Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a network device sends first information to a terminal device, wherein the first information is used for indicating a first number of repetitions N of first downlink data, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and the network device respectively sends N pieces of first downlink data to the terminal device at N first resource locations, wherein the N first resource locations have one-to-one correspondence to the N pieces of first downlink data. In this way, the communication delay can be reduced, and the communication efficiency can be improved.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on November 22, 2023, with application number 202311572816.7 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0004] Satellite communications have their own unique advantages over terrestrial communications. For example, satellite communications can provide a wider coverage area, and satellite base stations are not easily damaged by natural disasters or external forces. Therefore, satellite communications and terrestrial communications (such as 5G communications) are the inevitable trends in future communications.

[0005] During the communication process, a retransmission mechanism is often used to ensure the reliability of data transmission. The retransmission mechanism means that the network device decides whether to retransmit the current data or schedule the next data based on the feedback information from the terminal device. However, the network device needs to obtain feedback from the terminal device before deciding whether to retransmit, so the resulting delay is relatively large. In scenarios with relatively poor link budgets (such as satellite communications), the delay caused by the retransmission mechanism can seriously affect communication efficiency.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for reducing communication delay and improving communication efficiency.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a network device, the method comprising: the network device sends first information to a terminal device, the first information being used to indicate a first repetition number N of first downlink data; N being an integer greater than or equal to 2; the network device sends N first downlink data to the terminal device at N first resource locations respectively, wherein the N first resource locations correspond one-to-one to the N first downlink data.

[0009] By adopting this method, the network device can directly send the first downlink data to the terminal device at N first resource locations, thereby saving the delay caused by the network device receiving feedback information, reducing communication delay, improving communication efficiency, and achieving downlink coverage enhancement.

[0010] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device sends a first DCI to the terminal device, where the first DCI is used to indicate N first resource locations.

[0011] With this design, the network device indicates N first resource locations through the first DCI, thereby improving communication accuracy.

[0012] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device sends a second DCI to the terminal device, where the second DCI is used to indicate N second resource locations; and the network device sends N first downlink data to the terminal device at the N second resource locations respectively.

[0013] With this design, in some cases, the network device can resend N first downlink data, further ensuring that the terminal device can obtain the first downlink data, thereby further improving communication accuracy.

[0014] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device sends N third DCIs to the terminal device; the N third DCIs correspond one-to-one to the N first resource locations, and any third DCI is used to indicate the corresponding first resource location.

[0015] With this design, the network device indicates N first resource locations through N DCIs, thereby improving communication accuracy.

[0016] In one possible design, the process of the aforementioned network device sending N third DCIs to the terminal device includes: the network device sends N third DCIs at N third resource positions respectively; wherein, the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are cross-arranged in the time domain, or, the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are cross-arranged in the frequency domain.

[0017] With this design, the network device schedules the resource location of the first downlink data one by one through N DCIs, thereby improving communication accuracy.

[0018] In one possible design, the first information includes a first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes an index of the first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition indication, and the first repetition indication is used to indicate that the first number of repetitions is a preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition deviation, and the first repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the first number of repetitions relative to the preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first reference value; the first reference value is used by the terminal device to determine the first number of repetitions according to a set algorithm.

[0019] With this design, the first information can indicate the first number of repetitions in a variety of ways, thereby improving the flexibility of the communication method.

[0020] In one possible design, the first information is carried in the fourth DCI.

[0021] In one possible design, the process of the aforementioned network device sending N first downlink data to the terminal device at N first resource locations respectively includes: the network device sends N first messages to the terminal device at N first resource locations respectively; each first message contains a first downlink data; the first information is used to indicate the first repetition number N of the first message.

[0022] In one possible design, the first message is msg2 or msg4; the fourth DCI is the DCI used to schedule msg2.

[0023] With this design, the network device can use the DCI (reserved bit) of the scheduling msg2 to indicate the number of repetitions corresponding to msg2 or msg4, saving waste of signaling resources.

[0024] In one possible design, when the first message is msg2, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: the fourth DCI includes a first field, the first field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2, the index of the number of repetitions of msg2; the fourth DCI includes a second field, the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation; the second repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg2 is a first preset number of repetitions; the second repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the number of repetitions of msg2 relative to the first preset number of repetitions; or, when the first message is msg4, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: the fourth DCI includes a third field, the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation. Three fields are used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg4 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg4; the fourth DCI includes a fourth field, and the fourth field is used to indicate a third repetition indication or a third repetition deviation; the third repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the second preset number of repetitions; the third repetition deviation is used to indicate the offset value of the number of repetitions of msg4 relative to the second preset number of repetitions; the fourth DCI includes a fifth field and a sixth field, the fifth field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2, and the sixth field is used to indicate the fourth repetition indication; the fourth repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the number of repetitions indicated by the fifth field.

[0025] In one possible design, the first downlink data is carried in msg2; the first information includes the number of repetitions corresponding to multiple synchronization signal blocks, the first repetition number is the number of repetitions corresponding to the first synchronization signal block in the multiple synchronization signal blocks, and the first synchronization signal block is any one of the multiple synchronization signal blocks; any synchronization signal block contains configuration information for determining RO; the method also includes: the network device receives msg1 sent by the terminal device through the first RO; the network device determines the first synchronization signal block based on the first RO.

[0026] With this design, the network device and the terminal device can determine the first number of repetitions based on the synchronization signal block corresponding to the first RO, so that the network device and the terminal device can reach a consensus on the first number of repetitions, which can reduce signaling interaction and save communication resources.

[0027] In one possible design, the method also includes: the network device receives a repeat request from the terminal device; the repeat request is used to request repeated transmission of the first downlink data.

[0028] With this design, the terminal device can actively request repeated transmission of the first downlink data, thereby improving the accuracy of the communication method.

[0029] In one possible design, the first information is also used to indicate a second repetition number X of the first uplink data, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the method also includes: the network device receives X first uplink data from the terminal device at X fourth resource positions respectively, wherein the X fourth resource positions correspond one-to-one to the X first uplink data.

[0030] With this design, the network device can also indicate the second repetition number of the first uplink data, thereby reducing the probability of failure of the terminal device to transmit the first uplink data, saving the delay caused by the terminal device receiving feedback information of the failure to upload the first uplink data, and being able to reduce communication delay, improve communication efficiency, and achieve enhanced uplink coverage.

[0031] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a terminal device, the method comprising: the terminal device receives first information from a network device, the first information being used to indicate a first repetition number N of first downlink data; N being an integer greater than or equal to 2; the terminal device receives N first downlink data from the network device at N first resource locations respectively, wherein the N first resource locations correspond one-to-one to the N first downlink data.

[0032] In one possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device receives a first DCI from the network device, where the first DCI is used to indicate N first resource locations.

[0033] In one possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device receives a second DCI from the network device, the second DCI is used to indicate N second resource locations; and the terminal device receives N first downlink data from the network device at the N second resource locations respectively.

[0034] In one possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device receives N third DCIs from the network device; the N third DCIs correspond one-to-one to the N first resource locations, and any third DCI is used to indicate the corresponding first resource location.

[0035] In one possible design, the aforementioned terminal device receives N third DCIs from the network device, including: the terminal device receives N third DCIs from the network device at N third resource positions respectively; wherein the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are cross-arranged in the time domain, or the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are cross-arranged in the frequency domain.

[0036] In one possible design, the first information includes a first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes an index of the first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition indication, and the first repetition indication is used to indicate that the first number of repetitions is a preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition deviation, and the first repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the first number of repetitions relative to the preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first reference value; the first reference value is used by the terminal device to determine the first number of repetitions according to a set algorithm.

[0037] In one possible design, the first information is carried in the fourth DCI.

[0038] In one possible design, the process of the aforementioned terminal device receiving N first downlink data from the network device at N first resource locations respectively includes: the terminal device receives N first messages from the network device at N first resource locations respectively; each first message contains a first downlink data; the first information is used to indicate the first repetition number N of the first message.

[0039] In one possible design, the first message is msg2 or msg4; the fourth DCI is the DCI used to schedule msg2.

[0040] In one possible design, when the first message is msg2, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: the fourth DCI includes a first field, the first field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2, the index of the number of repetitions of msg2; the fourth DCI includes a second field, the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation; the second repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg2 is a first preset number of repetitions; the second repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the number of repetitions of msg2 relative to the first preset number of repetitions; or, when the first message is msg4, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: the fourth DCI includes a third field, the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation. Three fields are used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg4 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg4; the fourth DCI includes a fourth field, and the fourth field is used to indicate a third repetition indication or a third repetition deviation; the third repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the second preset number of repetitions; the third repetition deviation is used to indicate the offset value of the number of repetitions of msg4 relative to the second preset number of repetitions; the fourth DCI includes a fifth field and a sixth field, the fifth field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2, and the sixth field is used to indicate the fourth repetition indication; the fourth repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the number of repetitions indicated by the fifth field.

[0041] In one possible design, the first downlink data is carried in msg2; the first information includes the number of repetitions corresponding to multiple synchronization signal blocks, the first repetition number is the number of repetitions corresponding to the first synchronization signal block in the multiple synchronization signal blocks, and the first synchronization signal block is any one of the multiple synchronization signal blocks; any synchronization signal block contains configuration information for determining RO; the method also includes: the terminal device sends msg1 to the network device through the first RO; the terminal device determines the first repetition number N based on the first RO.

[0042] In one possible design, the method also includes: the terminal device sends a repeat request to the network device; the repeat request is used to request repeated transmission of the first downlink data.

[0043] In one possible design, the first information is also used to indicate a second repetition number X of the first uplink data, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the method also includes: the terminal device sends X first uplink data to the network device at X fourth resource locations respectively, wherein the X fourth resource locations correspond one-to-one to the X first uplink data.

[0044] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a communication device. The communication device can execute the above-mentioned method design. The communication device can be a chip or circuit capable of executing the functions corresponding to the above-mentioned method, or a device including the chip or circuit.

[0045] In one possible design, the communication device includes a communication unit for receiving and sending data; the communication device also includes a processing unit for implementing the steps of the method of the first aspect above, or for implementing the steps of the method of the second aspect above. The aforementioned functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the aforementioned functions.

[0046] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a communications device. The communications device can execute the aforementioned method design. The communications device includes: a memory for storing computer-executable program code; and a processor coupled to the memory. The program code stored in the memory includes instructions. When the processor executes the instructions, the communications device or a device equipped with the communications device executes the method of any possible design of the aforementioned first aspect; and executes the method of any possible design of the aforementioned second aspect.

[0047] The communication device may further include a communication interface; or, if the communication device is a chip or a circuit, the communication interface may be an input / output interface of the chip, such as an input / output pin.

[0048] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes one or more devices in a terminal device that executes the first aspect and / or a network device that executes the second aspect.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program runs on a device, it executes the method in any possible design of the above-mentioned first aspect, or executes the method in any possible design of the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0050] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, in which a computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are called by a computer, they execute the method in any possible design of the first aspect above, or execute the method in any possible design of the second aspect above.

[0051] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a chip comprising a processor and a memory; the processor is coupled to the memory and is used to read a computer program stored in the memory, execute a method in any possible design of the above-mentioned first aspect, or execute a method in any possible design of the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0052] In addition, the technical effects brought about by the second to eighth aspects can be found in the description of the first aspect above and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG2 is a diagram of a network application architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG3a is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG3 b is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG4 is a communication example diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG5 is another example diagram of communication provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG6 is another example diagram of communication provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG7 is another example diagram of communication provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of this application more clear, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0064] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; “and / or” in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of this application, “at least one” means one or more items, and “multiple items” means two or more items. In the description of this application, words such as “first” and “second” are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying order.

[0065] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a fourth generation (4G) communication system (e.g., long term evolution (LTE)), a fifth generation (5G) communication system (e.g., 5G new radio (NR)), various communication systems that will evolve in the future, or an integrated air, space, sea, and land communication system. The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a terrestrial network communication system or to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system.

[0066] FIG1 shows an architecture of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a network device 101 and a terminal device 102 .

[0067] First, possible implementation forms and functions of the network device 101 and the terminal device 102 are introduced with examples.

[0068] The network device 101 provides services to the terminal devices 102 within the coverage area. For example, as shown in FIG1 , the network device 101 provides wireless access to one or more terminal devices 102 within the coverage area of ​​the network device 101 .

[0069] The network device 101 may be a node in a radio access network (RAN), and may also be referred to as a base station or a RAN node (or device). Examples of the network device 101 include a next generation nodeB (gNB), a next generation evolved nodeB (Ng-eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a NodeB (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved NodeB or HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP).

[0070] The network device 101 may also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of the base station, for example, it may be a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU here performs the functions of the radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and may also perform the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU performs the functions of the radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and may also perform the functions of part or all of the physical layer. For detailed descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0071] The network device 101 may also be a satellite, which may also be referred to as a high-altitude platform, a high-altitude aircraft, or a satellite base station. The network device 101 may also be other devices having network device functions. For example, the network device 101 may also be a device that functions as a network device in device-to-device (D2D) communication, Internet of Vehicles (IoV), or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. The network device 101 may also be any possible network device in a future communication system. In an embodiment of the present application, the functions of the network device 101 may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes the network device functions. The control subsystem that includes the network device functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city.

[0072] Terminal device 102, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, terminal device 102 includes a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connectivity. Currently, the terminal device 102 can be: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, etc.), an in-vehicle device (such as a car, a bicycle, an electric car, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed train, etc.), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a smart home device (such as a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electric meter, etc.), an intelligent robot, workshop equipment, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, an aerial device (such as an intelligent robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc.

[0073] The terminal device 102 may also be another device having terminal device functions. For example, the terminal device 102 may also be a device that functions as a terminal device in device-to-device (D2D) communication, Internet of Vehicles (IoV), or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. In particular, when communication is performed between network devices, a network device that functions as a terminal device may also be considered a terminal device. The method provided in the embodiments of the present application may be executed by a terminal device or by a component of the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system).

[0074] Figure 2 is an example of a network application architecture for an NTN scenario provided by this application. Among them, the terminal device can access the network through the air interface (the air interface can be various types of air interfaces, such as a 5G air interface), and the base station is deployed on the ground or on a satellite, and is connected to the ground core network (not shown in the figure, the core network includes a user plane and a control plane) through a wireless link. There is a wireless link (such as an Xn interface) between satellites, which can be used for signaling interaction and user data transmission between base stations. The wireless access network elements in Figure 2 (for example, terminal devices, base stations, and ground stations) perform uplink and downlink data communications based on wireless communication protocols. The description of each network element and interface in Figure 2 is as follows:

[0075] Core Network: Provides services such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and billing. The core network consists of multiple functional units, which can be divided into control plane and user plane functional entities. The control plane includes the access and mobility management function (AMF) unit and the session management function (SMF) unit; the AMF unit is responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. The user plane includes the user plane function (UPF) unit; the UPF unit is responsible for managing user plane data transmission, traffic statistics, security monitoring, and other functions.

[0076] Ground station: responsible for forwarding signaling and business data between satellite base stations and the core network.

[0077] Air interface: The wireless link between a terminal device and a base station. For example, the air interface can be a 5G air interface, which is the wireless link between a terminal device and a 5G base station.

[0078] Xn interface: The interface between base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as switching.

[0079] NG interface: The interface between the base station and the core network, mainly used to exchange NAS and other signaling of the core network, as well as user service data.

[0080] Terminal device: A mobile device that supports the new air interface and can access the satellite network through the air interface and initiate calls, access the Internet, and other services. For example, the terminal device can be regarded as the terminal device 102 included in the communication system 100.

[0081] Base station: Provides wireless access services, dispatches wireless resources to connected terminal devices, and offers reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols. For example, a base station can be considered as a network device 101 included in the communication system 100, or a device used to implement the functions of the network device (such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device 101).

[0082] To reduce communication latency and improve communication efficiency, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. This communication method can be implemented in the communication system shown in Figure 1 above, and can also be applied to the application architecture shown in Figure 2. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0083] The following first explains the concepts of some nouns involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0084] First downlink control information (DCI): resource location information for scheduling downlink data of a terminal device (e.g., resource blocks occupied in the frequency domain, location of time domain monitoring, etc.); the functions of the second and third DCI are similar to those of the first DCI, with different DCIs being used to schedule resource location information for different downlink data; the formats of the first, second, and third DCIs may be the same or different, and are not specifically limited in this application;

[0085] Fourth DCI: used to indicate the number of repetitions of downlink data;

[0086] Fifth DCI: used to indicate the number of repetitions of uplink data;

[0087] Sixth DCI: resource location information used to schedule uplink data of the terminal device (for example, resource blocks occupied in the frequency domain, location of time domain monitoring, etc.); the functions of the seventh DCI and the eighth DCI are similar to those of the sixth DCI, and different DCIs are used to schedule resource location information of different uplink data; the formats of the sixth DCI, the seventh DCI and the eighth DCI may be the same or different, and this application does not specifically limit them.

[0088] FIG3a is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method may include the following steps:

[0089] S301: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate a first repetition number N of first downlink data, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the network device.

[0090] Optionally, the first information may indicate the first number of repetitions in the following three ways:

[0091] Method 1: The first information includes the first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes the index of the first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition indication, and the first repetition indication is used to indicate that the first number of repetitions is a preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition deviation, and the first repetition deviation is used to indicate the offset value of the first number of repetitions relative to the preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first reference value; the first reference value is used by the terminal device to determine the first number of repetitions according to a set algorithm.

[0092] For example, assuming that the first information occupies two bytes and includes a repetition count, the first information is 00, 01, 10, or 11, that is, the first information may indicate that the repetition count of the first downlink data is any one between 0 and 3;

[0093] For another example, assuming that the first information occupies two bytes and includes an index of the first number of repetitions, the first information is 00, 01, 10, or 11, that is, the first information can indicate four pre-set repetition values. Assume that the repetition value corresponding to 00 is 1, the repetition value corresponding to 01 is 2, the repetition value corresponding to 10 is 4, and the repetition value corresponding to 11 is 8.

[0094] Mode 2: The first information is carried in the fourth DCI, and the first downlink data is carried in message 2 (message2, msg2) or message 4 (message4, msg4) corresponding to the random access (RA) procedure.

[0095] The following is a brief introduction to random access: the network device sends the random access resources of the current cell to the terminal device through system information, such as the random access preamble, and the time-frequency resources for transmitting the random access preamble, namely the random access occasion (RA occasion, RO). The following is an exemplary description of some steps in the random access process:

[0096] Step 1: The terminal device sends a random access request message to the network device, that is, sends message 1 (msg1). The msg1 includes a random access preamble, and the terminal device can notify the network device of the terminal device's random access request through the random access preamble.

[0097] Step 2: The network device responds to the random access preamble and sends a random access response message, namely msg2, to the terminal device.

[0098] Step 3: The terminal device sends a message to the network device to initiate contention resolution, namely message 3 (message3, msg3).

[0099] Step 4: The network device sends a contention resolution response message, msg4, to the terminal device. The uplink feedback information corresponding to msg4 is used to indicate an acknowledgement character (ACK) or a negative acknowledgement character (NACK).

[0100] Two configuration methods of the fourth DCI are provided as examples below.

[0101] Configuration method A: The fourth DCI includes a first field, and the first field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2; or, the fourth DCI includes a second field, and the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation; the second repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg2 is a first preset number of repetitions; the second repetition deviation is used to indicate the offset value of the number of repetitions of msg2 relative to the first preset number of repetitions.

[0102] Configuration method B: The fourth DCI includes a third field, and the third field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg4 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg4; or, the fourth DCI includes a fourth field, and the fourth field is used to indicate a third repetition indication or a third repetition deviation; the third repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the second preset number of repetitions; the third repetition deviation is used to indicate the offset value of the number of repetitions of msg4 relative to the second preset number of repetitions; or, the fourth DCI includes a fifth field and a sixth field, the fifth field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2, and the sixth field is used to indicate the fourth repetition indication; the fourth repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the number of repetitions indicated by the fifth field.

[0103] Optionally, in one implementation of the second method, the network device can combine the aforementioned configuration method A and configuration method B, that is, indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and msg4 in the same DCI. The combination method and the number of bytes occupied can be flexibly adjusted and are not limited in this application.

[0104] Method 3:

[0105] The first information includes the number of repetitions corresponding to multiple synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), the first repetition number is the number of repetitions corresponding to the first synchronization signal block in the multiple synchronization signal blocks, and the first synchronization signal block is any one of the multiple synchronization signal blocks; any synchronization signal block contains configuration information for determining the random access signal timing RO. As shown in Figure 3b, in method three, after executing step S301 and before step S302, the terminal device can also send msg1 to the network device through the first RO; correspondingly, the network device can also receive msg1 sent by the terminal device through the first RO. Based on this, the network device can determine the first synchronization signal block based on the first RO, and the first synchronization information block is used to determine the first repetition number N. In this way, the network device can determine the first repetition number N of the first downlink data, and thus can execute step S302. The terminal device can determine the first repetition number N based on the first RO, thereby receiving N first downlink data, that is, executing step S302.

[0106] Optionally, the terminal device may also receive a second synchronization signal block from the network device, where the second synchronization signal block is any one of multiple synchronization signal blocks.

[0107] Those skilled in the art are aware that there is a correspondence between ROs and SSBs: one RO can correspond to multiple SSBs or one SSB. Based on this, the network device can indicate the number of repetitions corresponding to different ROs; the network device can also indicate the number of repetitions corresponding to different SSBs through broadcasting.

[0108] If a RO corresponds to multiple SSBs, the number of repetitions of msg2 corresponding to the RO is determined by the SSB with the worst link budget among the multiple SSBs. If a RO corresponds to one SSB, the number of repetitions of msg2 corresponding to the RO is determined by the link budget of the SSB.

[0109] As shown in Figure 4, assuming that the number of repetitions corresponding to SSB 0 is 1, the number of repetitions corresponding to SSB 1 is 2, the number of repetitions corresponding to SSB 2 is 4, and the number of repetitions corresponding to SSB 3 is 8; based on this, assuming that RO 0 corresponds to SSB 0, the number of repetitions corresponding to RO 0 is 1; assuming that RO 1 corresponds to SSB 0, the number of repetitions corresponding to RO 1 is 1; assuming that RO 2 corresponds to SSB 1, the number of repetitions corresponding to RO 2 is 2; assuming that RO 3 corresponds to SSB 2 and SSB3, it is obvious that SSB3 is the SSB with the worst link budget, so the number of repetitions corresponding to RO 3 is 8.

[0110] In a possible design before executing step S301, the terminal device sends a repeat request to the network device; the repeat request is used to request repeated transmission of the first downlink data. Correspondingly, the network device receives the repeat request from the terminal device.

[0111] S302: The network device sends N first downlink data to the terminal device at N first resource locations, where the N first resource locations correspond one-to-one to the N first downlink data. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the N first downlink data from the network device at the N first resource locations.

[0112] In the standard protocol of this field, in the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling msg2, the scheduling information of msg2 is transmitted through DCI scrambled by the RA-radio network temporary indentifier (RNTI); in the PDCCH for scheduling msg4, the scheduling information of msg4 is transmitted through DCI scrambled by the temporary cell (TC)-RNTI. The DCI format scrambled by the RA-RNTI includes 16 bits of reserved bits, while the DCI scrambled by the TC-RNTI does not include reserved bits.

[0113] Based on this, the fourth DCI in the aforementioned method 2 may be a DCI scrambled using RA-RNTI.

[0114] In one possible design of step S302, the process of the network device sending N first downlink data may include: the network device sending N first messages to the terminal device at N first resource locations; and the terminal device correspondingly receiving the N first messages from the network device at the N first resource locations. Each first message includes one first downlink data item; the first information is used to indicate a first repetition count N of the first message.

[0115] Optionally, when the first repetition count is indicated using the aforementioned method 2, the first message is msg2 or msg4; and the fourth DCI in the aforementioned method 2 is the DCI used to schedule msg2. In this way, in a random access scenario, the network device and the terminal device can use the aforementioned method to implement repeated data transmission, thereby reducing the delay caused by retransmission after waiting for feedback and improving communication efficiency.

[0116] Based on this, the present application exemplarily provides the following indication method for illustration: when the first message is msg2, the fourth DCI adopts configuration method A; or, when the first message is msg4, the fourth DCI adopts configuration method B.

[0117] In another possible design of step S302, when the aforementioned method three is used to indicate the first information, the first downlink data may be carried in msg2. That is, the process of the network device sending N first downlink data may include: the network device sending N msg2s to the terminal device at N first resource locations; and the terminal device correspondingly receiving N msg2s from the network device at N first resource locations. Each msg2 includes one first downlink data item; the first information is used to indicate the first repetition count N of msg2.

[0118] The present application provides the following two designs for implementing resource scheduling of the aforementioned first downlink data.

[0119] Design 1:

[0120] The network device may also send a first DCI to the terminal device, where the first DCI is used to indicate the N first resource locations. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first DCI from the network device, where the first DCI is used to indicate the N first resource locations.

[0121] As shown in (1) in Figure 5, a first DCI can indicate N consecutive first resource locations. Optionally, the first DCI can also indicate the location of a first feedback resource corresponding to the N first downlink data sent by the N first resource locations, and the location of the first feedback resource is located after the N first resource locations. Accordingly, the terminal device can feedback ACK or NACK at the location of the first feedback resource.

[0122] Optionally, in some scenarios, the network device may further send a second DCI to the terminal device, where the second DCI is used to indicate N second resource locations; accordingly, the terminal device receives the second DCI from the network device. The network device sends N first downlink data to the terminal device at the N second resource locations; accordingly, the terminal device receives N first downlink data from the network device at the N second resource locations. The aforementioned scenario may be that the network device receives a NACK on the first feedback resource.

[0123] As shown in (2) in Figure 5, a second DCI may indicate N consecutive second resource locations. Optionally, the second DCI may also indicate the location of a second feedback resource corresponding to the N first downlink data sent by the N second resource locations, where the location of the second feedback resource is located after the N second resource locations. Accordingly, the terminal device may feedback ACK or NACK at the location of the second feedback resource.

[0124] Design 2:

[0125] The network device sends N third DCIs to the terminal device; the N third DCIs correspond one-to-one to the N first resource locations, and any third DCI is used to indicate the corresponding first resource location. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the N third DCIs from the network device.

[0126] In one possible implementation of Design 2, the network device sends N third DCIs at N third resource locations, where the N third resource locations are interleaved with the N first resource locations in the time domain, or the N third resource locations are interleaved with the N first resource locations in the frequency domain. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the N third DCIs from the network device at the N third resource locations.

[0127] As shown in FIG6 , the N third DCIs correspond one-to-one to the N first downlink data.

[0128] Optionally, the third DCI may also indicate the position of a third feedback resource corresponding to the N first downlink data sent at the N third resource positions, where the position of the third feedback resource is located after the N third resource positions. Accordingly, the terminal device may feedback ACK or NACK at the position of the third feedback resource.

[0129] As shown in Figure 7, the aforementioned N third DCIs correspond to N PDCCHs respectively, each PDCCH is used to schedule a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the PDSCH is used to transmit the first downlink data; the locations of the third feedback resources indicated by the aforementioned N third DCIs are all the same physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), that is, the terminal device only needs to feedback ACK or NACK on this one PUCCH.

[0130] Optionally, the network device may cyclically execute M rounds of the aforementioned design one or design two. In each round of the cycle, the number of times N may be the same or different; the network device and the terminal device may agree on the value of N in each round of the cycle through a protocol, or the network device may configure the value of N in each round of the cycle. In this way, if the value of N is greater than 1 in a certain round of the cycle, the terminal device may also adopt a corresponding receiving method to decode the channel data according to the value of N; if the value of N is equal to 1 in a certain round of the cycle, the terminal device may decode the channel data according to the traditional receiving method. For example, the network device may send M groups of DCI and M groups of first downlink data to the terminal device, and the terminal device may adopt a corresponding receiving method to receive the M groups of DCI and M groups of first downlink data; each group of first downlink data includes N first downlink data.

[0131] Optionally, during the aforementioned M-round cycle, the total number of repetitions of the first downlink data is the maximum retransmission number W1, and the terminal device determines whether to continue monitoring the channel data based on the maximum retransmission number W1.

[0132] Optionally, the terminal device and the network device may pre-agreed on a maximum retransmission number W1. This application does not limit the manner in which the maximum retransmission number W1 is agreed upon. For example, the maximum retransmission number W1 may be agreed upon through a protocol, or configured on the network device side and indicated to the terminal device via the network device, or the terminal device and the network device may determine the maximum retransmission number W1 according to a preset rule, etc. When the maximum retransmission number W1 is 0, the network device and the terminal device do not perform the aforementioned steps S301 and S302; when the maximum retransmission number W1 is greater than 0, the network device and the terminal device perform the aforementioned steps S301 and S302.

[0133] For example, when the number of N in each cycle is the same, the maximum number of retransmissions W1, the first number of repetitions N, and the number of cycle rounds M satisfy the following relationship:

[0134] Optionally, during the aforementioned M-round cycle, the terminal device determines whether to continue monitoring the channel data based on the location of the scheduled feedback resource. For example, if the terminal device fails to successfully decode the first downlink data at any node before the location of the feedback resource, the terminal device continues to monitor the channel data; conversely, if the terminal device successfully decodes the first downlink data, it stops monitoring the channel data and feeds back an ACK on the scheduled feedback resource.

[0135] Optionally, after each of the M rounds of loops, if the terminal fails to successfully decode the first downlink data, it feeds back a NACK on the scheduled feedback resource. In this way, the network device can proceed with the next round of data transmission based on the NACK, or the network device can send other data other than the first downlink data based on the NACK.

[0136] In one possible design, the first information in step S301 is also used to indicate a second retransmission number X of the first uplink data, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0137] Optionally, the first information may indicate the second number of repetitions in the following two ways:

[0138] Method a: The first information includes the second repetition count; or, the first information includes an index of the second repetition count; or, the first information includes a fifth repetition indicator, which indicates that the second repetition count is a preset repetition count; or, the first information includes a fourth repetition offset, which indicates an offset value of the second repetition count relative to the preset repetition count; or, the first information includes a second reference value; the first reference value is used by the terminal device to determine the second repetition count according to a preset algorithm. It should be understood that the specific indication method of the first information in Method a can refer to the description of Method 1 above.

[0139] Mode b: the first information is carried in the fifth DCI.

[0140] Optionally, the first uplink data may be carried in message 5 (msg5) corresponding to the random access procedure. It should be understood that after step 4 of the random access procedure, the network device and the terminal device may further perform step 5: the terminal device sends a second repetition number X of physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) messages, i.e., msg5, to the network device. For example, when the uplink feedback information corresponding to msg4 indicates a NACK, msg5 may be a message for initiating contention resolution.

[0141] The following is an exemplary configuration method of the fifth DCI, wherein the fifth DCI and the aforementioned fourth DCI can share a DCI resource.

[0142] Configuration method C: The fifth DCI includes a seventh field, and the seventh field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg5 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg5; or, the fifth DCI includes an eighth field, and the eighth field is used to indicate a sixth repetition indication or a fifth repetition deviation; the sixth repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg5 is the third preset number of repetitions; the fifth repetition deviation is used to indicate the offset value of the number of repetitions of msg5 relative to the third preset number of repetitions; or, the fifth DCI includes a ninth field and a tenth field, the ninth field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2, and the tenth field includes the seventh repetition indication; the seventh repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg5 is the number of repetitions indicated by the ninth field.

[0143] Optionally, in combination with the indication method for the first repetition number in the aforementioned method 2 and the indication method for the second repetition number in the aforementioned method b, the network device can combine the aforementioned configuration method A, configuration method B, and configuration method C, that is, indicate the repetition number of msg2, msg4, and msg5 in the same DCI (for example, the fourth DCI). The combination method and the number of bytes occupied can be flexibly adjusted and are not limited in this application.

[0144] For example, the fourth DCI (or fifth DCI) occupies 6 bytes, the first two bytes are used to indicate the index of the repetition number corresponding to msg2, the middle two bytes correspond to the index of the repetition number corresponding to msg4, and the last two bytes are used to indicate the index of the repetition number corresponding to msg5.

[0145] For example, the fourth DCI (or fifth DCI) occupies 5 bytes, the first two bytes are used to indicate the common preset number of repetitions corresponding to msg2 / msg4 / msg5, the third byte is used to indicate the offset value of the repetition number of msg2 relative to the third preset number of repetitions, the fourth byte is used to indicate the offset value of the repetition number of msg4 relative to the third preset number of repetitions, and the fifth byte is used to indicate the offset value of the repetition number of msg5 relative to the third preset number of repetitions.

[0146] Optionally, in order to save signaling, when the network device and the terminal device pre-agree that the number of repetitions of msg4 and msg5 are the same, the aforementioned configuration method B and the aforementioned configuration method C can be configured in combination; that is, the third field and the sixth field can share the same field resource, and the fifth field and the eighth field can share the same field resource.

[0147] Based on the above design, the steps of the communication method further include:

[0148] S303: The terminal device sends X first uplink data to the network device at X fourth resource locations. Correspondingly, the network device receives X first uplink data from the terminal device at X fourth resource locations, where the X fourth resource locations correspond one-to-one to the X first uplink data.

[0149] It should be understood that when the first information is used to indicate the second retransmission number X of the first uplink data, step S301 and step S303 can be performed separately as a communication method, which is not described in detail in this application.

[0150] In standard protocols in this field, in the PDCCH that schedules msg5, the scheduling information of msg5 is transmitted using DCI scrambled by the cell (C)-RNTI; DCI scrambled by the C-RNTI does not include reserved bits. Based on this, the fifth DCI in the above method b can be DCI scrambled using the RA-RNTI.

[0151] In one possible design of step S302, the process of the network device sending X first uplink data may include: the terminal device sending X second messages to the network device at X fourth resource locations; and correspondingly, the network device receiving X second messages from the terminal device at X fourth resource locations. Each second message includes one first uplink data item; the first message is used to indicate a second repetition count X of the second message.

[0152] Optionally, when the second repetition count is indicated using the aforementioned method (b), the first message is msg5; the fifth DCI in the aforementioned method (b) is the DCI used to schedule msg2. In this way, in a random access scenario, the network device and the terminal device can use the aforementioned method to implement repeated data transmission, reducing the delay caused by waiting for feedback before retransmission, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0153] The present application provides the following two designs for implementing resource scheduling of the aforementioned first uplink data.

[0154] Design A:

[0155] The network device may further send a sixth DCI to the terminal device, where the sixth DCI is used to indicate the X fourth resource locations. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the sixth DCI from the network device, where the sixth DCI is used to indicate the X fourth resource locations. For example, one sixth DCI may indicate X consecutive fourth resource locations. The resource location relationship between the sixth DCI and the X first uplink data may refer to the resource location relationship between the first DCI and the N first downlink data in (1) of FIG5 , and will not be further described here.

[0156] Optionally, in some scenarios, the network device may also send a seventh DCI to the terminal device, where the seventh DCI is used to indicate X fifth resource locations; accordingly, the terminal device receives the seventh DCI from the network device. The terminal device sends X first uplink data to the network device at the X fifth resource locations respectively; accordingly, the network device receives X first uplink data from the terminal device at the X fifth resource locations respectively. The aforementioned scenario may be that the network device confirms that it has not obtained the aforementioned first uplink data. For example, a seventh DCI may indicate X consecutive fifth resource locations, and the resource location relationship between the seventh DCI and the X first uplink data can refer to the resource location relationship between the second DCI and the N first downlink data in (2) in Figure 5, which will not be repeated here.

[0157] Design B:

[0158] The network device sends X eighth DCIs to the terminal device; the X eighth DCIs correspond one-to-one to the X fourth resource positions, and any eighth DCI is used to indicate the corresponding fourth resource position. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the X eighth DCIs from the network device.

[0159] In one possible implementation of Design B, the network device sends X eighth DCIs at X sixth resource locations, respectively; wherein the X sixth resource locations are interleaved with the X fourth resource locations in the time domain, or the X sixth resource locations are interleaved with the X fourth resource locations in the frequency domain. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the X eighth DCIs from the network device at the X sixth resource locations, respectively. For example, the resource location relationship between the X eighth DCIs and the X first uplink data can refer to the resource location relationship between the N third DCIs and the N first downlink data in Figure 6.

[0160] Optionally, the network device may cyclically execute the aforementioned design A or design B for Y rounds. The number of times X is repeated in each round can be the same or different. The method for indicating X in Y rounds can refer to the method for indicating N in M ​​rounds, and will not be repeated here.

[0161] Optionally, during the aforementioned Y-round cycle, the total number of repetitions of the first uplink data is the maximum retransmission number W2, and the terminal device determines whether to continue sending the first uplink data based on the maximum retransmission number W2. The indication method for W2 in the Y-round cycle can refer to the indication method for W1 in the aforementioned M-round cycle, and will not be repeated here.

[0162] When the number of times X is the same in each cycle, the maximum number of retransmissions W2, the second number of repetitions X, and the number of cycles Y satisfy the following relationship:

[0163] In order to save signaling overhead, the network device and the terminal device may simultaneously agree on the values ​​of the maximum retransmission number W1 and the maximum retransmission number W2; for example, the network device transmits the values ​​of the maximum retransmission number W1 and the maximum retransmission number W2 to the terminal device through the same signaling.

[0164] By adopting the method shown in the aforementioned steps S301 and S302, the network device can directly send the first downlink data to the terminal device at the N first resource locations, thereby saving the delay caused by the network device receiving feedback information, reducing communication delay, improving communication efficiency, and achieving downlink coverage enhancement. By adopting the method shown in the aforementioned steps S301 to S303, the network device can also indicate the second number of repetitions of the first uplink data, thereby reducing the probability of the terminal device failing to transmit the first uplink data, saving the delay caused by the terminal device receiving feedback information of the failure to upload the first uplink data, reducing communication delay, improving communication efficiency, and achieving uplink coverage enhancement.

[0165] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0166] Based on the same technical concept, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the communication method provided in the above embodiments. Referring to FIG8 , the communication device 800 includes a communication unit 801 and a processing unit 802 . The communication unit 801 is configured to receive and send data, and the processing unit 802 is configured to implement the steps of the communication method shown in FIG3a .

[0167] In one possible implementation, the communication device 800 is the network device in the embodiment shown in FIG3a . The processing unit 802 is configured to execute the following steps via the communication unit 801: sending first information to a terminal device, where the first information indicates a first repetition count N of first downlink data; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and sending N first downlink data to the terminal device at N first resource locations, where the N first resource locations correspond one-to-one to the N first downlink data.

[0168] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is further used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: sending a first DCI to the terminal device, where the first DCI is used to indicate N first resource locations.

[0169] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is also used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: sending a second DCI to the terminal device, where the second DCI is used to indicate N second resource locations; and sending N first downlink data to the terminal device at the N second resource locations respectively.

[0170] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is further used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: sending N third DCIs to the terminal device; the N third DCIs correspond one-to-one to the N first resource locations, and any third DCI is used to indicate the corresponding first resource location.

[0171] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is specifically used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: sending N third DCIs at N third resource positions respectively; wherein the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are cross-arranged in the time domain, or the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are cross-arranged in the frequency domain.

[0172] In one possible design, the first information includes a first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes an index of the first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition indication, and the first repetition indication is used to indicate that the first number of repetitions is a preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition deviation, and the first repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the first number of repetitions relative to the preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first reference value; the first reference value is used by the terminal device to determine the first number of repetitions according to a set algorithm.

[0173] In one possible design, the first information is carried in the fourth DCI.

[0174] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is specifically used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: sending N first messages to the terminal device at N first resource locations respectively; each first message contains a first downlink data; the first information is used to indicate the first repetition number N of the first message.

[0175] In one possible design, the first message is msg2 or msg4; the fourth DCI is the DCI used to schedule msg2.

[0176] In one possible design, when the first message is msg2, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: the fourth DCI includes a first field, the first field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2; the fourth DCI includes a second field, the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation; the second repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg2 is a first preset number of repetitions; the second repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the number of repetitions of msg2 relative to the first preset number of repetitions; or,

[0177] When the first message is msg4, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: the fourth DCI includes a third field, and the third field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg4 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg4; the fourth DCI includes a fourth field, and the fourth field is used to indicate a third repetition indication or a third repetition deviation; the third repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the second preset number of repetitions; the third repetition deviation is used to indicate the offset value of the number of repetitions of msg4 relative to the second preset number of repetitions; the fourth DCI includes a fifth field and a sixth field, the fifth field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2, and the sixth field is used to indicate the fourth repetition indication; the fourth repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the number of repetitions indicated by the fifth field.

[0178] In one possible design, the first downlink data is carried in msg2; the first information includes the number of repetitions corresponding to multiple synchronization signal blocks, the first repetition number is the number of repetitions corresponding to the first synchronization signal block in the multiple synchronization signal blocks, and the first synchronization signal block is any one of the multiple synchronization signal blocks; any synchronization signal block contains configuration information for determining RO; the processing unit 802 is also used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: receive msg1 sent by the terminal device through the first RO; determine the first synchronization signal block based on the first RO.

[0179] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is further used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: receiving a repeat request from the terminal device; the repeat request is used to request repeated transmission of the first downlink data.

[0180] In one possible design, the first information is also used to indicate a second repetition number X of the first uplink data, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the processing unit 802 is further used to: receive X first uplink data from the terminal device at X fourth resource positions, respectively, where the X fourth resource positions correspond one-to-one to the X first uplink data.

[0181] In another possible implementation, the communication device 800 is the terminal device in the embodiment shown in FIG3a . The processing unit 802 is configured to execute the following steps via the communication unit 801: receiving first information from a network device, the first information indicating a first repetition count N of first downlink data; N being an integer greater than or equal to 2; and receiving N first downlink data from the network device at N first resource locations, respectively, where the N first resource locations correspond one-to-one to the N first downlink data.

[0182] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is further used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: receive a first DCI from a network device, where the first DCI is used to indicate N first resource locations.

[0183] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is also used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: receiving a second DCI from the network device, the second DCI being used to indicate N second resource locations; and receiving N first downlink data from the network device at the N second resource locations respectively.

[0184] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is further used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: receiving N third DCIs from the network device; the N third DCIs correspond one-to-one to the N first resource locations, and any third DCI is used to indicate the corresponding first resource location.

[0185] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is specifically used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: receiving N third DCIs from the network device at N third resource positions respectively; wherein the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are cross-arranged in the time domain, or the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are cross-arranged in the frequency domain.

[0186] In one possible design, the first information includes a first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes an index of the first number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition indication, and the first repetition indication is used to indicate that the first number of repetitions is a preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first repetition deviation, and the first repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the first number of repetitions relative to the preset number of repetitions; or, the first information includes a first reference value; the first reference value is used to determine the first number of repetitions according to a set algorithm.

[0187] In one possible design, the first information is carried in the fourth DCI.

[0188] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is specifically used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: receiving N first messages from the network device at N first resource locations respectively; each first message contains a first downlink data; the first information is used to indicate the first repetition number N of the first message.

[0189] In one possible design, the first message is msg2 or msg4; the fourth DCI is the DCI used to schedule msg2.

[0190] In one possible design, when the first message is msg2, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: the fourth DCI includes a first field, the first field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2; the fourth DCI includes a second field, the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation; the second repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg2 is a first preset number of repetitions; the second repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the number of repetitions of msg2 relative to the first preset number of repetitions; or,

[0191] When the first message is msg4, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: the fourth DCI includes a third field, and the third field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg4 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg4; the fourth DCI includes a fourth field, and the fourth field is used to indicate a third repetition indication or a third repetition deviation; the third repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the second preset number of repetitions; the third repetition deviation is used to indicate the offset value of the number of repetitions of msg4 relative to the second preset number of repetitions; the fourth DCI includes a fifth field and a sixth field, the fifth field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2, and the sixth field is used to indicate the fourth repetition indication; the fourth repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the number of repetitions indicated by the fifth field.

[0192] In one possible design, the first downlink data is carried in msg2; the first information includes the number of repetitions corresponding to multiple synchronization signal blocks, the first repetition number is the number of repetitions corresponding to the first synchronization signal block in the multiple synchronization signal blocks, and the first synchronization signal block is any one of the multiple synchronization signal blocks; any synchronization signal block contains configuration information for determining RO; the processing unit 802 is also used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: sending msg1 to the network device through the first RO; determining the first repetition number N based on the first RO.

[0193] In one possible design, the processing unit 802 is further used to perform the following steps through the communication unit 801: sending a repeat request to the network device; the repeat request is used to request repeated transmission of the first downlink data.

[0194] In one possible design, the first information is further used to indicate a second repetition number X of the first uplink data, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the processing unit 802 is further used to: send X first uplink data to the network device at X fourth resource locations, respectively, where the X fourth resource locations correspond one-to-one to the X first uplink data.

[0195] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device. The communication device 900 can implement the communication methods provided in the above embodiments and has the functionality of the communication apparatus 800 provided in the above embodiments. Referring to FIG9 , the communication device 900 includes a memory 902 and a processor 901. Optionally, the communication device 900 also includes a communication interface 903. The communication interface 903, the processor 901, and the memory 902 are interconnected.

[0196] Optionally, the communication interface 903, the processor 901, and the memory 902 are interconnected via a bus 904. The bus 904 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, FIG9 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0197] The communication interface 903 is used to receive and send signals to implement communication with other devices other than the communication device.

[0198] The functions of the processor 901 can be described in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here. The processor 901 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP, etc. The processor 901 can further include a hardware chip. The above-mentioned hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. When implementing the above-mentioned functions, the processor 901 can be implemented through hardware, or of course, the corresponding software implementation can be executed by hardware.

[0199] The memory 902 is used to store program instructions, etc. Specifically, the program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. The memory 902 may include random access memory (RAM), and may also include non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk storage. The processor 901 executes the program instructions stored in the memory 902 to implement the above functions, thereby implementing the method provided in the above embodiment. Exemplarily, the memory 902 may include the network device or terminal device shown in the embodiment of the present application.

[0200] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided in the above embodiment.

[0201] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the above embodiment.

[0202] The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0203] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which is used to read a computer program stored in a memory to implement the method provided in the above embodiment.

[0204] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0205] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0206] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0207] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0208] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate a first repetition number N of the first downlink data; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The network device sends N first downlink data to the terminal device at N first resource locations respectively, wherein the N first resource locations correspond one-to-one to the N first downlink data.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The network device sends first downlink control information DCI to the terminal device, where the first DCI is used to indicate the N first resource locations.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: The network device sends a second DCI to the terminal device, where the second DCI is used to indicate N second resource locations; The network device sends the N first downlink data to the terminal device at the N second resource locations respectively.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The network device sends N third DCIs to the terminal device; the N third DCIs correspond one-to-one to the N first resource locations, and any third DCI is used to indicate the corresponding first resource location.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The network device sends N third DCIs to the terminal device, including: The network device sends the N third DCIs at N third resource locations respectively; The N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are arranged crosswise in the time domain, or the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are arranged crosswise in the frequency domain.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first information includes the first repetition number; or The first information includes an index of the first repetition number; or The first information includes a first repetition indication, where the first repetition indication is used to indicate that the first repetition number is a preset repetition number; or The first information includes a first repetition deviation, where the first repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the first repetition number relative to the preset repetition number; or The first information includes a first reference value; the first reference value is used by the terminal device to determine the first number of repetitions according to a set algorithm.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first information is carried in the fourth DCI.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The network device sends N first downlink data to the terminal device at N first resource locations respectively, including: The network device sends N first messages to the terminal device at N first resource locations respectively; each first message includes one first downlink data; The first information is used to indicate a first repetition number N of the first message.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first message is message 2msg2 or message 4msg4; the fourth DCI is the DCI used to schedule msg2.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that When the first message is msg2, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: The fourth DCI includes a first field, where the first field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2; The fourth DCI includes a second field, where the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation; the second repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg2 is a first preset number of repetitions; the second repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the number of repetitions of msg2 relative to the first preset number of repetitions; or When the first message is msg4, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: The fourth DCI includes a third field, where the third field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg4 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg4; The fourth DCI includes a fourth field, the fourth field is used to indicate a third repetition indication or a third repetition deviation; the third repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the second preset number of repetitions; the third repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the number of repetitions of msg4 relative to the second preset number of repetitions; The fourth DCI includes the fifth field and the sixth field, the fifth field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2, and the sixth field is used to indicate a fourth repetition indication; the fourth repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the number of repetitions indicated by the fifth field.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or 7, characterized in that: The first downlink data is carried in msg2; the first information includes the number of repetitions corresponding to multiple synchronization signal blocks, the first repetition number is the number of repetitions corresponding to the first synchronization signal block in the multiple synchronization signal blocks, and the first synchronization signal block is any one of the multiple synchronization signal blocks; Any synchronization signal block contains configuration information for determining a random access signal opportunity RO; the method further includes: The network device receives a message 1msg1 sent by the terminal device through the first RO; The network device determines the first synchronization signal block according to the first RO.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The network device receives a repeat request from the terminal device; the repeat request is used to request repeated transmission of the first downlink data.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The first information is also used to indicate a second repetition number X of the first uplink data, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the method further includes: The network device receives X first uplink data from the terminal device at X fourth resource positions respectively, wherein the X fourth resource positions correspond to the X first uplink data one by one.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The terminal device receives first information from the network device, where the first information is used to indicate a first repetition number N of the first downlink data; where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The terminal device receives N first downlink data from the network device at N first resource locations respectively, wherein the N first resource locations correspond one-to-one to the N first downlink data.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal device receives first downlink control information DCI from the network device, where the first DCI is used to indicate the N first resource locations.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal device receives a second DCI from the network device, where the second DCI is used to indicate N second resource locations; The terminal device receives the N first downlink data from the network device at the N second resource locations respectively.

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal device receives N third DCIs from the network device; the N third DCIs correspond one-to-one to the N first resource locations, and any third DCI is used to indicate the corresponding first resource location.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The terminal device receives N third DCIs from the network device, including: The terminal device receives the N third DCIs from the network device at N third resource locations respectively; The N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are arranged crosswise in the time domain, or the N third resource positions and the N first resource positions are arranged crosswise in the frequency domain.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that: The first information includes the first repetition number; or The first information includes an index of the first repetition number; or The first information includes a first repetition indication, where the first repetition indication is used to indicate that the first repetition number is a preset repetition number; or The first information includes a first repetition deviation, where the first repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the first repetition number relative to the preset repetition number; or The first information includes a first reference value; the first reference value is used by the terminal device to determine the first number of repetitions according to a set algorithm.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that: The first information is carried in the fourth DCI.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: The terminal device receives N first downlink data from the network device at N first resource locations respectively, including: The terminal device receives N first messages from the network device at N first resource locations respectively; each first message includes one first downlink data; The first information is used to indicate a first repetition number N of the first message.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The first message is message 2msg2 or message 4msg4; the fourth DCI is the DCI used to schedule msg2.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein: When the first message is msg2, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: The fourth DCI includes a first field, where the first field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2; The fourth DCI includes a second field, where the second field is used to indicate a second repetition indication or a second repetition deviation; the second repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg2 is a first preset number of repetitions; the second repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the number of repetitions of msg2 relative to the first preset number of repetitions; or When the first message is msg4, the configuration of the fourth DCI includes any one of the following: The fourth DCI includes a third field, where the third field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg4 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg4; The fourth DCI includes a fourth field, the fourth field is used to indicate a third repetition indication or a third repetition deviation; the third repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the second preset number of repetitions; the third repetition deviation is used to indicate an offset value of the number of repetitions of msg4 relative to the second preset number of repetitions; The fourth DCI includes the fifth field and the sixth field, the fifth field is used to indicate the number of repetitions of msg2 and the index of the number of repetitions of msg2, and the sixth field is used to indicate a fourth repetition indication; the fourth repetition indication is used to indicate that the number of repetitions of msg4 is the number of repetitions indicated by the fifth field.

24. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18 or 20, characterized in that: The first downlink data is carried in msg2; the first information includes the number of repetitions corresponding to multiple synchronization signal blocks, the first repetition number is the number of repetitions corresponding to the first synchronization signal block in the multiple synchronization signal blocks, and the first synchronization signal block is any one of the multiple synchronization signal blocks; Any synchronization signal block contains configuration information for determining a random access signal opportunity RO; the method further includes: The terminal device sends a message 1msg1 to the network device through the first RO; The terminal device determines the first repetition number N according to the first RO.

25. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 24, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The terminal device sends a repeat request to the network device; the repeat request is used to request repeated transmission of the first downlink data.

26. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 25, characterized in that: The first information is also used to indicate a second repetition number X of the first uplink data, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the method further includes: The terminal device sends X first uplink data to the network device at X fourth resource locations respectively, wherein the X fourth resource locations correspond one-to-one to the X first uplink data.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a communication unit and a processing unit; The communication unit is used to receive and send data; The processing unit is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor and memory; The at least one processor is coupled to the memory, and the at least one processor is configured to read the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are called by a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

30. A chip system, characterized in that: Including communication interface and processor: The communication interface is used to input and / or output signaling or data; The processor is used to execute a computer executable program so that a device equipped with the chip system executes a method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

31. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, the computer is enabled to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

32. A communication system, characterized in that: It comprises a network device and a terminal device, wherein the network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, and the terminal device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 14 to 26.

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