Random access method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a random access method and an apparatus therefor, which are beneficial for reducing the probability of collision when sending a random access preamble in a random access procedure and improving an access capacity. The method comprises: a network device sends configuration information to a terminal device, the configuration information being used for indicating that an SSB corresponds to a plurality of beams, and each beam among the plurality of beams corresponding to one or more ROs; the terminal device receives the configuration information, determines a target beam from among the plurality of beams, and sends a random access preamble to the network device in an RO corresponding to the target beam; and the network device receives the random access preamble.

Description

Random access method and related device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 3, 2023, with application number 202311464436.1 and application name “Random Access Method and Related Devices”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a random access method and related devices. Background Art

[0003] In non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, each satellite typically covers a large area. Given a given link budget and system resources, satellite networks can improve the coverage area of ​​a single beam through beam design, thereby enhancing overall satellite coverage. However, due to the limited coverage of a single beam, a single satellite still requires a large number of beams to achieve wider coverage.

[0004] During the random access (RA) phase, the satellite, acting as a network device, needs to sequentially scan all beams and configure random access resources for the terminal device. The random access process generally refers to the process from when the terminal device sends a random access preamble to attempt to access the network device to when the terminal device establishes a basic signaling connection with the network device. Currently, network devices can broadcast different synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) for different communication areas and distinguish them by their SSB index numbers. Different SSB index numbers represent downlink synchronization signals in different beam directions.

[0005] According to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) protocol, a terminal device can determine the corresponding random access occasion (RA occasion, RO) based on the SSB and send a random access preamble on the RO through the physical random access channel (PRACH) to request access. The time and frequency resource locations of the RO resources are configured by the network side.

[0006] However, the number of random access preambles available for the RO corresponding to an SSB wide beam is limited, and multiple terminal devices may select the same random access preamble, which will cause collisions of random access preambles and affect access capacity.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present application provides a random access method and related devices, which are beneficial to reducing the collision probability of sending random access preamble codes during random access and improving access capacity.

[0009] In the first aspect, a random access method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions.

[0010] The method includes: receiving configuration information from a network device, the configuration information being used to indicate that an SSB corresponds to multiple beams, each of the multiple beams corresponding to one or more ROs; determining a target beam from the multiple beams; and sending a random access preamble code to the network device at the RO corresponding to the target beam.

[0011] In this application, SSB corresponds to multiple beams. It can be understood that the wide beam corresponding to one SSB (referred to as an SSB wide beam) can correspond to multiple narrow beams, that is, one SSB corresponds to multiple narrow beams (referred to as SSB narrow beams). The coverage of one SSB wide beam includes the coverage of the multiple SSB narrow beams. The target beam is one of the multiple SSB narrow beams, and the location of the terminal device is within the coverage of the target beam.

[0012] It should be understood that, whereas one SSB originally corresponded to one wide beam, and one SSB wide beam had one or more corresponding ROs, in the present application, one SSB can correspond to multiple narrow beams, and each SSB narrow beam has its corresponding RO. Thus, the RO corresponding to one SSB wide beam can include the ROs corresponding to multiple SSB narrow beams.

[0013] In scenarios where multiple terminal devices are covered by a single wide SSB beam, different terminal devices may be covered by different narrow SSB beams. When different terminal devices select different narrow SSB beams as their target beams, since these narrow SSB beams correspond to different ROs, collisions between random access preambles sent by different terminal devices can be avoided, thereby improving access capacity within this wide beam. Furthermore, since narrow SSB beams have higher gain, they are beneficial for improving PRACH transmission performance.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, determining the target beam from the multiple beams includes: obtaining the coverage range of at least one beam among the multiple beams; and determining the target beam from the at least one beam based on the location of the terminal device and the coverage range of the at least one beam.

[0015] In the present application, the at least one beam refers to at least one SSB narrow beam, and the number of the at least one beam is less than or equal to the number of the multiple beams. The terminal device obtains the coverage range of at least one beam among the multiple beams, which means that when determining the target beam, the terminal device can obtain the coverage range of one SSB narrow beam among the multiple SSB narrow beams each time in a traversal manner, and determine whether the position of the terminal device is within the coverage range of the SSB narrow beam. When the terminal device determines that its position is within the coverage range of the SSB narrow beam, the terminal device stops detection. This method is conducive to reducing the amount of calculation of the terminal device.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before obtaining the coverage range of at least one beam among the multiple beams, the method also includes: receiving first information and beam pattern information from a network device, the first information is used to indicate the coverage range of the network device, and the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution of at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device, the multiple beams corresponding to each SSB in at least one SSB, and the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB; determining the coverage range of the at least one SSB based on the distribution of the at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device; determining the coverage range of the multiple beams based on the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before obtaining the coverage range of at least one beam among the multiple beams, the method also includes: receiving second information and coverage angle information of the beam, the second information being used to indicate the position of the network device, and the coverage angle information of the beam being used to indicate the coverage angle of each beam among the multiple beams; determining the coverage range of the multiple beams based on the position of the network device and the coverage angle information of the beam.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before obtaining the coverage range of at least one beam among the multiple beams, the method further includes: obtaining the center point coordinates of at least one beam among the multiple beams. Determining a target beam from the at least one beam based on the location of the terminal device and the coverage range of the at least one beam includes: determining the distance between the terminal device and each beam among the at least one beam based on the location of the terminal device and the center point coordinates of the at least one beam; and determining as the target beam a beam among the at least one beam whose distance from the terminal device meets a preset condition.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the preset condition includes: being less than or equal to a preset threshold; or, the distance being the shortest.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before obtaining the center point coordinates of at least one beam among the multiple beams, the method also includes: receiving third information from a network device, the third information being used to indicate the center point coordinates of each beam among the multiple beams, or being used to indicate the distance between a reference point and each beam among the multiple beams and the coverage angle of each beam among the multiple beams; and determining the center point coordinates of each beam among the multiple beams based on the third information.

[0021] On the second aspect, a random access method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component of a network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the base station functions.

[0022] The method includes: sending configuration information to a terminal device, where the configuration information is used to indicate that the SSB corresponds to multiple beams, and each of the multiple beams corresponds to one or more ROs; receiving a random access preamble code from the terminal device, where the random access preamble code is located on the RO corresponding to the target beam among the multiple beams.

[0023] In this application, SSB corresponds to multiple beams. It can be understood that the wide beam corresponding to one SSB (referred to as an SSB wide beam) can correspond to multiple narrow beams, that is, one SSB corresponds to multiple narrow beams (referred to as SSB narrow beams). The coverage of one SSB wide beam includes the coverage of the multiple SSB narrow beams. The target beam is one of the multiple SSB narrow beams, and the location of the terminal device is within the coverage of the target beam.

[0024] It should be understood that one SSB originally corresponds to one wide beam, and one SSB wide beam has one or more corresponding ROs, while in the embodiment of the present application, one SSB can correspond to multiple narrow beams, and each SSB narrow beam has its corresponding RO. In this way, the RO corresponding to one SSB wide beam can include ROs corresponding to multiple SSB narrow beams. In this way, when different terminal devices select different SSB narrow beams as target beams, since different SSB narrow beams correspond to different ROs, collisions when different terminal devices send random access preambles can be avoided, and network devices can receive random access preambles from different terminal devices on ROs corresponding to different SSB narrow beams, thereby improving the access capacity within this wide beam. And since the gain of the SSB narrow beam is higher, it is beneficial to improve the transmission performance of the PRACH.

[0025] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending first information and beam pattern information to a terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate the coverage range of the network device, and the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution of at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device, multiple beams corresponding to each of the at least one SSB, and the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB. This helps reduce signaling overhead of the network device.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending second information and beam coverage angle information to a terminal device, where the second information indicates a location of the network device, and the beam coverage angle information indicates a coverage angle of each of the multiple beams. This helps reduce signaling overhead for the network device.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending third information to the terminal device, where the third information is used to indicate the coordinates of the center point of each of the multiple beams; or is used to indicate the distance between the reference point and each of the multiple beams and the coverage angle of each of the multiple beams. This indication method is simple and direct, and facilitates simplifying the operation of determining the coverage range of the multiple beams.

[0028] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a module for executing the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects. Specifically, the device includes a module for executing the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0029] In one design, the device may include a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in any of the above aspects. The module may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0030] In another design, the device is a communication chip, which may include an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0031] In another design, the apparatus is a terminal device or a network device, which may include a transmitter for sending information or data and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0032] In another design, the apparatus is used to execute the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects, and the apparatus can be configured in a terminal device or a network device.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that the device executes a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0034] Optionally, the device further comprises a memory, which can be used to store instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the above aspects can be implemented.

[0035] Optionally, the device further includes: a transmitter (emitter) and a receiver (receiver), and the transmitter and the receiver can be separately provided or integrated together, and are referred to as a transceiver (transceiver).

[0036] In a fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables a computer to execute a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions) which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0038] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any of the above aspects, such as receiving or processing the data involved in the above method.

[0039] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0040] Optionally, the chip system may consist of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an extreme wide coverage scenario;

[0042] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a random access phase and a service data transmission phase;

[0043] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a mapping relationship between SSB and RO;

[0044] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a PRACH configuration;

[0045] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a wide beam and a narrow beam;

[0046] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a random access phase and a service data transmission phase provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of an NTN architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication scenario applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG10 is a schematic flowchart of a random access method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG11A and FIG11B are schematic diagrams of RO configurations of SSB narrow beams provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a beam coverage area provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG13 and FIG14 are schematic diagrams of the random access phase provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG15 is a schematic flowchart of another random access method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG16 and FIG17 are schematic diagrams of beam coverage patterns provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0056] FIG18 is a schematic flowchart of another random access method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG19 is a schematic flowchart of another random access method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figures 20 to 22 are schematic block diagrams of the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] Before introducing the random access method and related apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0061] First, in the embodiments described below, various terms and abbreviations, such as configuration information, SSB, and target beam, are provided for ease of description and should not limit this application in any way. This application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms in existing or future protocols that can achieve the same or similar functions.

[0062] Second, the first, second and various numerical numbers in the embodiments shown below are only used for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0063] Third, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0064] Fourth, "sending" and "receiving" in this application indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending a random access preamble to a network device" can be understood as the destination end of the random access preamble being the network device, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving configuration information from a network device" can be understood as the source end of the configuration information being the network device, which can include direct receiving from the network device through the air interface, and also includes indirect receiving from the network device through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0065] In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between a terminal device and a network device; or it can be carried out within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, wiring or interface.

[0066] The following is an introduction to the relevant technologies and concepts involved in this application.

[0067] Sixth-generation mobile communication technology (6G) and future communication systems consider the extreme wide coverage scenario shown in Figure 1, where base stations can provide services to terminal devices within a range of tens of kilometers. This scenario has the following characteristics: First, the transmission distance is long, path loss is high, and power is limited on the base station and terminal side; second, the base station is located at a high position, and the channel between the base station and the user approaches line of sight (LOS) transmission of the wireless channel; third, extreme wide coverage must ensure both full user access within the coverage area and guaranteed user performance.

[0068] In the context of extremely wide coverage, various scenarios can be met. For example, satellite scenarios, where the large coverage area of ​​satellites can accommodate a large number of users, or ground scenarios where ultra-large coverage of tens of kilometers is possible.

[0069] Since satellites have the advantages of being less susceptible to natural disasters or external damage, research is currently underway to use satellites as access network equipment (e.g., base stations) in mobile communication systems to provide communication services to oceans, forests, and other areas. Unlike ground base stations, satellites move at a higher speed relative to the ground and their signals travel farther, which results in greater signal path loss when the satellite is used as a base station (which can be called a satellite base station). The communication mechanism currently designed for terminal devices and ground base stations in mobile communication systems cannot be directly applied to the communication between terminal devices and satellites. Therefore, in order for satellites to serve as base stations to provide communication services to terminal devices, how the communication signal between the terminal device and the satellite base station can overcome the signal path loss to improve coverage, and how to ensure that the terminal device can stably complete initial access and reduce access delay are issues that need to be addressed.

[0070] To support wider service coverage, network equipment may need to provide network services for a larger communication area. For example, in an NTN communication system, each satellite / high-altitude platform / base station typically covers a large area. Within a given link budget and system resources, satellites use beam design to increase the coverage area of ​​a single beam, thereby improving overall satellite coverage. However, due to the limited coverage range of a single beam, a single satellite still requires a large number of beams to achieve wider coverage.

[0071] A beam is the main lobe of a signal's directional array pattern. The coverage of a beam refers to the projection of the beam on the ground. Network devices can adjust antenna weights to point the beam in different directions, resulting in different coverage areas. The beam coverage discussed in this application refers to the beam's coverage on the ground. As the satellite base station moves and the weights are adjusted, the beam's coverage will also change.

[0072] During the random access phase, the satellite, as a network device, scans all beams in sequence to configure random access resources for the terminal device. The random access process generally refers to the process from when the terminal device sends a random access preamble to try to access the network device to when a basic signaling connection is established between the terminal device and the network device. Currently, network devices can broadcast different SSBs for different communication areas and distinguish different SSBs by the SSB index number. Typically, different SSB index numbers indicate downlink synchronization signals in different beam directions, covering and serving different areas. After receiving the SSB, the terminal device completes timing synchronization and confirms the time-frequency position of the system information block 1 (SIB1) according to the information indicated in the SSB, and completes the parsing of SIB1 to obtain cell information. The terminal device detects SIB19 according to the search space of SIB19 configured in SIB1, completes data parsing, and obtains the satellite's ephemeris information. After obtaining the cell information and / or ephemeris information, the terminal device sends a random access preamble on the corresponding uplink resource based on the configuration information and the SSB index. For network equipment, the area where the terminal device is located can be determined through the received random access preamble code and the corresponding uplink resources, and a connection can be established with the terminal device.

[0073] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the random access phase and service data transmission phase, briefly describing the four-step random access process of the new radio (NR). The random access process includes: the network device sends an SSB to the terminal device using a wide beam. The terminal device receives SIB1 based on the SSB and obtains cell information, RO resource configuration information, etc. from SIB1. The terminal device determines the RO to use based on the SSB index and RO resource configuration information, and transmits a physical random access channel (PRACH) on the determined RO to make a random access request. After receiving the PRACH, the network device sends a random access response (RAR) to the terminal device. The RAR schedules the terminal device to send message 3 on the corresponding time-frequency resources to make a radio resource control (RRC) setup request. After receiving message 3, the network device sends message 4 to the terminal device to establish RRC. After receiving message 4, the terminal device sends message 5 to the network device, completing the initial access process.

[0074] During the random access phase, network devices and terminal devices use wide beams to complete the initial access process. During the service data transmission phase, network devices obtain channel state information (CSI) or user location and use narrow beams to transmit service data, improving link budget and communication speed.

[0075] During the initial access process in the extreme wide coverage scenario, PRACH is associated with SSB, and the same wide beam is used to send PRACH for random access. Subsequent uplink and downlink data need to obtain narrow beams for transmission after access is completed.

[0076] It should be noted that wide beam and narrow beam are relative concepts. Beam width refers to the angular size of the beam, which can affect the beam's coverage. A wide beam has a larger angle and a wider coverage area. A narrow beam has a smaller angle and a narrower coverage area.

[0077] Although using the wide beam corresponding to SSB during random access can ensure comprehensive coverage, the gain of the wide beam is low and the transmission performance is limited.

[0078] According to the 3GPP protocol definition, the terminal device can determine the corresponding RO based on the SSB and transmit the PRACH on the RO to initiate a random access request. The time-frequency resource location of the RO is configured by the network device. Among them, the PRACH transmission includes the terminal device sending a random access preamble code to the base station.

[0079] Network devices can specify the time domain format of the RO through a format table and the mapping relationship between the RO and SSB in the frequency domain through parameters. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the mapping relationship between SSB and RO. As shown in Figure 3, the mapping relationship between RO and SSB in the frequency domain can be one-to-one, such as SSB_0 and RO_0 in Figure 3; it can also be many-to-one, such as RO_0, RO_1, RO_2, and RO_3 in Figure 3 all have a mapping relationship with SSB_0; or it can be one-to-many, such as RO_0 in Figure 3 has a mapping relationship with SSB_0, SSB_1, SSB_2, and SSB_3 respectively.

[0080] In addition to sending the mapping relationship between RO and SSB to the terminal device, the network device may also send RO resource configuration information to the terminal device. Table 1 shows a type of RO resource configuration information with the random access configuration index being 251.

[0081] Table 1

[0082] In Table 1, the RACH configuration period is in units of radio frames and is determined by the period x and the offset value y.SFN )mod(x)=y. The random access preamble format (also called preamble format) is C2, the subframe numbers where ROs exist are 2 and 7, and the starting symbol l0=0 indicates that the starting position of the first RO in the time domain is symbol 0. Indicates the number of 30 kHz PRACH slots corresponding to one subframe. Indicates the number of ROs that can be configured for each PRACH time slot. Indicates the number of symbols occupied by random access time domain resources. According to Table 1, the configuration diagram of PRACH shown in Figure 4 can be obtained.

[0083] As shown in Figure 4, there are 10 subframes in a 10 millisecond (ms) system frame. The subframe numbers for RO are 2 and 7. One subframe corresponds to two 30 kHz PRACH time slots. Each PRACH time slot can be configured with two time domain ROs. Therefore, eight time domain ROs can be configured within 10 ms.

[0084] After the network device sends multiple SSBs to the terminal device, the terminal device selects the RO corresponding to one of the SSBs to transmit the random access preamble, and the network device receives the PRACH sent by the terminal device on the RO.

[0085] In order to improve the transmission performance of the beam, in a possible implementation method, the network device may divide the system information into cell-level system information and regional-level system information. Among them, the cell-level system information includes the extended master information block (MIB-E), and the regional-level system information includes the remaining system information block (SIB-R). MIB-E is used to carry the system information necessary for the terminal device to initiate PRACH transmission, which reduces the amount of carried information and can improve the link budget to a certain extent. In addition, the use of MIB-E under a limited link budget reduces the number of system information carrying bits, which is conducive to improving transmission performance. At the same time, the correspondence between a wide beam and multiple regional-level narrow beams (regional-level narrow beams may be referred to as narrow beams in this application) is defined. The coverage range of a wide beam includes the coverage range of multiple narrow beams, and the coverage range of a narrow beam is smaller than the coverage range of a wide beam.

[0086] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a wide beam and a narrow beam. As shown in Figure 5, the coverage of a wide beam includes the coverage of three narrow beams: narrow beam 0, narrow beam 1, and narrow beam 2.

[0087] Based on the above approach, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a random access phase and service data transmission phase provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, during the random access phase, the network device can use a wide beam to transmit the SSB and MIB-E to ensure wide coverage of the necessary information. After receiving the MIB-E, the terminal device uses a wide beam for PRACH transmission.

[0088] In one possible implementation, the base station uses multiple narrow beams (such as narrow beam 0, narrow beam 1, and narrow beam 2 in Figure 5) to concurrently receive PRACH, locate the position of the terminal device, and determine the target narrow beam among the multiple narrow beams (such as narrow beam 2 in Figure 5). The position of the terminal device is within the coverage range of the target narrow beam. The base station sends subsequent SIB-R, RAR, and message 4 to the terminal device through the target narrow beam to improve the transmission performance of the channel. The terminal device opens the receiving window and receives SIB-R, RAR, and message 4 within the receiving window.

[0089] In another possible implementation, when the terminal device uses a wide beam for PRACH transmission, it can simultaneously send the location information of the terminal device to the base station. The base station can determine the above-mentioned target narrow beam based on the location information of the terminal device.

[0090] During the service data transmission phase, the base station and terminal equipment use narrow beams for uplink and downlink data transmission.

[0091] During the random access process in the above method, the PRACH is associated with the SSB and uses the same wide beam for PRACH transmission. However, when the terminal device transmits PRACH based on the RO resource corresponding to the wide beam, the number of random access preambles available for the RO resource corresponding to the wide beam is limited. Therefore, collisions of random access preambles are prone to occur, affecting access capacity. In addition, the low gain of the wide beam limits the performance of PRACH transmission.

[0092] In view of this, embodiments of the present application provide a random access method and apparatus thereof. In this method, a network device can configure a wide beam to correspond to multiple narrow beams, each narrow beam corresponding to one or more ROs. Terminal devices in different areas can send random access preambles on the ROs corresponding to their narrow beams. This helps reduce the collision probability of sending random access preambles during random access and improves access capacity. In addition, since narrow beams are used for PRACH transmission, the narrow beams have higher gain, which helps improve PRACH transmission performance.

[0093] When the terminal device is located within the coverage of a narrow beam, the narrow beam is the narrow beam to which the terminal device belongs.

[0094] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 700 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the communication system 700 may include at least one access network device (such as 110a, 110b, and 110c in FIG7 ) and may also include at least one terminal (such as 120a-120g in FIG7 ). Access network devices may be connected to each other via wired or wireless means. FIG7 is merely a schematic diagram, and the communication system may also include other network devices, for example, wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices.

[0095] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an NTN applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, the satellite has some or all of the functions of an access network device and can be called a satellite base station. The satellite base station can provide wireless access services and schedule wireless resources for terminal devices that access the network through the satellite base station. The satellite base station and the terminal device communicate through the user-universal terrestrial radio access network-user (Uu) interface. Among them, the satellite base station and the core network (CN) can communicate through the next generation network (NG) interface. The satellite base station and the core network can exchange the core network's non-access stratum (NAS) signaling and user service data through the NG interface. The satellite radio interface (SRI) is the feeder link between the NTN gateway and the satellite. In Figure 8, the SRI can be used as part of the NG interface to realize communication interaction between the satellite and the core network.

[0096] The communication scenario shown in Figure 9 can be called a satellite communication scenario. In this scenario, the network equipment includes satellite equipment and gateway stations. Terminal devices include IoT terminals, and can also be terminals of other forms and performances, such as mobile phones, high-altitude aircraft, etc., which are not limited here. The link between the satellite and the terminal device (or user terminal) is called a service link, and the link between the satellite and the gateway station is called a feeder link. The solution of the present application can also be applied to a multi-satellite communication scenario that expands the communication scenario shown in Figure 9.

[0097] Satellite equipment can optionally be divided into transparent and regenerative modes based on their operating modes. When operating in transparent mode, the satellite performs relay functions. Gateways / signal gateways have base station functions or partial base station functions and can be considered base stations.

[0098] Optionally, when the satellite operates in regeneration mode, the satellite has data processing capabilities, has the functions of a base station or partial base station functions, and the satellite can be regarded as a base station. It should be noted that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is applicable to a communication system that integrates terrestrial communication and satellite communication, and the communication system can also be called an NTN communication system. Among them, the terrestrial communication system can be, for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) communication system or a new radio (NR) system, or a communication system that is the next step in the development of the 5G communication system, etc., which is not limited here.

[0099] Among them, satellite communication systems have a wider coverage area than traditional mobile communication systems and can overcome natural geographical barriers such as oceans, deserts, and mountains. In order to overcome the shortcomings of traditional communication networks, satellite communication can serve as an effective supplement to traditional networks.

[0100] Satellite communication systems can be divided into the following three types according to the orbital altitude of the satellite: geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite communication system (also known as synchronous orbit satellite system), medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite communication system and low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication system.

[0101] GEO satellites, also known as geostationary orbit satellites, can reach an altitude of 35,786 kilometers (km). Their primary advantage is their relative stationary position and ability to provide wide coverage. However, GEO satellites also have significant disadvantages: their distance from Earth requires large antennas; their transmission latency is high, at around 0.5 seconds, making them inadequate for real-time services; and their limited orbital resources, high launch costs, and inability to provide coverage in polar regions.

[0102] The orbital altitude of MEO satellites is between 2000 and 35786 km. A relatively small number of satellites can achieve global coverage, but their transmission delay is higher than that of LEO satellites. They are mainly used for positioning and navigation.

[0103] LEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 300 and 2000 km. Compared to MEO and GEO satellites, LEO satellites offer lower orbital altitudes, reduced data transmission latency, lower power consumption, and relatively lower launch costs. Consequently, LEO satellite communication networks have garnered widespread attention in recent years.

[0104] It's generally believed that NTN communications have different channel characteristics than terrestrial communications, such as longer transmission delays and greater Doppler frequency deviation. For example, the round-trip delay for GEO satellite communications is 238 to 270 milliseconds, while the round-trip delay for LEO satellite communications is 8 to 20 milliseconds.

[0105] The network device provided in the embodiments of the present application may be a base station, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation Node B (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, an access network device in an open radio access network (O-RAN or open RAN), or a next generation base station in 6G. Alternatively, the network device may be a satellite base station in an NTN communication network (such as the satellite base station in FIG8 ), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. Alternatively, the network device may be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a centralized unit control plane (CU-CP) module, or a centralized unit user plane (CU-UP) module. The access network device can be a satellite base station (such as 110a in Figure 7) or a macro base station (such as 110b in Figure 7). The access network device can also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110c in Figure 7), or a relay node or a host node. This application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the access network device. Among them, the 5G mobile communication system can also be referred to as the NR mobile communication system. The access network node in this application can be an access network device, or it can be a module or unit configured in the access network device.

[0106] The terminal device provided in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, or mobile terminal. The terminal device can be widely used in various scenarios for communication. The scenarios include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, or smart city. The terminal may be a mobile phone (such as mobile phones 120a, 120d, and 120f in FIG7 ), a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function (such as computer 120g in FIG7 ), a wearable device, a vehicle (such as 120b in FIG7 ), a helicopter, an airplane, a drone (such as 120c in FIG7 ), a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, or a smart home device (such as printer 120e in FIG7 ). This application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the terminal device.

[0107] The base station and / or terminal device can be fixed or movable. The base station and / or terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; or can be deployed on the water surface; or can be deployed on aircraft, balloons and artificial satellites in the air. This application does not limit the environment / scenario in which the base station and terminal device are located. The base station and terminal device can be deployed in the same or different environments / scenarios, for example, the base station and terminal device are deployed on land at the same time; or the base station is deployed on land and the terminal device is deployed on the water surface, etc., and examples are not given one by one here. This application does not limit the communication method between terminal devices.

[0108] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal devices and network devices may be hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities including dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. The present application does not limit the specific forms of the terminal devices and network devices.

[0109] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of a random access method 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Method 1000 involves interaction between a terminal device and a network device, where the network device may be, for example, a satellite base station and the terminal device may be, for example, a mobile phone. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific forms of the network device and the terminal device.

[0110] Method 1000 includes S1001 to S1003, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0111] S1001: A network device sends configuration information to a terminal device, where the configuration information indicates that an SSB corresponds to multiple beams, and each of the multiple beams corresponds to one or more ROs. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information.

[0112] Among them, SSB corresponding to multiple beams means that one SSB corresponds to multiple narrow beams (for example, the wide beam described in Figure 5 corresponds to narrow beam 0, narrow beam 1, and narrow beam 2). It should be understood that originally one SSB would correspond to one wide beam, but in this application, one SSB corresponds to multiple narrow beams, that is, the wide beam corresponding to one SSB can correspond to multiple narrow beams. The coverage range of the wide beam corresponding to one SSB can include the coverage range of multiple narrow beams corresponding to the SSB. The ROs corresponding to multiple narrow beams are different.

[0113] For the sake of convenience of description, the wide beam corresponding to SSB is referred to as SSB wide beam, and the narrow beam corresponding to SSB is referred to as SSB narrow beam.

[0114] Network devices can define RO resources based on the number of SSB narrow beams. For example, if the number of SSB narrow beams is N and N = 2, N = 2 means that one SSB wide beam corresponds to two SSB narrow beams, or in other words, one SSB wide beam can be split into two SSB narrow beams.

[0115] Exemplarily, the network device indicates that SSB_0 (SSB_0 can represent an SSB with an index number of 0) corresponds to two SSB narrow beams, including SSB narrow beam 0 and SSB narrow beam 1. The wide beam corresponding to SSB_0 is SSB wide beam 0, and SSB wide beam 0 has a mapping relationship with RO_0. When SSB wide beam 0 corresponds to SSB narrow beam 0 and SSB narrow beam 1, the network device can divide RO_0 into RO_0_0 corresponding to SSB narrow beam 0 and RO_0_1 corresponding to SSB narrow beam 1 when configuring the RO resources of SSB wide beam 0. This is equivalent to the original SSB wide beam 0 corresponding to one RO_0, while the RO resources corresponding to SSB wide beam 0 in this application include RO_0_0 and RO_0_1. Among them, RO_0_0 and RO_0_1 are different.

[0116] Figure 11A is a schematic diagram of an RO configuration for an SSB narrow beam provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 11A can be understood in conjunction with the description of Figure 4 above. As shown in Figure 11A, the subframe with subframe number 2 includes four ROs, RO_0, RO_1, RO_2, and RO_3. Before the network device adds the correspondence between the SSB wide beam and multiple SSB narrow beams, it is assumed that SSB wide beam 0 corresponds to RO_0, SSB wide beam 1 corresponds to RO_1, SSB wide beam 2 corresponds to RO_2, and SSB wide beam 3 corresponds to RO_3. After the network device adds the correspondence between the SSB wide beam and multiple SSB narrow beams, the RO corresponding to the SSB wide beam may include ROs corresponding to multiple SSB narrow beams.

[0117] For example, after adding SSB narrow beam 0_0 and SSB narrow beam 0_1 corresponding to SSB wide beam 0, the RO corresponding to SSB wide beam 0 may include RO_0_0 and RO_0_1, where RO_1_0 and RO_1_1 are the ROs corresponding to SSB narrow beam 0_0 and SSB narrow beam 0_1, respectively.

[0118] For example, after adding SSB narrow beam 1_0 and SSB narrow beam 1_1 corresponding to SSB wide beam 1, the RO corresponding to SSB wide beam 1 may include RO_1_0 and RO_1_1, where RO_1_0 and RO_1_1 are ROs corresponding to SSB narrow beam 1_0 and SSB narrow beam 1_1, respectively.

[0119] For example, after adding SSB narrow beam 2_0 and SSB narrow beam 2_1 corresponding to SSB wide beam 2, the RO corresponding to SSB wide beam 2 may include RO_2_0 and RO_2_1, where RO_2_0 and RO_2_1 are ROs corresponding to SSB narrow beam 2_0 and SSB narrow beam 2_1, respectively.

[0120] For example, after adding SSB narrow beam 3_0 and SSB narrow beam 3_1 corresponding to SSB wide beam 3, RO corresponding to SSB wide beam 3 may include RO_3_0 and RO_3_1, where RO_3_0 and RO_3_1 are ROs corresponding to SSB narrow beam 3_0 and SSB narrow beam 3_1, respectively.

[0121] In the above example, each SSB narrow beam corresponds to one RO. In addition, the SSB narrow beam can also correspond to multiple ROs.

[0122] In one possible scenario, the maximum number of ROs that can be configured in a PRACH time slot is 2. Taking the PRACH time slot with time slot number 4 (PRACH time slot #4) in Figure 11A as an example, a maximum of two ROs, RO_0 and RO_1, can be configured. Taking the PRACH time slot with time slot number 5 (PRACH time slot #5) in Figure 11A as an example, a maximum of two ROs, RO_2 and RO_3, can be configured. In this case, after the network device adds the correspondence between the SSB wide beam and multiple SSB narrow beams, the RO resources under one PRACH time slot can no longer be split. In response to this situation, the network device can configure the 30 kHz PRACH time slot to double, and increase the number of ROs in the system frame by increasing the number of PRACH time slots in which ROs can be configured.

[0123] In light of the above, Figure 11B is a schematic diagram of another RO configuration for SSB narrow beams provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 11B, the subframe numbers for RO are 2, 3, 7, and 8. One subframe corresponds to two 30 kHz PRACH time slots. For example, subframe #2 corresponds to PRACH time slots #4 and #5, and subframe #3 corresponds to PRACH time slots #6 and #7. Each PRACH time slot can be configured with two time-domain ROs.

[0124] Exemplarily, the RO corresponding to PRACH time slot #4 includes RO_0 and RO_1, the RO corresponding to PRACH time slot #5 includes RO_2 and RO_3, the RO corresponding to PRACH time slot #6 includes RO_4 and RO_5, and the RO corresponding to PRACH time slot #7 includes RO_6 and RO_7. After the network device adds the correspondence between the SSB wide beam and multiple SSB narrow beams, for example, SSB wide beam 0 corresponds to SSB narrow beam 0_0 and SSB narrow beam 0_1, SSB wide beam 1 corresponds to SSB narrow beam 1_0 and SSB narrow beam 1_1, SSB wide beam 2 corresponds to SSB narrow beam 2_0 and SSB narrow beam 2_1, and SSB wide beam 3 corresponds to SSB narrow beam 3_0 and SSB narrow beam 3_1, then the network device can configure SSB narrow beam 0_0 to correspond to RO_0, SSB narrow beam 0_1 to correspond to RO_1, SSB narrow beam 1_0 to correspond to RO_2, SSB narrow beam 1_1 to correspond to RO_3, SSB narrow beam 2_0 to correspond to RO_4, SSB narrow beam 2_1 to correspond to RO_5, SSB narrow beam 3_0 to correspond to RO_6, and SSB narrow beam 3_1 to correspond to RO_7.

[0125] The number N of multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to the SSB wide beam can be flexibly configured according to different requirements. For example, the value of N can be the same or different for different coverage areas.

[0126] In one possible implementation, for the sub-satellite area shown in Figure 12, there are many users, but the number of random access preambles available for an RO is limited. Therefore, collisions are likely to occur when different users send random access preambles, affecting access performance. Based on this, the network device can configure a larger N value for the sub-satellite area, such as N=4, indicating that one SSB corresponds to four narrow beams, that is, one SSB wide beam corresponds to four SSB narrow beam RO resources.

[0127] In another possible implementation, for the edge area shown in Figure 12, the number of users is small, and the probability of collision when different users send random access preambles is low. Based on this, the network device can configure a smaller N value for the edge area, for example, N = 2, which means that one SSB corresponds to two narrow beams, that is, one SSB wide beam corresponds to the RO resources of two SSB narrow beams.

[0128] By flexibly configuring N values ​​for different areas, it is helpful to avoid unnecessary resource overhead caused by configuring a unified N value.

[0129] S1002: The terminal device determines a target beam from the multiple beams.

[0130] Based on the above description of S1001, the terminal device can determine that the SSB corresponds to multiple SSB narrow beams according to the indication of the configuration information. Different SSB narrow beams have their own corresponding ROs. The terminal device can select an SSB narrow beam from the multiple SSB narrow beams as the target beam. Then, the terminal device can send a random access preamble code on the RO corresponding to the target beam for random access.

[0131] How to determine the target beam from multiple beams is described in detail below and will not be described in detail here.

[0132] S1003: The terminal device sends a random access preamble to the network device. The random access preamble is located on the RO corresponding to the target beam. The network device receives the random access preamble. In other words, the terminal device sends the random access preamble to the network device on the RO corresponding to the target beam.

[0133] Based on the above description of S1002, after determining the target beam, the terminal device can send a random access preamble on the RO corresponding to the target beam for random access (i.e., perform PRACH transmission on the RO corresponding to the target beam), and the network device can detect multiple beams in sequence to receive the random access preamble. Because the terminal device sends the random access preamble on the RO corresponding to the target beam, that is, the random access preamble is located on the RO corresponding to the target beam among multiple beams, the network device can detect the random access preamble on the target beam. Afterwards, the network device and the terminal device can transmit messages through the target beam to complete the random access process, thereby realizing the transmission of service data.

[0134] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a random access phase provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 13, the random access phase includes: the network device uses the SSB wide beam to send the SSB. The terminal device receives SIB1 according to the SSB and obtains RO resource configuration information from SIB1, wherein the RO resource configuration information can indicate the mapping relationship between the SSB wide beam and the RO, the SSB corresponding to multiple narrow beams (i.e., multiple SSB narrow beams), and the mapping relationship between each SSB narrow beam and the RO. At the same time, the terminal device also obtains the coverage information of at least one SSB narrow beam. Exemplarily, the coverage information of the at least one SSB narrow beam can be obtained from SIB1. After receiving the RO resource configuration information and the coverage information of the at least one SSB narrow beam, the terminal device determines the target beam based on its own position, and performs PRACH transmission on the RO corresponding to the target beam to make a random access request. The terminal device can send subsequent messages 3, 5, etc. through the target beam. Accordingly, the network device sends RAR, message 4, etc. on the downlink beam corresponding to the target beam.

[0135] In scenarios where multiple terminal devices are covered by a single SSB wide beam, different terminal devices may be covered by different SSB narrow beams. When different terminal devices select different SSB narrow beams as their target beams, since different SSB narrow beams correspond to different ROs, collisions between random access preambles sent by different terminal devices can be avoided, thereby improving the access capacity within this SSB wide beam. Furthermore, since SSB narrow beams have higher gain, they are beneficial for improving PRACH transmission performance.

[0136] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another random access phase provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 14, the random access phase includes: the network device divides the system information into cell-level system information (MIB-E) and regional-level system information (SIB-R), wherein MIB-E carries the configuration necessary for initiating access to the terminal device, for example, RO resource configuration information and coverage information of at least one SSB narrow beam, and the RO resource configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the SSB wide beam and the RO, the SSB corresponding to multiple narrow beams (i.e., multiple SSB narrow beams), and the mapping relationship between each SSB narrow beam and the RO. SIB-R carries specific information for a certain area. The network device uses the SSB wide beam to send a synchronization sequence and MIB-E. After receiving the synchronization sequence and MIB-E, the terminal device obtains the RO resource configuration information and the coverage information of at least one SSB narrow beam from MIB-E, determines the target beam based on its own position, and performs PRACH transmission on the RO corresponding to the target beam to make a random access request. After receiving the PRACH on the target beam, the network device sends subsequent SIB-R, RAR, and Message 4 to the terminal device via the target beam to improve channel transmission performance. The terminal device opens a receive window and receives the SIB-R, RAR, and Message 4 within the receive window.

[0137] 15 to 19 , the following describes in detail the process of the terminal device determining the coverage of the multiple beams and determining the target beam based on the coverage of the multiple beams.

[0138] FIG15 is a schematic flowchart of another random access method 1500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In method 1500, the multiple beams refer to multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to one SSB wide beam, and the at least one beam refers to at least one SSB narrow beam among multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to one SSB wide beam.

[0139] Method 1500 includes S1501 to S1506. The specific steps are as follows:

[0140] S1501: A network device sends configuration information to a terminal device, where the configuration information indicates that an SSB corresponds to multiple beams, and each of the multiple beams corresponds to one or more ROs. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information.

[0141] For the introduction of S1501, please refer to the description of S1001 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0142] S1502: The network device sends first information and beam pattern information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information and beam pattern information.

[0143] Optionally, the network device is a satellite base station, and the first information is ephemeris information of the satellite base station, and the ephemeris information may indicate the coverage range of the satellite base station.

[0144] Optionally, the network device broadcasts the beam coverage information in system information, such as SIB1, MIB, and MIB-E.

[0145] S1503: The terminal device determines the coverage range of the multiple beams based on the first information and the beam pattern information.

[0146] Optionally, S1503 specifically includes: the terminal device determines the coverage range of the at least one SSB based on the distribution of the at least one SSB in the coverage range of the network device; and determines the coverage range of the multiple beams based on the distribution of the multiple beams in the coverage range of the corresponding SSB.

[0147] Among them, the first information is used to indicate the coverage range of the network device, and the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution of at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device, the multiple beams corresponding to each SSB in the at least one SSB, and the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB.

[0148] The above-mentioned beam pattern information can indicate the distribution / coverage of the SSB within the coverage range of the network device, as well as the distribution / coverage of multiple beams within the coverage range of the SSB. The coverage of the SSB within the coverage range of the network device can also be inferred based on the distribution of the SSB within the coverage range of the network device. In one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the distribution of the SSB within the coverage range of the network device and the distribution of multiple beams within the coverage range of the SSB based on the above-mentioned beam pattern information, and then determine the coverage range of the SSB based on the distribution of the SSB within the coverage range of the network device, and determine the coverage range of the multiple beams based on the distribution of multiple beams within the coverage range of the SSB. In another possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the coverage of the SSB within the coverage range of the network device and the coverage of multiple beams within the coverage range of the SSB based on the above-mentioned beam pattern information.

[0149] Before sending the first information and beam coverage pattern information to the terminal device, the network device may send multiple SSBs (or multiple downlink beams) to the terminal device to complete a beam scan so that the synchronization signal covers the entire cell service range. Each of the multiple SSBs corresponds to a beam scan direction / area, and ultimately there is one SSB for each direction / area.

[0150] For the SSB in a direction / area, the beam pattern information in S1503 is used to indicate the distribution of the at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device, including: the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution of the SSB in the direction / area within the coverage range of the network device, that is, only indicating the distribution of the local SSB within the coverage range of the network device; or, the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution of the multiple SSBs within the coverage range of the network device, that is, indicating the distribution of the global SSB within the coverage range of the network device.

[0151] The following first introduces the situation where beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution / coverage of global SSB within the coverage range of network devices.

[0152] For a direction / area, the network device can send the beam pattern information of the multiple SSBs, and the terminal device in a certain direction / area can receive the beam pattern information of the multiple SSBs. That is, the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution / coverage of the multiple SSBs within the coverage range of the network device, the multiple beams (SSB narrow beams) corresponding to each SSB in the multiple SSBs, and the distribution / coverage of these multiple beams (SSB narrow beams) within the coverage range of their corresponding SSBs. Among them, the distribution / coverage of multiple SSBs within the coverage range of the network device refers to: the distribution / coverage of multiple SSB wide beams within the coverage range of the network device. The distribution / coverage of multiple beams (SSB narrow beams) within the coverage range of their corresponding SSBs refers to: the distribution / coverage of multiple SSB narrow beams within the coverage range of their corresponding SSB wide beams.

[0153] Optionally, the beam coverage pattern information may include parameters such as P, Q, L, M, the numbering order of multiple SSB wide beams, and the numbering order of multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to each SSB wide beam. Among them, P is the number of rows of multiple SSB wide beams distributed within the coverage range of the network device, Q is the number of columns of multiple SSB wide beams distributed within the coverage range of the network device, L is the number of rows of SSB narrow beams distributed within the coverage range of one SSB wide beam, and M is the number of columns of SSB narrow beams distributed within the coverage range of one SSB wide beam.

[0154] After receiving parameters such as P, Q, L, M, the numbering order of multiple SSB wide beams, and the numbering order of the SSB narrow beams corresponding to each SSB wide beam, the terminal device can determine the beam coverage pattern as shown in Figure 16.

[0155] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a beam coverage pattern for the aforementioned multiple SSB scenarios. In the beam pattern shown in Figure 16, within the coverage area of ​​the network device, multiple SSB wide beams are numbered sequentially along the direction of movement of the network device, and eight SSB wide beams are distributed in an arrangement of P = 2, Q = 4 (i.e., 2×4). From bottom to top and from left to right, they are SSB wide beam 0, SSB wide beam 1, SSB wide beam 2, SSB wide beam 3, SSB wide beam 4, SSB wide beam 5, SSB wide beam 6, and SSB wide beam 7.

[0156] Within the coverage area of ​​each SSB wide beam, multiple SSB narrow beams are numbered sequentially along the direction of movement of the network device, and four SSB narrow beams are distributed in an arrangement of L = 2 and M = 2 (i.e., 2×2). Taking SSB wide beam 6 as an example, from bottom to top and from left to right, they are SSB narrow beam 0, SSB narrow beam 1, SSB narrow beam 2, and SSB narrow beam 3.

[0157] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of another beam coverage pattern for the aforementioned multiple SSB scenario. The distribution of multiple SSB wide beams in the beam coverage pattern shown in Figure 17 is the same as that shown in Figure 16, except that within the coverage area of ​​a single SSB wide beam, multiple SSB narrow beams are numbered sequentially along the direction of motion of the network device, and four SSB narrow beams are arranged in an arrangement of L = 1 and M = 4 (i.e., 1×4). From left to right, they are SSB narrow beam 0, SSB narrow beam 1, SSB narrow beam 2, and SSB narrow beam 3.

[0158] The above numbering sequence, the arrangement of multiple SSB wide beams, and the arrangement of multiple SSB narrow beams are only examples. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the numbering direction, the values ​​of P, Q, L, and M. The value of L×M is equal to the number of multiple SSB narrow beams, and the value of P×Q is equal to the number of multiple SSB wide beams.

[0159] The following describes how beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution / coverage of local SSB within the coverage area of ​​a network device.

[0160] For a direction / area, the network device only sends the beam pattern information of the SSB in that direction / area, so the terminal device in a certain direction / area only receives the beam pattern information of the SSB in that direction / area. That is, the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution / coverage of an SSB within the coverage range of the network device, the multiple beams (SSB narrow beams) corresponding to the SSB, and the distribution / coverage of these multiple beams (SSB narrow beams) within the coverage range of the SSB. Among them, the distribution / coverage of an SSB within the coverage range of the network device refers to the distribution / coverage of an SSB wide beam within the coverage range of the network device. The distribution / coverage of multiple beams within the coverage range of the SSB refers to the distribution / coverage of multiple SSB narrow beams within the coverage range of their corresponding SSB wide beams.

[0161] In this case, the network device can carry parameters such as the center point coordinates and coverage radius of the SSB wide beam in the direction / area in the beam pattern information to indicate the distribution or coverage of the SSB wide beam corresponding to the direction / area within the coverage range of the network device.

[0162] The terminal device determines the distribution / coverage of the SSB wide beam corresponding to the direction / area within the coverage range of the network device based on the center point coordinates of the SSB wide beam corresponding to the direction / area, the coverage radius of the SSB wide beam corresponding to the direction / area, and the coverage range of the network device. Furthermore, the terminal device determines the coverage range of each of the multiple SSB narrow beams according to the distribution / coverage of the multiple SSB narrow beams indicated in the beam pattern information within the coverage range of the SSB wide beam in the direction / area. The specific method for determining the coverage range of each of the multiple SSB narrow beams in the multiple SSB narrow beams in combination with the beam pattern information can be referred to the description of Figure 16 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0163] The beam pattern information in S1503 is used to indicate the distribution / coverage of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB, including: directly indicating the distribution / coverage of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB; or indicating the distribution / coverage of some beams in the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB, and inferring the distribution / coverage of other beams in the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB based on the distribution / coverage of the some beams in the coverage range of the corresponding SSB, that is, the beam pattern information indirectly indicates the distribution / coverage of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB.

[0164] For the direct indication method, the terminal device can determine the distribution / coverage of the multiple SSB narrow beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB wide beam based on the numbering order, arrangement method and other information of the multiple SSB narrow beams, and then determine the coverage range of each SSB narrow beam in the multiple SSB narrow beams.

[0165] For the indirect indication method, illustratively, SSB wide beam 0 corresponds to SSB narrow beam 0 and SSB narrow beam 1. The network device can indicate the distribution of SSB narrow beam 0 within the coverage range of SSB wide beam 0 in the beam coverage pattern information, for example, indicating the center point coordinates of SSB narrow beam 0, the coverage radius of SSB narrow beam 0 and other information. The terminal device can determine the distribution / coverage of SSB narrow beam 0 within the coverage range of SSB wide beam 0 based on the center point coordinates of narrow beam 0, the coverage radius of SSB narrow beam 0 and the coverage range of SSB wide beam 0. The network device can also indicate the distance between the center points of SSB narrow beam 0 and SSB narrow beam 1 in the beam coverage pattern. Combined with the numbering order, arrangement method and other information of the multiple SSB narrow beams described above, the terminal device can determine the distribution / coverage of SSB narrow beam 1 within the coverage range of SSB wide beam 0. In this way, the terminal device determines the distribution / coverage of SSB narrow beam 0 and SSB narrow beam 1 within the coverage range of the SSB wide beam based on the beam pattern information, and then can determine the coverage range of SSB narrow beam 0 and SSB narrow beam 1.

[0166] S1504: Obtain the coverage of at least one beam among the multiple beams.

[0167] The at least one beam is at least one SSB narrow beam, the target beam is one of multiple SSB narrow beams, and the terminal device is located within the coverage of the target beam. The number of the at least one beam is less than or equal to the number of the multiple beams.

[0168] In this step, the terminal device obtains the coverage of at least one of the multiple beams, which means that when determining the target beam, the terminal device can obtain the coverage of one SSB narrow beam among the multiple SSB narrow beams each time in a traversal manner, and judge whether the position of the terminal device is within the coverage of the SSB narrow beam. When the terminal device determines that its position is within the coverage of the SSB narrow beam, the terminal device stops detecting. When stopping detection, the terminal device may have traversed all the SSB narrow beams among the multiple SSB narrow beams before determining the target beam, or may have only detected some of the SSB narrow beams to determine the target beam. Therefore, the terminal device obtains the coverage of at least one of the multiple beams.

[0169] S1505: Determine the target beam from the at least one beam according to the location of the terminal device and the coverage of the at least one beam.

[0170] The at least one beam refers to at least one SSB narrow beam. In conjunction with the description in S1504, when the terminal device determines that its location is within the coverage of a certain SSB narrow beam, the terminal device determines the SSB narrow beam as the target beam.

[0171] For example, the multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to one SSB wide beam include SSB narrow beam 0, SSB narrow beam 1, and SSB narrow beam 2. When the terminal device determines the target beam, it first obtains the coverage of SSB narrow beam 0. When the terminal device determines that its location is within the coverage of SSB narrow beam 0, the terminal device no longer obtains the coverage of SSB narrow beam 1 and SSB narrow beam 2, and determines SSB narrow beam 0 as the target beam. In this case, the number of the at least one beam is less than the number of the multiple beams, which helps simplify the execution steps of the terminal device.

[0172] For another example, the multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to one SSB wide beam include SSB narrow beam 0, SSB narrow beam 1, and SSB narrow beam 2. When the terminal device determines the target beam, it first obtains the coverage information of SSB narrow beam 0. When the terminal device determines that its position is not within the coverage of SSB narrow beam 0, the terminal device continues to obtain the coverage information of SSB narrow beam 1. When the terminal device determines that its position is not within the coverage of SSB narrow beam 1, the terminal device continues to obtain the coverage information of SSB narrow beam 2. When the terminal device determines that its position is within the coverage of SSB narrow beam 2, the terminal device determines SSB narrow beam 2 as the target beam. In this case, the number of the at least one beam is equal to the number of the multiple beams.

[0173] S1506: The terminal device sends a random access preamble to the network device. The random access preamble is located on the RO corresponding to the target beam. The network device receives the random access preamble. In other words, the terminal device sends the random access preamble to the network device on the RO corresponding to the target beam.

[0174] For the introduction of S1506, please refer to the description of S1003 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0175] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving configuration information indicating that an SSB wide beam corresponds to multiple SSB narrow beams, the terminal device receives first information and beam pattern information. The terminal device can determine the coverage of each of the multiple SSB narrow beams based on the first information and the beam pattern information. Then, the terminal device can determine the target beam based on its own location, and the location of the terminal device is within the coverage of the target beam. Afterwards, the terminal device can choose to send a random access preamble on the RO corresponding to the target beam, thereby reducing the collision probability of sending the random access preamble during the random access process and improving the access capacity.

[0176] The following introduces another terminal device's implementation process of determining the coverage of the multiple beams and determining the target beam based on the coverage of the multiple beams in conjunction with FIG18 .

[0177] FIG18 is a schematic flowchart of another random access method 1800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In method 1800, the multiple beams refer to multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to one SSB wide beam, and the at least one beam refers to at least one SSB narrow beam among multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to one SSB wide beam.

[0178] Method 1800 includes S1801 to S1806, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0179] S1801: A network device sends configuration information to a terminal device, where the configuration information indicates that an SSB corresponds to multiple beams, and each of the multiple beams corresponds to one or more ROs. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information.

[0180] For the introduction of S1801, please refer to the description of S1001 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0181] S1802: The network device sends second information and beam coverage angle information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information and beam coverage angle information.

[0182] The second information is used to indicate the location of the network device, and the coverage angle information of the beam is used to indicate the coverage angle of each beam in the multiple beams.

[0183] Optionally, the network device is a satellite base station, and the second information is ephemeris information of the satellite base station, and the ephemeris information may indicate the location of the satellite base station.

[0184] For example, a narrow SSB beam with a coverage angle of 16 degrees and an indication accuracy of 0.1 degrees requires 16 bits to indicate the coverage angle of the narrow SSB beam, with 8 bits representing the positive range and 8 bits representing the negative range. To reduce bit overhead, consider halving the indication accuracy, requiring 14 bits to indicate the coverage angle of the narrow SSB beam.

[0185] In this step, the coverage angle information of the beam is used to indicate the coverage angle of each beam in the multiple beams, including the following two situations: directly indicating the coverage angle of each beam in the multiple beams; or indicating the coverage angle of some beams in the multiple beams, and the coverage angles of other beams in the multiple beams can be deduced based on the coverage angles of the some beams. This is a way in which the coverage angle information of the beam indirectly indicates the coverage angle of each beam in the multiple beams.

[0186] Regarding the way in which the coverage angle information of the beam indirectly indicates the coverage angle of each beam in the multiple beams, for example, SSB wide beam 0 corresponds to SSB narrow beam 0 and SSB narrow beam 1, and the network device includes the coverage angle α of SSB narrow beam 0 through the coverage angle information of the beam, and the coverage angle information of the beam also includes the difference β between the coverage angles of SSB narrow beam 1 and SSB narrow beam 0. In this way, the terminal device can determine the coverage angle of SSB narrow beam 1 based on α and β, which is conducive to saving signaling overhead.

[0187] In another possible implementation, the coverage angle information of the beam may include the coverage angle of the SSB wide beam and the difference between the coverage angle of the SSB wide beam and the coverage angle of each SSB narrow beam in the corresponding multiple SSB narrow beams. This can also indirectly indicate the coverage angle of each SSB narrow beam in the multiple SSB narrow beams, which is conducive to saving signaling overhead.

[0188] In another possible implementation, the coverage angle information of the beam may include the coverage angle of the SSB wide beam and the angle design rules of multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to the SSB wide beam. For example, the angle design rule is to divide the coverage angle of the SSB wide beam equally, which can also indirectly indicate the coverage angle of each SSB narrow beam in the multiple SSB narrow beams, which is conducive to saving signaling overhead.

[0189] S1803: The terminal device determines the coverage range of the multiple beams based on the second information and the coverage angle information of the beams.

[0190] In conjunction with the above description of S1802, after knowing the location of the network device and the coverage angle of each of the multiple beams, the terminal device can determine the coverage range of each of the multiple beams. The coverage angle of the beam is the angle between the line connecting the network device to the center point of the coverage area and the line connecting the network device to the edge of the coverage area.

[0191] S1804: Obtain the coverage of at least one beam among the multiple beams.

[0192] For the introduction of S1804, please refer to the above description of S1504, which will not be repeated here.

[0193] S1805: Determine the target beam from the at least one beam according to the location of the terminal device and the coverage of the at least one beam.

[0194] For the introduction of S1805, please refer to the description of S1505 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0195] S1806: The terminal device sends a random access preamble to the network device. The random access preamble is located on the RO corresponding to the target beam. The network device receives the random access preamble. In other words, the terminal device sends the random access preamble to the network device on the RO corresponding to the target beam.

[0196] For the introduction of S1806, please refer to the description of S1003 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0197] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the configuration information indicating that the SSB wide beam corresponds to multiple SSB narrow beams, the terminal device receives the second information and the coverage angle information of the beam. The terminal device can determine the coverage range of each SSB narrow beam in the multiple SSB narrow beams based on the second information and the coverage angle information of the beam. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine the target beam based on its own position, and the position of the terminal device is within the coverage range of the target beam. Afterwards, the terminal device can choose to send a random access preamble on the RO corresponding to the target beam, thereby reducing the collision probability of sending the random access preamble during the random access process and improving the access capacity.

[0198] The following introduces another terminal device determining the coverage range of the multiple beams and the implementation process of determining the target beam according to the coverage range of the multiple beams in conjunction with Figure 19.

[0199] FIG19 is a schematic flowchart of another random access method 1900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In method 1900, the multiple beams refer to multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to one SSB wide beam, and the at least one beam refers to at least one SSB narrow beam among multiple SSB narrow beams corresponding to one SSB wide beam.

[0200] Method 1900 includes S1901 to S1906, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0201] S1901: A network device sends configuration information to a terminal device, where the configuration information indicates that an SSB corresponds to multiple beams, and each of the multiple beams corresponds to one or more ROs. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information.

[0202] For the introduction of S1901, please refer to the description of S1001 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0203] S1902: The network device sends third information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third information.

[0204] The third information is used to indicate the coordinates of the center point of each of the multiple beams; or, to indicate the distance between the reference point and each of the multiple beams and the coverage angle of each of the multiple beams.

[0205] Optionally, the reference point may be a point below the satellite, or another preset point on the ground where the network device is located.

[0206] In this step, the third information is used to indicate the center point coordinates of each beam in the multiple beams, including the following two situations: directly indicating the center point coordinates of each beam in the multiple beams; or indicating the center point coordinates of some beams in the multiple beams, and the center point coordinates of other beams in the multiple beams can be deduced based on the center point coordinates of the some beams. This is a way in which the third information indirectly indicates the center point coordinates of each beam in the multiple beams.

[0207] S1903: The terminal device determines the center point coordinates of each of the multiple beams based on the third information.

[0208] When the third information is used to indicate the distance between the reference point and each of the multiple beams and the coverage angle of each of the multiple beams, the terminal device determines the center point coordinates of each of the multiple beams based on the distance between the reference point and each of the multiple beams and the coverage angle of each of the multiple beams, with the reference point coordinates as the center.

[0209] For example, if the maximum distance is 128 km and the distance accuracy is 1 km, the network device requires 8 bits to indicate the distance; if the angle is 360 degrees and the angle accuracy is 0.5 degrees, the network device requires 10 bits to indicate the angle. Thus, the terminal device requires a total of 18 bits to indicate the distance and angle. To reduce bit overhead, the angle accuracy can be reduced. For example, if the angle accuracy is halved, the network device requires 9 bits to indicate the angle, resulting in a total of 17 bits.

[0210] S1904: Obtain the center point coordinates of at least one beam among the multiple beams.

[0211] The description of S1903 is similar to the description of S1504 above. After determining the center point coordinates of each beam in the multiple beams, the terminal device obtains the center point coordinates of one beam in the multiple beams each time in a traversal manner, and calculates whether the distance between the terminal device and the beam meets the preset conditions. If satisfied, the terminal device stops detecting. When stopping detection, the terminal device may obtain the center point coordinates of all beams in the multiple beams before determining the target beam, or may only obtain the center point coordinates of some beams in the multiple beams to determine the target beam. Therefore, the terminal device obtains the center point coordinates of at least one beam in the multiple beams.

[0212] S1905: Determine a target beam from the at least one beam based on the position of the terminal device and the center point coordinates of the at least one beam.

[0213] Optionally, S1905 specifically includes: determining the distance between the terminal device and each beam in the at least one beam based on the position of the terminal device and the center point coordinates of the at least one beam; and determining the beam in the at least one beam whose distance from the terminal device meets a preset condition as the target beam.

[0214] Combined with the description of S1904, the terminal device obtains the center point coordinates of one beam among the multiple beams each time in a traversal manner, and calculates the distance between the beam and the terminal device based on the center point coordinates of the beam. If the distance between the terminal device and the beam meets the preset conditions, the terminal device determines the beam as the target beam. The preset condition can be less than or equal to a preset threshold, that is, the distance between the terminal device and the beam is less than or equal to the preset threshold. Alternatively, the preset condition can be the shortest distance, that is, the distance between the terminal device and the beam is the shortest.

[0215] It should be understood that there may be more than one beam among the multiple beams whose distance to the terminal device is less than or equal to the preset threshold. The terminal device will determine the first beam obtained whose distance to the terminal device is less than or equal to the preset threshold as the target beam.

[0216] It should be understood that when the preset condition is the shortest distance, the terminal device needs to obtain the center point coordinates of all beams in the multiple beams, so as to determine the beam with the shortest distance to the terminal device.

[0217] S1906: The terminal device sends a random access preamble to the network device. The random access preamble is located on the RO corresponding to the target beam. The network device receives the random access preamble. In other words, the terminal device sends the random access preamble to the network device on the RO corresponding to the target beam.

[0218] For the introduction of S1906, please refer to the description of S1003 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0219] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving configuration information indicating that an SSB wide beam corresponds to multiple SSB narrow beams, the terminal device receives third information. Based on the third information, the terminal device can determine the coverage of each of the multiple SSB narrow beams. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine the target beam based on its own location, and the location of the terminal device is within the coverage of the target beam. Afterwards, the terminal device can choose to send a random access preamble on the RO corresponding to the target beam, thereby reducing the collision probability of sending the random access preamble during the random access process and improving the access capacity.

[0220] It should be noted that other embodiments obtained by combining the steps in the implementation methods described above are all within the scope of protection of this application.

[0221] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the above 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.

[0222] The random access method according to the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to Figures 10 to 19. The communication device according to the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 20 to 22.

[0223] FIG20 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 2000 includes: a receiving module 2010 , a processing module 2020 , and a sending module 2030 .

[0224] Among them, the receiving module 2010 is used to: receive configuration information from the network device, the configuration information is used to indicate that the SSB corresponds to multiple beams, and each of the multiple beams corresponds to one or more ROs; the processing module 2020 is used to: determine the target beam from the multiple beams; the sending module 2030 is used to: send a random access preamble code to the network device at the RO corresponding to the target beam.

[0225] Optionally, the processing module 2020 is used to: obtain the coverage of at least one beam among the multiple beams; and determine a target beam from the at least one beam based on the location of the terminal device and the coverage of the at least one beam.

[0226] Optionally, the receiving module 2010 is configured to: receive first information and beam pattern information from a network device, where the first information is used to indicate the coverage range of the network device, and the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution of at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device, multiple beams corresponding to each of the at least one SSB, and the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB. The processing module 2020 is configured to: determine the coverage range of the at least one SSB based on the distribution of the at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device; and determine the coverage range of the multiple beams based on the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB.

[0227] Optionally, the receiving module 2010 is configured to receive second information and beam coverage angle information, where the second information indicates the location of the network device, and the beam coverage angle information indicates the coverage angle of each of the multiple beams. The processing module 2020 is configured to determine the coverage range of the multiple beams based on the location of the network device and the beam coverage angle information.

[0228] Optionally, the processing module 2020 is used to: obtain the center point coordinates of at least one beam among the multiple beams; determine the distance between the terminal device and each beam among the at least one beam based on the position of the terminal device and the center point coordinates of the at least one beam; and determine the beam among the at least one beam whose distance from the terminal device meets a preset condition as the target beam.

[0229] Optionally, the preset condition includes: being less than or equal to a preset threshold; or, the distance is the shortest.

[0230] Optionally, the receiving module 2010 is configured to receive third information from a network device, where the third information indicates coordinates of a center point of each of the multiple beams, or indicates a distance between a reference point and each of the multiple beams and a coverage angle of each of the multiple beams. The processing module 2020 is configured to determine the coordinates of the center point of each of the multiple beams based on the third information.

[0231] In an optional example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that apparatus 2000 may be specifically the terminal device in the above-described embodiment, or the functions of the terminal device in the above-described embodiment may be integrated into apparatus 2000. The above-described functions may be implemented via hardware, or may be implemented via hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software may include one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. For example, the above-described receiving module 2010 may be a communication interface, such as a transceiver interface. Apparatus 2000 may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0232] Figure 21 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 2100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 2100 includes: a sending module 2110 and a receiving module 2120.

[0233] Among them, the sending module 2110 is used to: send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information is used to indicate that the SSB corresponds to multiple beams, and each beam in the multiple beams corresponds to one or more ROs; the receiving module 2120 is used to: receive a random access preamble code from the terminal device, and the random access preamble code is located on the RO corresponding to the target beam in the multiple beams.

[0234] Optionally, the sending module 2110 is used to: send first information and beam pattern information to the terminal device, the first information is used to indicate the coverage range of the network device, and the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution of at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device, the multiple beams corresponding to each SSB in the at least one SSB, and the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB.

[0235] Optionally, the sending module 2110 is used to: send second information and beam coverage angle information to the terminal device, the second information is used to indicate the location of the network device, and the beam coverage angle information is used to indicate the coverage angle of each beam in the multiple beams.

[0236] Optionally, the sending module 2110 is used to: send third information to the terminal device, where the third information is used to indicate the coordinates of the center point of each of the multiple beams; or, to indicate the distance between the reference point and each of the multiple beams and the coverage angle of each of the multiple beams.

[0237] In an optional example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that apparatus 2100 may be specifically a network device in the above-described embodiments, or the functions of the network device in the above-described embodiments may be integrated into apparatus 2100. The above-described functions may be implemented via hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software may include one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. For example, the sending module 2110 may be a communication interface, such as a transceiver interface. Apparatus 2100 may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the network device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0238] It should be understood that the apparatus 2000 and the apparatus 2100 herein are embodied in the form of functional modules. The term "module" herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuits, and / or other suitable components that support the described functionality.

[0239] In the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 2000 and the apparatus 2100 may also be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). Correspondingly, the transceiver module may be a transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited here.

[0240] Figure 22 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 2200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 2200 includes a processor 2210, a transceiver 2220, and a memory 2230. The processor 2210, the transceiver 2220, and the memory 2230 communicate with each other via an internal connection path. The memory 2230 is used to store instructions, and the processor 2210 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 2230 to control the transceiver 2220 to send and / or receive signals.

[0241] It should be understood that the device 2200 can be specifically the terminal device or network device in the above-mentioned embodiment, or the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above-mentioned embodiment can be integrated into the device 2200, and the device 2200 can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the terminal device or network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. Optionally, the memory 2230 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 2210 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor executes the instructions, the processor 2210 can execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the terminal device or network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0242] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0243] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in a processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor executes the instructions in the memory, and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0244] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the modules and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein 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 beyond the scope of this application.

[0245] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and modules described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0246] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, 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 modules is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple modules 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 modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0247] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules may be selected to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment according to actual needs.

[0248] In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing module, or each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module.

[0249] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function modules 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.

[0250] 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 random access method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device, and comprises: Receiving configuration information from a network device, where the configuration information is used to indicate that a synchronization signal block SSB corresponds to a plurality of beams, and each of the plurality of beams corresponds to one or more random access opportunities RO; determining a target beam from the plurality of beams; A random access preamble is sent to the network device at the RO corresponding to the target beam.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining a target beam from the multiple beams comprises: Acquire the coverage of at least one beam among the multiple beams; The target beam is determined from the at least one beam according to the location of the terminal device and the coverage of the at least one beam.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Before acquiring the coverage of at least one beam among the multiple beams, the method further includes: Receiving first information and beam pattern information from the network device, the first information being used to indicate a coverage range of the network device, the beam pattern information being used to indicate distribution of at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device, a plurality of beams corresponding to each SSB in the at least one SSB, and distribution of the plurality of beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB; Determining a coverage range of the at least one SSB according to distribution of the at least one SSB within a coverage range of the network device; The coverage range of the multiple beams is determined according to the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Before acquiring the coverage of at least one beam among the multiple beams, the method further includes: receiving second information and coverage angle information of a beam, wherein the second information is used to indicate a location of the network device, and the coverage angle information of the beam is used to indicate a coverage angle of each beam in the multiple beams; The coverage ranges of the multiple beams are determined according to the locations of the network devices and the coverage angle information of the beams.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The obtaining of the coverage of at least one beam among the multiple beams includes: Acquire the coordinates of a center point of at least one of the multiple beams; The determining the target beam from the at least one beam according to the position of the terminal device and the coverage of the at least one beam comprises: Determine, according to the position of the terminal device and the coordinates of the center point of the at least one beam, a distance between the terminal device and each of the at least one beam; A beam among the at least one beam whose distance from the terminal device meets a preset condition is determined as the target beam.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The preset conditions include: Less than or equal to a preset threshold; or, The shortest distance.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: Before acquiring the coordinates of the center point of at least one of the multiple beams, the method further includes: receiving third information from the network device, wherein the third information is used to indicate the coordinates of a center point of each of the multiple beams, or is used to indicate a distance between a reference point and each of the multiple beams and a coverage angle of each of the multiple beams; The coordinates of the center point of each of the multiple beams are determined according to the third information.

8. A random access method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: Sending configuration information to a terminal device, where the configuration information is used to indicate that a synchronization signal block SSB corresponds to multiple beams, and each of the multiple beams corresponds to one or more random access opportunities RO; A random access preamble is received from the terminal device, where the random access preamble is located on an RO corresponding to a target beam among the multiple beams.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending first information and beam pattern information to the terminal device, wherein the first information is used to indicate the coverage range of the network device, and the beam pattern information is used to indicate the distribution of at least one SSB within the coverage range of the network device, the distribution of at least one SSB in the at least one SSB The invention relates to multiple beams corresponding to each SSB and the distribution of the multiple beams within the coverage range of the corresponding SSB.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send second information and coverage angle information of the beam to the terminal device, where the second information is used to indicate the location of the network device, and the coverage angle information of the beam is used to indicate the coverage angle of each beam in the multiple beams.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending third information to the terminal device, wherein the third information is used to indicate the coordinates of the center point of each of the multiple beams; or, to indicate the distance between the reference point and each of the multiple beams and the coverage angle of each of the multiple beams.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11 is executed.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: Used to store a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 to be executed, or causes the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11 to be executed.

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