated by the enhanced PDCCH order can be used as the downlink reference time of the UL-only TRP.

[0277] 3) RACH Timing

[0278] In one possible implementation, the RACH timing may be the RACH timing used by the terminal device to perform PRACH beam scanning.

[0279] In another possible implementation, the RACH opportunity may be a PRACH Mask index(es).

[0280] The PRACH Mask index(es) refers to one or more RACH opportunities associated with the indicated SSB index. It should be noted that the indicated SSB comes from a regular TRP, and the associated RACH opportunity is also the uplink time-frequency resource of the TRP, but this does not prevent it from being borrowed for UL-only use.

[0281] 4) Uplink power control information

[0282] In one possible implementation, since the UL-only TRP does not have a downlink reference signal, the terminal device cannot calculate the path loss of the UL-only TRP based on the SSB sent by the conventional TRP. Therefore, a pre-configured or pre-defined transmit power is considered. The terminal device can pre-configure or pre-define the transmit power of one or more PRACHs, and the conventional TRP can indicate one of the transmit powers in the enhanced PDCCH order for sending the PRACH.

[0283] Exemplarily, the transmit power of PRACH may be preconfigured or predefined as 23dBm, 20dBm, 17dBm, or 14dBm, and a conventional TRP may use 2 bits to indicate one of them for transmitting PRACH.

[0284] It should be noted that if the preconfigured or predefined transmit power has only one value, then no additional indication is required by the conventional TRP, and the terminal device can use the preconfigured transmit power to send PRACH.

[0285] It should also be noted that the enhanced PDCCH order may not indicate uplink power control information. The terminal device can obtain the path loss of the UL-only TRP based on the path loss and path loss offset parameters of the conventional TRP and perform power control based on this path loss. Specifically, the terminal device can measure the downlink reference signal of the conventional TRP and obtain the path loss of the conventional TRP based on the transmit power of the reference signal and the strength of the received signal (such as RSRP).

[0286] For example, if the path loss of the conventional TRP is 50 dB, since the UL-only TRP is closer to the terminal device, the pre-configured path loss offset parameter may be -10 dB, that is, the path loss of the UL-only TRP is 40 dB.

[0287] In addition to the above information, the enhanced PDCCH order may also include uplink / supplementary uplink indication information (UL / SUL indicator), reserved bits, etc.

[0288] S2. The terminal device performs PRACH beam scanning on multiple RACH occasions.

[0289] It should be noted that the multiple RACH opportunities may be indicated by the enhanced PDCCH order in S1.

[0290] The terminal device performs PRACH beam scanning at different RACH timings, which may refer to:

[0291] The terminal device may use different spatial transmit filters to scan the PRACH uplink transmit beam at different RACH moments, or use the same spatial transmit filter to scan the PRACH uplink receive beam at different RACH moments, or use the same or different spatial transmit filters to scan the PRACH beam at different RACH moments. This may be an implementation behavior of the terminal device.

[0292] Correspondingly, the UL-only TRP can receive the PRACH sent by the terminal device on multiple RACH occasions, specifically including: if the terminal device uses different spatial transmit filters to scan the PRACH uplink transmit beam at different RACH occasions, the UL-only TRP can use the same receive spatial filter to receive PRACH; if the terminal device uses the same spatial transmit filter to scan the PRACH uplink receive beam at different RACH occasions, the UL-only TRP can use different receive spatial filters to receive PRACH; the UL-only TRP can also implement the receive spatial filter to receive PRACH by itself.

[0293] S3. The UL-only TRP selects a RACH timing, determines a corresponding TA value, and sends the selected RACH timing and the corresponding TA value to the regular TRP.

[0294] It can be understood that the UL-only TRP measures PRACH on one or more RACH opportunities and selects the most suitable RACH opportunity (for example, the RACH opportunity with the highest PRACH received power / the RACH opportunity with the largest SNR / the RACH opportunity with the smallest TA value) and the corresponding TA value. The selected RACH opportunity is used to associate the transmit spatial filter of the terminal device, because the terminal device knows which spatial transmit filter is used at the selected RACH opportunity. The RACH opportunity can be used for beam indication between the UL-only TRP and the terminal device.

[0295] S4. The conventional TRP sends indication information (corresponding to the second information in the above embodiment) to the terminal device, indicating the RACH timing selected by the UL-only TRP and the corresponding TA value.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the regular TRP is associated with the UL-only TRP and belongs to the same TAG. In other words, the UL-only TRP does not support independent TA value indication, and the UL-only TRP's TA value indication needs to rely on the regular TRP's TA value.

[0297] In one example, the indication information may indicate multiple TA offsets for a TAG, wherein different TA offsets are associated with different TRPs. The TA value of the UL-only TRP may be determined based on the associated TA offsets and the reference TA value.

[0298] In another example, the indication information may directly indicate the TA value of the regular TRP and the difference between the TA value of the UL-only TRP and the TA value of the regular TRP. The TA value of the UL-only TRP may be determined based on the difference and the TA value of the UL-only TRP.

[0299] In another example, the indication information may indicate a first differential value for the UL-only TRP and a second differential value for the regular TRP. The first differential value is the difference between the new UL-only TRP TA value and the old UL-only TRP TA value. The second differential value is the difference between the new regular TRP TA value and the old regular TRP TA value.

[0300] In another possible implementation, the conventional TRP and the UL-only TRP belong to different TAGs, and the conventional TRP can independently configure a corresponding TA value for the UL-only TRP. Exemplarily, the indication information can configure one or more of the following for the TAG where the UL-only TRP is located: TAG ID, TA offset, and TA value. Compared with the TAG of the conventional TRP, the UL-only TRP does not have an independent downlink reference time, and the TA value of the UL-only TRP is a timing advance based on the downlink reference time of the conventional TRP.

[0301] Embodiment 2: The terminal device acquires the TA of the UL-only TRP based on the TA timer. Referring to FIG10 , the TA acquisition of the UL-only TRP based on the TA timer includes the following steps.

[0302] S1. The TA timer expires, and the terminal device performs PRACH beam scanning on multiple RACH occasions.

[0303] It should be noted that, since the terminal device performs PRACH beam scanning on multiple RACH occasions, it is triggered by the TA timer timeout. Therefore, the relevant resources used by the terminal device for PRACH beam scanning are

[0304] Among them, the preamble used by the terminal device for PRACH beam scanning can be selected by the terminal device.

[0305] It should be noted that the RACH process triggered by the TA timer is contention-based, and the terminal device can choose to send the PRACH preamble. The PRACH may conflict with the PRACH of other terminal devices. The contention resolution mechanism in the RACH process can determine whether the network-side response is intended for the terminal device.

[0306] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may select multiple RACH opportunities for PRACH beam scanning. Specifically, the terminal device may measure the SSB of a conventional TRP and select an appropriate SSB (e.g., one with maximum RSRP / maximum SNR). The terminal device performs PRACH beam scanning based on one or more RACH opportunities associated with the selected SSB.

[0307] It should be noted that the SSB of the conventional TRP selected by the terminal device can also be used as a reference for the downlink reference time and / or path loss. The terminal device can perform power control based on the path loss. The specific method can be referred to the description in the above embodiment. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0308] In another possible implementation, the multiple RACH opportunities for the terminal device to perform PRACH beam scanning may also be configured by a conventional TRP. In one example, the conventional TRP may configure a RACH opportunity for the terminal device for the UL-only TRP. In another example, the conventional TRP may specify an SSB for the UL-only TRP for the terminal device, and accordingly, the multiple RACH opportunities for the terminal device to perform PRACH beam scanning may be one or more RACH opportunities associated with the specified SSB.

[0309] S2. The UL-only TRP selects a RACH timing, determines a corresponding TA value, and sends the selected RACH timing and the corresponding TA value to the regular TRP.

[0310] It should be noted that, for selecting the RACH timing of the UL-only TRP and determining the corresponding TA value, reference may be made to the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0311] S3. The conventional TRP sends indication information (corresponding to the second information in the above embodiment) to the terminal device, indicating the RACH timing selected by the UL-only TRP and the corresponding TA value.

[0312] It should be noted that the conventional TRP sending indication information to the terminal device can refer to the above embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0313] In summary, the terminal device can obtain the TA value of the UL-only TRP through the RACH beam scanning process, clarifying the method for obtaining the TA value of the UL-only TRP, thereby ensuring the correct transmission of uplink data and improving the stability of the communication system.

[0314] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will no longer describe the various possible combinations separately. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, as long as they do not violate the idea of ​​the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application. For another example, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or the technical features in each embodiment described in the present application can be arbitrarily combined with the prior art, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0315] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0316] Based on the same inventive concept as the previous embodiment, FIG11 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a terminal device. As shown in FIG11 , the communication device 1100 may include a first sending unit 1110 and a first receiving unit 1120, wherein:

[0317] The first sending unit 1110 is configured to use one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device; the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the one or more spatial filters is used by the first network device to determine a first TA value of the first network device;

[0318] The first receiving unit 1120 is configured to receive first information sent by the second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0319] In some embodiments, the uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources.

[0320] In some embodiments, the uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources, including one or more of the following:

[0321] The uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple transmission resources; wherein different spatial filters are associated with different transmission resources;

[0322] Uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by multiple spatial filters are associated with one transmission resource;

[0323] The uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by a spatial filter is associated with multiple transmission resources.

[0324] In some embodiments, the transmission resources include one or more of the following:

[0325] Transmission timing;

[0326] Preamble sequence.

[0327] In some embodiments, the first sending unit 1110 is configured to do one or more of the following:

[0328] Using multiple spatial filters at a transmission opportunity, sending an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device; the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple preamble sequences;

[0329] Using a spatial filter at a transmission opportunity, sending an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device;

[0330] Using different spatial filters at multiple transmission opportunities, sending an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device;

[0331] The same spatial filter is used at multiple transmission opportunities to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device.

[0332] In some embodiments, the first receiving unit 1120 is further configured to receive second information sent by the second network device, where the second information triggers the terminal device to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0333] In some embodiments, the second information is used to further indicate one or more transmission resources, wherein the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the one or more spatial filters are associated with the one or more transmission resources.

[0334] In some embodiments, the transmission resource includes a transmission opportunity, and the transmission opportunity is a transmission opportunity associated with a first downlink reference signal; the first downlink reference signal is any one of a plurality of downlink reference signals sent by the second network device.

[0335] In some embodiments, the second information is a PDCCH order.

[0336] In some embodiments, the communication apparatus 1100 further includes a determination unit, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine that a TA timer has expired, and the TA timer is used to trigger the terminal device to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0337] In some embodiments, the determining unit is further configured to determine one or more transmission resources, and the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the one or more spatial filters are associated with the one or more transmission resources.

[0338] In some embodiments, the one or more transmission resources are configured by the second network device, or selected by the terminal device from candidate transmission resources.

[0339] In some embodiments, the transmission resources include transmission opportunities;

[0340] The transmission timing is a transmission timing associated with a first downlink reference signal, and the first downlink reference signal is any one of a plurality of downlink reference signals sent by the second network device.

[0341] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes:

[0342] Baseline TA value;

[0343] a first TA offset associated with the first network device;

[0344] A second TA offset associated with the second network device; and a first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset.

[0345] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes:

[0346] a second TA value of the second network device;

[0347] a first differential value associated with the first network device;

[0348] A first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the second TA value and the first differential value.

[0349] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes:

[0350] a first differential value associated with the first network device;

[0351] A second differential value associated with the second network device; and the first TA value is determined based on the first differential value and a historical TA value of the first network device.

[0352] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device belong to different timing advance groups TAG, and the first information includes:

[0353] Baseline TA value;

[0354] A first TA offset associated with the first network device; the first TA value is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset; and a downlink reference time of the first TA value is the same as a downlink reference time of the second TA value of the second network device.

[0355] In some embodiments, the uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources;

[0356] The first information is also used to indicate a first transmission resource; the first TA value is determined based on a measurement result of an uplink channel and / or uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource; and the one or more transmission resources include the first transmission resource.

[0357] In some embodiments, the transmit power of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device is configured by the second network device, or is determined based on a path loss and a path loss offset parameter of the second network device;

[0358] The path loss of the second network device is determined based on a first downlink reference signal; the first downlink reference signal is any one of a plurality of downlink reference signals associated with the second network device; and the path loss offset parameter is predefined or configured by the second network device.

[0359] In some embodiments, the first sending unit 1110 is further configured to, within a first time period after sending the uplink channel and / or uplink signal, if the second information sent by the second network device is not received, the terminal device adjusts the transmission power of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal, and uses the one or more spatial filters to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device.

[0360] In some embodiments, the downlink reference time of the first TA value of the first network device is determined based on a reception time of a first reference signal, where the first downlink reference signal is any one of a plurality of downlink reference signals associated with the second network device.

[0361] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal is configured by the second network device or selected by the terminal device.

[0362] Based on the same inventive concept as the previous embodiment, FIG12 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first network device that does not support downlink transmission. As shown in FIG12 , the communication device 1200 may include a second receiving unit 1210 and a second sending unit 1220, wherein:

[0363] The second receiving unit 1210 is configured to use one or more spatial filters to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by a terminal device; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by the one or more spatial filters is used to determine a first timing advance TA value of the first network device;

[0364] The second sending unit 1220 is configured to send first information to the terminal device through the second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission; the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0365] In some embodiments, the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources;

[0366] The first TA value is determined by the first network device based on a measurement result of an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource;

[0367] The first transmission resource is a transmission resource in which an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal associated with the one or more transmission resources meets a first condition.

[0368] In some embodiments, the first condition includes one or more of the following:

[0369] Among the one or more transmission resources, a transmission resource associated with the maximum received power of an uplink channel and / or uplink signal;

[0370] Among the one or more transmission resources, a transmission resource having the largest signal-to-noise ratio of an associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal;

[0371] Among the one or more transmission resources, the transmission resource with the smallest TA value of the associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0372] In some embodiments, the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources, including one or more of the following:

[0373] The uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple transmission resources; wherein different spatial filters are associated with different transmission resources;

[0374] Uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by multiple spatial filters are associated with one transmission resource;

[0375] The uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by a spatial filter is associated with multiple transmission resources.

[0376] In some embodiments, the transmission resources include one or more of the following:

[0377] Transmission timing;

[0378] Preamble sequence.

[0379] In some embodiments, the second receiving unit 1210 is further configured to do one or more of the following:

[0380] Using multiple spatial filters at a transmission opportunity to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the terminal device; the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple preamble sequences;

[0381] Using a spatial filter at a transmission opportunity, receiving an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device;

[0382] Using different spatial filters at multiple transmission opportunities to receive uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the terminal device;

[0383] The same spatial filter is used at multiple transmission occasions to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

[0384] In some embodiments, the second sending unit 1220 is further configured to send third information to the second network device, where the third information triggers the second network device to send the first information to the terminal device, and the third information is used to indicate the first TA value.

[0385] In some embodiments, the third information is also used to indicate the first transmission resource corresponding to the first TA value; the first TA value is determined based on the measurement results of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource; the one or more transmission resources include the first transmission resource.

[0386] Based on the same inventive concept as the previous embodiment, FIG13 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a second network device that supports downlink transmission. As shown in FIG13 , the communication device 1300 may include a third receiving unit 1310 and a third sending unit 1320, wherein:

[0387] The third receiving unit 1310 is configured to receive third information sent by the first network device; the third information is used to indicate a first timing advance TA value of the first network device; the first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission;

[0388] The third sending unit 1320 is configured to send first information to the terminal device; the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0389] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes:

[0390] Baseline TA value;

[0391] a first TA offset associated with the first network device;

[0392] A second TA offset associated with the second network device; and a first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset.

[0393] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes:

[0394] a second TA value of the second network device;

[0395] a first differential value associated with the first network device;

[0396] A first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the second TA value and the first differential value.

[0397] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes:

[0398] a first differential value associated with the first network device;

[0399] A second differential value associated with the second network device; and the first TA value is determined based on the first differential value and a historical TA value of the first network device.

[0400] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device belong to different timing advance groups TAG, and the first information includes:

[0401] Baseline TA value;

[0402] A first TA offset associated with the first network device; the first TA value is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset; and a downlink reference time of the first TA value is the same as a downlink reference time of the second TA value of the second network device.

[0403] In some embodiments, the first information and the third information are further used to indicate a first transmission resource; and the first TA value is determined based on a measurement result of an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource.

[0404] In some embodiments, the third sending unit 1320 is further configured to send second information to the terminal device; the second information is used to trigger the terminal device to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

[0405] In some embodiments, the second information is used to further indicate one or more transmission resources, wherein the one or more transmission resources are associated with an uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device to the first network device using one or more spatial filters.

[0406] In some embodiments, the transmission resources include one or more of the following:

[0407] leader sequence;

[0408] Transmission timing.

[0409] In some embodiments, the transmission opportunity is a transmission opportunity associated with a first downlink reference signal; the first downlink reference signal is any one of a plurality of downlink reference signals sent by the second network device.

[0410] In some embodiments, the second information is a PDCCH order.

[0411] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned communication device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0412] Figure 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and a memory 1420. The memory 1420 can store computer programs, and the processor 1410 can call and execute the computer programs from the memory 1420 to implement the methods in the embodiments of the present application.

[0413] The memory 1420 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1410 , or may be integrated into the processor 1410 .

[0414] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG14 , the communication device 1400 may further include a transceiver 1430 , and the processor 1410 may control the transceiver 1430 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the transceiver 1430 may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0415] The transceiver 1430 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1430 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0416] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide another composition of a communication device, wherein the communication device may include the communication device 1100 or the communication device 1200 or the communication device 1300 described in any one of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0417] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a terminal device in an embodiment of the present application, and the processor 1410 may call and run a computer program from the memory 1420 to implement the method implemented by the terminal device in an embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0418] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a network device in an embodiment of the present application, and the processor 1410 may call and run a computer program from the memory 1420 to implement the method implemented by the network device in an embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0419] Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 15, chip 1500 includes a processor 1510, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0420] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG15 , the chip 1500 may further include a memory 1520. The processor 1510 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1520 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0421] The memory 1520 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1510 , or may be integrated into the processor 1510 .

[0422] In some embodiments, the chip 1500 may further include an input interface 1530. The processor 1510 may control the input interface 1530 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0423] In some embodiments, the chip 1500 may further include an output interface 1540. The processor 1510 may control the output interface 1540 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0424] In some embodiments, the chip can be applied to the network equipment in the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described here.

[0425] In some embodiments, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described here.

[0426] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0427] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG16 , the communication system 1600 may include a terminal device 1610 and a network device 1620 .

[0428] The terminal device 1610 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the terminal device in the above method, and the network device 1620 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the network device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they are not described here in detail.

[0429] It is understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be 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 devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0430] It is also understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0431] It is also understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM). In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0432] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0433] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and when the computer program is executed by at least one processor, it implements the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0434] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and when the computer program is executed by at least one processor, it implements the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0435] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0436] In some embodiments, the computer program product can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0437] In some embodiments, the computer program product can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0438] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0439] In some embodiments, the computer program can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0440] In some embodiments, the computer program can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0441] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0442] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described devices and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0443] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0444] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0445] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0446] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0447] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0448] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0449] The methods disclosed in the several method embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments.

[0450] The features disclosed in the several product embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new product embodiments.

[0451] The features disclosed in the several method or device embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments or device embodiments.

[0452] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, the method comprising: The terminal device sends an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device using one or more spatial filters; The first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the one or more spatial filters is used by the first network device to determine a first timing advance TA value of the first network device; The terminal device receives first information sent by a second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources, including one or more of the following: The uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple transmission resources; wherein different spatial filters are associated with different transmission resources; Uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by a plurality of spatial filters are associated with one transmission resource; An uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by a spatial filter is associated with multiple transmission resources.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The transmission resources include one or more of the following: Transmission timing; Preamble sequence.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, including one or more of the following: The terminal device uses multiple spatial filters at a transmission opportunity to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device; the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple preamble sequences; The terminal device uses a spatial filter at a transmission opportunity to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device; The terminal device uses different spatial filters at multiple transmission opportunities to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device; The terminal device uses the same spatial filter at multiple transmission times to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: Before the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, the method further includes: The terminal device receives second information sent by the second network device, and the second information triggers the terminal device to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The second information is further used to indicate one or more transmission resources, wherein the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the one or more spatial filters are associated with the one or more transmission resources.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The transmission resource includes a transmission opportunity, and the transmission opportunity is a transmission opportunity associated with a first downlink reference signal; the first downlink reference signal is any one reference signal among a plurality of downlink reference signals sent by the second network device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: The second information is a physical downlink control channel order PDCCH order.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: Before the terminal device uses one or more spatial filters to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to the first network device, the method includes: The terminal device determines that a TA timer has timed out, and the TA timer is used to trigger the terminal device to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: Also includes: The terminal device determines one or more transmission resources, and the uplink channels and / or uplink signals sent by the one or more spatial filters are associated with the one or more transmission resources.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The one or more transmission resources are configured by the second network device, or selected by the terminal device from candidate transmission resources.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The transmission resources include transmission opportunities; The transmission timing is a transmission timing associated with a first downlink reference signal, and the first downlink reference signal is any one reference signal among a plurality of downlink reference signals sent by the second network device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes: Baseline TA value; a first TA offset associated with the first network device; A second TA offset associated with the second network device; and a first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes: a second TA value of the second network device; a first differential value associated with the first network device; A first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the second TA value and the first differential value.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes: a first differential value associated with the first network device; A second differential value associated with the second network device; and the first TA value is determined based on the first differential value and a historical TA value of the first network device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The first network device and the second network device belong to different timing advance groups TAG, and the first information includes: Baseline TA value; A first TA offset associated with the first network device; the first TA value is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset; and a downlink reference time of the first TA value is the same as a downlink reference time of a second TA value of the second network device.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The uplink channels and / or uplink signals transmitted by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources; The first information is also used to indicate a first transmission resource; the first TA value is determined based on a measurement result of an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource; and the one or more transmission resources include the first transmission resource.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein: The transmission power of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device is configured by the second network device, or is determined based on the path loss and path loss offset parameters of the second network device; Among them, the path loss of the second network device is determined based on the first downlink reference signal; the first downlink reference signal is any one of the multiple downlink reference signals associated with the second network device; the path loss offset parameter is predefined or configured by the second network device.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein: Also includes: Within the first time period after the terminal device sends the uplink channel and / or uplink signal, if the terminal device does not receive the first information sent by the second network device, the terminal device adjusts the transmission power of the uplink channel and / or uplink signal, and uses the one or more spatial filters to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal to the first network device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein: The downlink reference time of the first TA value is determined based on a reception time of a first reference signal, where the first downlink reference signal is any one of a plurality of downlink reference signals associated with the second network device.

22. The method of claim 8, 13, 19, or 21, wherein: The first downlink reference signal is configured by the second network device or selected by the terminal device.

23. A communication method, the method comprising: The first network device receives an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device using one or more spatial filters; The first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by the one or more spatial filters is used to determine a first timing advance TA value of the first network device; The first network device sends first information to the terminal device through the second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission; the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources; The first TA value is determined by the first network device based on a measurement result of an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource; The first transmission resource is a transmission resource whose associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal among the one or more transmission resources meets a first condition.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein: The first condition includes one or more of the following: Among the one or more transmission resources, a transmission resource with the largest received power of an associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal; Among the one or more transmission resources, a transmission resource having the largest signal-to-noise ratio of an associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal; Among the one or more transmission resources, the transmission resource with the smallest TA value of the associated uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, wherein: The uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the one or more spatial filters are associated with one or more transmission resources, including one or more of the following: The uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the multiple spatial filters are associated with multiple transmission resources; wherein different spatial filters are associated with different transmission resources; The uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the plurality of spatial filters are associated with one transmission resource; An uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by a spatial filter is associated with a plurality of transmission resources.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein: The transmission resources include one or more of the following: Transmission timing; Preamble sequence.

28. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 27, wherein: The first network device uses one or more spatial filters to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by a terminal device, including one or more of the following: The first network device uses a plurality of spatial filters at a transmission opportunity to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device; the uplink channels and / or uplink signals received by the plurality of spatial filters are associated with a plurality of preamble sequences; The first network device uses a spatial filter at a transmission opportunity to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device; The first network device uses different spatial filters at multiple transmission opportunities to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device; The first network device uses the same spatial filter at multiple transmission times to receive the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

29. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 28, wherein: The first network device sends the first information to the terminal device through the second network device, including: The first network device sends third information to the second network device, and the third information triggers the second network device to send the first information to the terminal device. The third information is used to indicate the first TA value.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein: The third information is also used to indicate a first transmission resource corresponding to the first TA value; the first TA value is determined based on a measurement result of an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource; and the one or more transmission resources include the first transmission resource.

31. A communication method, the method comprising: The second network device receives third information sent by the first network device, where the third information is used to indicate a first timing advance TA value of the first network device; The first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission; The second network device sends first information to the terminal device; the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein: The first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes: Baseline TA value; a first TA offset associated with the first network device; A second TA offset associated with the second network device; and a first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein: The first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes: a second TA value of the second network device; a first differential value associated with the first network device; A first TA value of the first network device is determined based on the second TA value and the first differential value.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein: The first network device and the second network device belong to the same timing advance group TAG, and the first information includes: a first differential value associated with the first network device; A second differential value associated with the second network device; and the first TA value is determined based on the first differential value and a historical TA value of the first network device.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein: The first network device and the second network device belong to different timing advance groups TAG, and the first information includes: Baseline TA value; A first TA offset associated with the first network device; the first TA value is determined based on the reference TA value and the first TA offset; and a downlink reference time of the first TA value is the same as a downlink reference time of a second TA value of the second network device.

36. The method according to any one of claims 31 to 35, wherein: The first information and / or the third information are also used to indicate a first transmission resource; the first TA value is determined based on a measurement result of an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal associated with the first transmission resource.

37. The method according to any one of claims 31 to 36, wherein: Also includes: The second network device sends second information to the terminal device; The second information is used to trigger the terminal device to send the uplink channel and / or uplink signal.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein: The second information is used to further indicate one or more transmission resources, wherein the one or more transmission resources are associated with an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by the terminal device to the first network device using one or more spatial filters.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein: The transmission resources include one or more of the following: leader sequence; Transmission timing.

40. The method of claim 40, wherein: The transmission timing is a transmission timing associated with a first downlink reference signal; the first downlink reference signal is any one of a plurality of downlink reference signals sent by the second network device.

41. The method according to any one of claims 37 to 40, wherein: The first information is a physical downlink control channel order PDCCH order.

42. A communication device, applied to a terminal device, the communication device comprising: A first sending unit, configured to send an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal to a first network device using one or more spatial filters; The first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal sent by the one or more spatial filters is used by the first network device to determine a first timing advance TA value of the first network device; The first receiving unit is configured to receive first information sent by a second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

43. A communication device, applied to a first network device, the communication device comprising: A second receiving unit, configured to use one or more spatial filters to receive an uplink channel and / or an uplink signal sent by a terminal device; The first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the uplink channel and / or uplink signal received by the one or more spatial filters is used to determine a first timing advance TA value of the first network device; The second sending unit is configured to send first information to the terminal device through a second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission; the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

44. A communication device, applied to a second network device, the communication device comprising: A third receiving unit, configured to receive third information sent by the first network device; The third information is used to indicate a first timing advance TA value of the first network device; The first network device is a network device that does not support downlink transmission; the second network device is a network device that supports downlink transmission; The third sending unit is configured to send first information to the terminal device; the first information is used to indicate the first TA value, and the first TA value is used for uplink transmission between the terminal device and the first network device.

45. A communication device, wherein: include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 22; or, to execute the method as described in any one of claims 23 to 30; or, to execute the method as described in any one of claims 31 to 41.

46. ​​A chip, wherein: include: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as described in any one of claims 1 to 22; or, executes a method as described in any one of claims 23 to 30; or, executes a method as described in any one of claims 31 to 41.

47. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein: The computer storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by at least one processor, it implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22; or, implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 30; or, implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 31 to 41.

48. A computer program product, comprising computer program instructions, which enable a computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22; or, to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 30; or, to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 31 to 41.

49. A computer program, the computer program causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22; or, to execute the method according to any one of claims 23 to 30; or, to execute the method according to any one of claims 31 to 41.

Images