Satellite communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A satellite communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus selecting, from a first set, a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration; the first communication apparatus sending an index of the PRACH configuration, each candidate PRACH configuration corresponding to one index; a second communication apparatus receiving the index of the PRACH configuration, determining the PRACH configuration on the basis of the index of the PRACH configuration and the first set, and performing random access on the basis of the PRACH configuration. Configuration of a PRACH parameter for FR2-FDD is realized by means of the index of the PRACH configuration and the first set.

Description

Satellite communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 26, 2023, with application number 202311812655.4 and application name “A Satellite Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a satellite communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0003] Currently, in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) protocol TS 38.211, for frequency range 1 (FR1), the duplex modes used are time division duplexing (TDD) and frequency division duplexing (FDD), and for frequency range 2 (FR2), the duplex mode used is TDD.

[0004] How to implement parameter-related configuration in FR2-FDD mode is an issue that needs to be considered. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a satellite communication method and apparatus, which are intended to configure PRACH parameters in FR2-FDD mode.

[0006] In a first aspect, a satellite communication method is provided, the method comprising: selecting a PRACH configuration from a first set and transmitting an index of the PRACH configuration, wherein the first set includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0007] Each candidate PRACH configuration corresponds to an index;

[0008] The method can be applied to a first communication device. The first communication device can be a network device (e.g., a base station) or a module in a network device (e.g., a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor), or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device's functions.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols to 0, the number of configurable random access opportunities (PRACH occasions, RO) in the time slot is increased, the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode is expanded, and more diverse RO patterns are provided.

[0010] In the FR2-TDD mode of the prior art, due to limitations such as uplink and downlink scheduling switching and synchronization signal block (SSB) symbol collision, the configurable time slots of the PRACH of FR2-TDD are relatively sparse, and the start symbol of some configurations cannot be 0, thereby reducing the number of configurable ROs in the time slot. The present application does not have the above limitations in the FR2-FDD mode. By setting the start symbol to 0, the number of ROs is increased, providing a more diverse RO pattern.

[0011] Among them, each candidate PRACH configuration corresponds to an index, that is, each row in the above table corresponds to an index, and the index can be any value. For example, the index value of the first row in the above table can be 15, 25, or 49. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0013] Based on the above scheme, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. For example, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH is expanded by inserting them at equal intervals, so that the number of configurable ROs in the time slot is increased, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns.

[0014] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0016] Based on the above scheme, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. For example, by changing the number of PRACH time slots in a 60kHz time slot, the number of configurable ROs in the time slot is increased, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns.

[0017] It should be understood that the number of PRACH time slots corresponding to the 60kHz time slot should be 1 or 2. By changing this parameter while other parameters remain the same, two sets of PRACH configurations can be obtained. That is, the number of ROs can be increased by changing the number of PRACH time slots in a 60kHz time slot, providing more flexible and diverse PRACH configurations.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0019] Based on the above solution, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. Considering that the PRACH configuration period in the satellite scenario, that is, x in the table, can be set longer, the period x in the candidate PRACH configuration can be set to 160ms, 80ms, and 40ms. On this basis, the number of PRACH configurable time slots can be expanded by inserting them at equal intervals, thereby increasing the number of ROs that can be configured in a time slot, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns. This makes the PRACH configuration in FR2-FDD mode more adaptable to satellite deployment environments.

[0020] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0021] The configuration period may also be set to other values, such as 60ms, etc. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0022] Optionally, in the candidate PRACH configuration, the parameter y may be set to 0, ie starting from the 0th frame in the configuration period of the radio frame setting.

[0023] In TDD mode, due to the interference between signals, the parameter y, i.e., the offset, is generally not 0, that is, the radio frame setting starts at a non-0th frame in the configuration period. In FR2-FDD mode, there is no such restriction, so y can be set to 0, that is, the radio frame setting starts at the 0th frame in the configuration period to increase the number of ROs.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0025] Based on the above solution, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. Considering that in satellite communication scenarios, there may be some remote areas with a small number of users and therefore a small number of access UEs, and there is no need to configure too many ROs, the PRACH configuration period can be set longer, that is, x in the table is set to 160ms, 80ms, and 40ms. On this basis, the number of configured time slots can be reduced, that is, the number of time slots is configured to be equally spaced, so that the number of time slots in the configuration is more sparse. This makes the FR2-FDD mode PRACH configuration suitable for communications in remote areas covered by satellite, avoiding the waste of unnecessary RO resources.

[0026] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0027] Optionally, in the candidate PRACH configuration, the parameter y may be set to 0, ie starting from the 0th frame in the configuration period of the radio frame setting.

[0028] In TDD mode, due to the interference between signals, the parameter y, i.e., the offset, is generally not 0, that is, the radio frame setting starts at a non-0th frame in the configuration period. In FR2-FDD mode, there is no such restriction, so y can be set to 0, that is, the radio frame setting starts at the 0th frame in the configuration period to increase the number of ROs.

[0029] In a second aspect, a satellite communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving an index of a PRACH configuration, determining the PRACH configuration based on the index of the PRACH configuration and a first set, and performing random access based on the PRACH configuration; wherein the first set includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0030] Each candidate PRACH configuration corresponds to an index;

[0031] The method can be applied to a second communication device, which can be a terminal device or a module in the terminal device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor), or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device functions.

[0032] Based on the above scheme, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols of OFDM to 0, the number of configurable random access opportunities (PRACH occasions, RO) in the time slot is increased, the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode is expanded, and more diverse RO patterns are provided.

[0033] In the FR2-TDD mode of the prior art, due to limitations such as uplink and downlink scheduling switching and collision of synchronization signal block (SSB) symbols, the configurable time slots of the PRACH of FR2-TDD are relatively sparse, and the start symbols of some configurations cannot be 0, thereby reducing the number of configurable ROs in the time slot. In the FR2-FDD mode of the present application, there is no such limitation, and the number of ROs is increased by setting the start symbol to 0.

[0034] Among them, each candidate PRACH configuration corresponds to an index, that is, each row in the above table corresponds to an index, and the index can be any value. For example, the index value of the first row of the above Table 1 can be 15, 25, or 49. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0036] Based on the above scheme, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. For example, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH is expanded by inserting them at equal intervals, so that the number of configurable ROs in the time slot is increased, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns.

[0037] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0039] Based on the above scheme, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. For example, by changing the number of PRACH time slots in a 60kHz time slot, the number of configurable ROs in the time slot is increased, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns.

[0040] It should be understood that the number of PRACH time slots corresponding to the 60kHz time slot should be 1 or 2. By changing this parameter while other parameters remain the same, two sets of PRACH configurations can be obtained. That is, the number of ROs can be increased by changing the number of PRACH time slots in a 60kHz time slot, providing more flexible and diverse PRACH configurations.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0042] Based on the above solution, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. Considering that the PRACH configuration period in the satellite scenario, that is, x in the table, can be set longer, the period x in the candidate PRACH configuration can be set to 160ms, 80ms, and 40ms. On this basis, the number of PRACH configurable time slots can be expanded by inserting them at equal intervals, thereby increasing the number of ROs that can be configured in a time slot, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns. This makes the PRACH configuration in FR2-FDD mode more adaptable to satellite deployment environments.

[0043] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0044] The configuration period may also be set to other values, such as 60ms, etc. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0045] Optionally, in the candidate PRACH configuration, the parameter y may be set to 0, ie starting from the 0th frame in the configuration period of the radio frame setting.

[0046] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

[0047] Based on the above solution, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. Considering that in satellite communication scenarios, there may be some remote areas with a small number of users and therefore a small number of access UEs, and there is no need to configure too many ROs, the PRACH configuration period can be set longer, that is, x in the table is set to 160ms, 80ms, and 40ms. On this basis, the number of configured time slots can be reduced, that is, the number of time slots is configured to be equally spaced, so that the number of time slots in the configuration is more sparse. This makes the FR2-FDD mode PRACH configuration suitable for communications in remote areas covered by satellite, avoiding the waste of unnecessary RO resources.

[0048] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0049] Optionally, in the candidate PRACH configuration, the parameter y may be set to 0, ie starting from the 0th frame in the configuration period of the radio frame setting.

[0050] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver, wherein the memory is used to store computer programs; and at least one processor, which is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory and control the transceiver to send and receive signals, so that the communication device can execute the method provided in any one of the implementation methods of the first to second aspects above during operation.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the structure of the communication device (e.g., the first communication device, or the second communication device) may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit, and the processing unit is configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions in the above method. The transceiver unit is used to support the communication between the communication device (e.g., the first communication device, or the second communication device) and other communication devices, so that the communication device (e.g., the first communication device, or the second communication device) can perform the method provided by any one of the implementations of the first to second aspects at runtime. The communication device (e.g., the first communication device, or the second communication device) may further include a storage unit, which is used to couple with the processing unit and the transceiver unit, and which stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device, so that the communication device (e.g., the first communication device, or the second communication device) can perform the method provided by any one of the implementations of the first to second aspects at runtime. In another possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. The processing unit can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit; the transceiver unit can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip or chip system, so that the communication device can execute the method provided by any one of the implementation methods of the first to second aspects mentioned above during operation.

[0052] In a fourth aspect, a processor is provided, comprising a processor configured to read and execute a computer program stored in a memory to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0053] For example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system.

[0054] Optionally, the chip further comprises a memory, and the memory is connected to the processor via a circuit or wire. The memory may store computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the methods described in the first to second aspects above.

[0055] Further optionally, the chip also includes a communication interface.

[0056] For the operations such as transmission, sending and receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or unless they conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be more generally understood as processor output, reception, input and other operations, rather than the transmission, sending and receiving operations directly performed by the RF circuit and antenna.

[0057] In a fifth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the communication device described in the first aspect and / or the communication device described in the second aspect.

[0058] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, wherein the program code includes a method for executing any one of the implementation methods of the first to second aspects above.

[0059] In the seventh aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes a processor and an interface, wherein the interface is used to obtain a program or instruction, and the processor is used to call the program or instruction to implement or support the method provided in any one of the implementation methods of the first to second aspects above.

[0060] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data. The chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0061] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program code, which, when running on the computer, executes the method in any possible implementation of the first to second aspects above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] FIG1 is a schematic architecture diagram of a communication system 100 of the present application.

[0063] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an example applicable to the present application.

[0064] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another example applicable to the present application.

[0065] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another example applicable to the present application.

[0066] FIG5 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] To better understand the technical solution of the present application, the following description is made from the following aspects: a communication system, a communication method, and a communication device.

[0070] 1. Communication System

[0071] Satellite communication is communication between radio communication stations on Earth (including the ground and the lower atmosphere) using satellites as relays. As shown in Figure 1, terminal 101 connects to base station 103 via air interface 102. Base station 103 is deployed on a satellite and connected to the core network via a wireless link, ultimately accessing data network 110. Wireless links also exist between satellites, enabling signaling and data transmission between base stations. The various network elements and their interfaces are described below:

[0072] Terminal: This includes mobile devices that support the new air interface, such as handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, smart phones, SIP phones, wireless data cards, personal digital assistants (PDAs), computers, tablet computers, laptops, wireless modems, handheld devices (handsets), laptop computers, computers with wireless transceiver functions, smart books, vehicles, and other mobile devices, or devices built into the above devices (for example, communication modules, modems, or chips in the above devices), or other processing devices connected to wireless modems. It can access the satellite network through the air interface and initiate calls, access the Internet, and other services. For ease of description, the following description will use the terminal or user equipment (UE) as an example.

[0073] Base station 103: As shown in FIG1 , base station 103 is deployed on a satellite and mainly provides wireless access services, dispatches wireless resources to access terminals, and provides reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols.

[0074] Core Network: Its primary functions are to provide user connectivity, user management, and service bearer. As a bearer network, it provides an interface to external networks. Services include 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 data plane functional entities. Key functional units include the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 108, the Session Management Function (SMF) 109, and the User Plane Function (UPF) 107, each with distinct responsibilities. For example, the AMF is primarily responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management, specifically by facilitating the transmission of SM messages between the UE and the SMF and providing UE mobility event notifications. The SMF is primarily responsible for interacting with the separate data plane, including creating, updating, and deleting PDU sessions and managing the session environment with the UPF. The UPF is primarily responsible for managing user plane data transmission, traffic statistics, and secure eavesdropping.

[0075] Ground station 206: generally refers to ground equipment installed on the surface of the earth (including those installed on ships and aircraft) for satellite communications, mainly responsible for forwarding signaling and business data between satellite base stations and the core network.

[0076] Air interface 102: The wireless link between the base station and the terminal, which defines the frequency, bandwidth, access timing, coding method, and handover of each wireless channel.

[0077] Xn interface 105: an interface between base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as handover.

[0078] NG interface 104: 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.

[0079] It should be noted that the communication architecture given above is only an example. The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application may also be used in other architectures, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0080] In order to facilitate a better understanding of the technical solution of this application, some related technologies involved in the technical solution of this application are introduced.

[0081] 1) Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH): This is the access channel used by the UE when it first initiates a call. After receiving a response message, the UE sends an RRC Connection Request message on the PRACH according to the instructions of the base station to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection.

[0082] 2) Frequency range 1 (FR1): Frequencies between 450 MHz and 6 GHz are collectively referred to as Sub-6 GHz. This band is further divided, with 3 GHz as the boundary: Bands below 3 GHz are called the low band, also known as Sub-3 GHz. This band is primarily used for spectrum sharing with LTE and addressing 5G coverage issues. Bands above 3 GHz are called the mid-band, also known as Sub-6 GHz. This spectrum, with 3.5 GHz as the core band, is the primary 5G frequency band.

[0083] 3) Frequency range 2 (FR2): Frequency range 2 (24 GHz to 52 GHz), also known as the high frequency band, is an extended frequency band for 5G. Lower frequencies have greater ability to penetrate obstacles and provide stronger network coverage, but also lower bandwidth. Higher frequencies have weaker ability to penetrate obstacles but provide greater bandwidth and higher data carrying capacity.

[0084] 4) Time division duplexing (TDD): Bidirectional communication is separated by time. Uplink and downlink use the same frequency band. The time occupied by uplink and downlink within a frequency band can be adjusted as needed. The time occupied by uplink and downlink is generally divided into several time periods at fixed intervals, called time slots.

[0085] 5) Frequency division duplexing (FDD): Two-way communication is differentiated by frequency, that is, uplink and downlink use different frequency bands. Generally, the bandwidth of uplink and downlink is the same.

[0086] 6) Physical random access channel (PRACH): PRACH is used to transmit random access preambles. Each PRACH occasion (RO) can only transmit one preamble, but multiple UEs can use the same RO to transmit different preambles. The preamble transmission of a cell is located on a set of PRACH time slots. A PRACH slot may contain multiple ROs in the time domain, each RO is used to transmit a preamble of a specific format. The time domain resources that the random access preamble can be transmitted are determined by the prach Configuration field. The UE uses the prach-ConfigurationIndex to search the corresponding configured table to obtain the preamble format (preamble format) and available PRACH time domain resources used by the corresponding cell. For example, the UE uses the prach-ConfigurationIndex to search the corresponding configured Table 1 (FR2 and using unpaired spectrum) to obtain the preamble format (preamble format) and available PRACH time domain resources used by the corresponding cell.

[0087] Table 1: Random access configurations for FR2 and unpaired spectrum.

[0088] The specific meanings of the parameters in Table 1 are as follows:

[0089] (1)PRACH Config.Index: The index value of the RO configuration, which is configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0090] (2) Preamble format: the preamble format used.

[0091] (3)n f mod x=y: the radio frame position where the RO is located, where x is the PRACH configuration period, y is the offset, and n f is the wireless frame number, for example, n f mod 1=0 means that a Preamble can be sent in every radio frame.

[0092] (4) Slot number: The timeslot number where the RO is located in the wireless frame allowed to be sent.

[0093] (5) Starting symbol: Also called the initial symbol, it is the starting symbol number of the first RO in the time domain within each subframe / 60kHz slot containing the RO.

[0094] (6) Number of PRACH slots within 60kHz slot: The number of PRACH slots contained in the 60kHz slot.

[0095] (7) The number of ROs contained in a PRACH time slot is also the number of time-domain transmission opportunities of the Preamble.

[0096] (8) The number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols occupied by one RO.

[0097] The UE searches Table 1 of the corresponding configuration through PRACH Config.Index to obtain the preamble format used by the corresponding cell and the available PRACH time domain resources.

[0098] For example, when the PRACH Config.Index indicated by the base station through the network side is 24, it is found in Table 1 that under this configuration, the UE can only fThe system frames with mod 1 = 0 (i.e., all system frames) have slot symbols {13, 14, 15, 29, 30, 31, 37, 38, 39}, which transmit the preamble of format A1. For FR2, the subcarrier spacing of 60kHz is used as the reference for slot numbering. A slot contains two consecutive PRACH slots, which corresponds to the value of Number of PRACH slots within a 60kHz slot being 2. A PRACH slot contains three ROs in the time domain, i.e. Each RO occupies 2 OFDM symbols, that is, PRACH transmission starts from the 7th OFDM symbol in each PRACH time slot.

[0099] For another example, referring to FIG2, as shown in FIG3, when the PRACH Config.Index indicated by the base station through the network side is 228, the UE can only f The time slot symbols of the system frame with mod 1 = 0 (i.e., all system frames) are {9, 19, 29, 39}, which transmits the preamble of format A1 / B1. Among them, for FR2, the subcarrier spacing of 60kHz is used as the reference to number the time slots. A time slot contains two consecutive PRACH time slots, that is, the corresponding value of Number of PRACH slots within a 60kHz slot is 2. A PRACH time slot contains two ROs in the time domain, that is, That is, as shown in Figure 2, when the time slot is 9, the supported PRACH time slots are 0 and 1. Each RO occupies 4 OFDM symbols, that is That is, the gray part of OFDM in Figure 2, and PRACH transmission starts from the 6th OFDM symbol in each PRACH time slot.

[0100] Before introducing the solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0101] (1) In the embodiments of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, and implicit indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0102] In this application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved with the help of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, stipulated by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the information to be indicated can be sent together as a whole, or it can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0103] (2) In this application, "sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also include indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also include indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal device, or can be carried out within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, a line or an interface.

[0104] (3) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0105] (4) In this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for convenience of description only and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They are not used to describe the order or precedence of features. It should be understood that the terms described in this manner may be interchangeable, where appropriate, to describe solutions other than the embodiments of this application.

[0106] (5) In this application, the system time domain range may be divided into multiple time units. By way of example and not limitation, in this application, the time unit may include a symbol, a slot, a mini-slot (or non-slot), a subframe, a transmission time interval, or a short transmission time interval, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0107] 2. Communication method

[0108] This application mainly addresses how to set PRACH related configurations in FR2-FDD mode.

[0109] 301, a first communication device selects a PRACH configuration from a first set,

[0110] Among them, the first communication device can be a network device (such as a base station) or a module in a network device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), or it can be a logical node, logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0111] 302. The first communication device sends a PRACH configuration index to the second communication device.

[0112] 303. The second communication device receives the index of the PRACH configuration, determines the PRACH configuration according to the index of the PRACH configuration and the first set, and performs random access according to the PRACH configuration.

[0113] Among them, the second communication device can be a terminal device or a module in the terminal device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), and can also be a logical node, logical module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions.

[0114] The candidate PRACH configurations in the first set are described in detail through the following embodiments.

[0115] It should be understood that each candidate PRACH configuration corresponds to an index, that is, each row in the above table corresponds to an index, and the index can be any value. For example, the index value of the first row of Table 1 above can be 15, 25, or 49. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0116] Through the embodiments of the present application, the PRACH configuration in the FR2-FDD mode is defined by setting the PRACH configuration parameters.

[0117] The various solutions of the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below.

[0118] It should be understood that the PRACH configuration parameters in FR2-FDD mode are consistent with the parameters in Table 1, that is, the PRACH index, random access preamble format, configuration period and offset, time slot number, start symbol, number of PRACH time slots in a 60kHz time slot, number of time domain PRACHs in a PRACH time slot, and PRACH period parameters.

[0119] In this embodiment of the present application, the first set includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations, as shown in Table 2:

[0120] Table 2

[0121] Based on the above scheme, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols to 0, the number of configurable random access opportunities (PRACH occasions, RO) in the time slot is increased, the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode is expanded, and more diverse RO patterns are provided.

[0122] In the FR2-TDD mode of the prior art, due to limitations such as uplink and downlink scheduling switching and collision of synchronization signal block (SSB) symbols, the configurable time slots of the PRACH of FR2-TDD are relatively sparse, and the start symbols of some configurations cannot be 0, thereby reducing the number of configurable ROs in the time slot. In the FR2-FDD mode of the present application, there is no such limitation, and the number of ROs is increased by setting the start symbol to 0.

[0123] Each candidate PRACH configuration corresponds to an index, that is, each row in the above table corresponds to an index, and the index can be any value. For example, the index value of the first row of the above Table 1 can be 15, 25, or 49. This application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0124] As another embodiment, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations, as shown in Table 3:

[0125] Table 3

[0126] In the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols to 0, the number of PRACH configurable time slots is expanded by inserting them at equal intervals, so that the number of configurable ROs in the time slot is increased, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns.

[0127] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0128] As another embodiment, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations, as shown in Table 4:

[0129] Table 4

[0130] Based on the above scheme, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all the starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. For example, by changing the number of PRACH time slots in a 60kHz time slot, the number of configurable ROs in the time slot is increased, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns.

[0131] It should be understood that the number of PRACH time slots corresponding to a 60kHz time slot should be 1 or 2. By changing this parameter while other parameters remain the same, two sets of PRACH configurations can be obtained. That is, the number of ROs can be increased by changing the number of PRACH time slots within a 60kHz time slot. This provides more flexible and diverse PRACH configurations. As another embodiment, the first set also includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations, as shown in Table 5:

[0132] Table 5

[0133] Based on the above solution, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. Considering that the PRACH configuration period in the satellite scenario, that is, x in the table, can be set longer, the period x in the candidate PRACH configuration can be set to 160ms, 80ms, and 40ms. On this basis, the number of PRACH configurable time slots can be expanded by inserting them at equal intervals, thereby increasing the number of ROs that can be configured in a time slot, further expanding the range of RO numbers in FR2-FDD mode and providing more diverse RO patterns. This makes the PRACH configuration in FR2-FDD mode more adaptable to satellite deployment environments.

[0134] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0135] The configuration period may also be set to other values, such as 60ms, etc. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0136] Optionally, in the candidate PRACH configuration, the parameter y may be set to 0, ie starting from the 0th frame in the configuration period of the radio frame setting.

[0137] As another embodiment, the first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations, as shown in Table 6:

[0138] Table 6

[0139] Based on the above solution, in the candidate PRACH configuration, by setting all starting symbols to 0, the number of ROs can be increased by changing other parameters. Considering that in satellite communication scenarios, there may be some remote areas with a small number of users and therefore a small number of access UEs, and there is no need to configure too many ROs, the PRACH configuration period can be set longer, that is, x in the table is set to 160ms, 80ms, and 40ms. On this basis, the number of configured time slots can be reduced, that is, the number of time slots is configured to be equally spaced, so that the number of time slots in the configuration is more sparse. This makes the FR2-FDD mode PRACH configuration suitable for communications in remote areas covered by satellite, avoiding the waste of unnecessary RO resources.

[0140] In addition to the above-mentioned equal-interval insertion method, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal-interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0141] Optionally, in the candidate PRACH configuration, the parameter y may be set to 0, ie starting from the 0th frame in the configuration period of the radio frame setting.

[0142] Optionally, the PRACH configurations in the FR2-FDD mode defined in Tables 2 to 6 above can be obtained by modifying them in the FR2-TDD mode.

[0143] Set the Starting symbol columns in Table 1 that are not 0 to 0.

[0144] Correspondingly, the number of time-domain PRACH occasions within a PRACH slot in Table 1, i.e., the number of time-domain ROs on the PRACH time slot, also changes accordingly.

[0145] Among them, for PRACH configurations where the Starting symbol column is not 0 and needs to be set to 0, there are three situations:

[0146] Case 1: After the Starting symbol column is set to 0 if it is not 0, the settings of other parameters are different from the existing PRACH configuration.

[0147] For example, when PRACH Config.Index is {12, 14, 20, 24…}, the Starting symbol column is set to 0, and other PRACH configurations are different from the existing PRACH configurations.

[0148] It should be understood that the PRACH configuration mentioned here refers to the remaining parameters in Table 1 except the Starting symbol parameter.

[0149] Case 2: After the Starting symbol column is set to 0, the settings of other parameters are the same as the existing PRACH configurations in Table 1.

[0150] For case 2, do not modify the Starting symbol column, that is, keep the original parameter configuration.

[0151] For example, as shown in Table 1, the configurations with PRACH Config.Index of {15, 19, 21, 25, 44, 48, 50, 52, 55, 74, 78, 81, 83, 85, 127, 139, 159, 162, 166, 169, 198} are the same as the original configurations {17, 18, 23, 26, 46, 49, 51, 53, 56, 76, 79, 80, 82, 86, 128, 138, 161, 164, 167, 170, 199} after the start symbol is changed to 0, so these configurations remain unchanged.

[0152] Case 3: For two PRACH configurations, both Starting symbols are not 0 and other configurations are the same.

[0153] For case 3, the configuration with a larger number of time-domain ROs on the PRACH time slot is retained, and only the Starting symbol and the corresponding number of time-domain ROs on the PRACH time slot of the configuration with a smaller number of time-domain ROs on the PRACH time slot are modified.

[0154] For example, for the configuration with PRACH Config.Index of {98, 102, 105, 107, 188, 213, 216, 231, 234}, the number of time-domain ROs in the PRACH timeslot is less than that of the configuration with PRACH Config.Index of {100, 103, 106, 109, 190, 215, 217, 233, 235}. Therefore, these Starting symbols are modified to 0 to increase the number of ROs.

[0155] Table 7 below lists the configurations that have been modified in the Starting symbol column:

[0156] Table 7

[0157] Optionally, in the PRACH configuration of Table 7 above, for PRACH Config.Index is {72, 120, 124, 126, 132, 134, 136, 137, 140, 143, 181, 185, 191, 220, 226, 229, 230, 232, 236, 236, 255}, after the configuration of these indexes is modified to 0, the number of time domain ROs in the PRACH time slot does not increase, and these configurations can remain unchanged.

[0158] For example, Figure 4 (a) shows the configured time domain resources when the PRACH Config.Index is 72 and the Starting symbol is unchanged. As can be seen from the figure, the number of time domain ROs in the PRACH time slot is 2, namely the dark gray and light gray parts in the OFDM symbol in Figure 4 (a). Figure 4 (b) shows the configured time domain resources when the PRACH Config.Index is 72 and the Starting symbol is changed to 0. As can be seen from the figure, the number of time domain ROs in the PRACH time slot is still 2, namely the dark gray and light gray parts in the OFDM symbol in Figure 4 (b).

[0159] Similarly, after the starting symbol of the index configuration is modified to 0, the number of time-domain ROs in the PRACH time slot does not increase, and these configurations can remain unchanged.

[0160] As another embodiment, for case 2 in the above embodiment, a modification method is proposed for those configuration indexes {15, 19, 21, 25, 44, 48, 50, 52, 55, 74, 78, 81, 83, 85, 127, 139, 159, 162, 166, 169, 198} and {100, 103, 106, 109, 190, 215, 217, 233, 235} that remain unchanged due to conflicts.

[0161] For the configurations in Case 2 and Case 3 of the previous embodiment where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, the slot number is increased to increase the number of ROs to be more dense.

[0162] Specifically, as shown in Table 8, for situation 2 of the previous embodiment and the situation where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, after the Starting symbol is changed to 0, one way to increase the number of time slots is to increase the number of PRACH configurable time slots by inserting at equal intervals based on the original slot number.

[0163] For example, when PRACH Config.Index is 15, {14, 24, 34} are inserted at equal intervals into the original slot number {9, 19, 29, 39}. That is, the slot number when PRACH Config.Index is 15 is modified to {9, 14, 19, 24, 29, 34, 39}.

[0164] It should be understood that the slot number can also be increased by other methods, such as non-equal interval insertion, multiple insertion, etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0165] Table 8

[0166] In this embodiment, after changing the Starting symbol to 0 in Case 2 of the previous embodiment, the number of configurable time slots of PRACH is increased by inserting at equal intervals based on the original slot number, thereby increasing the number of ROs.

[0167] As another embodiment, for the configuration in Case 2 and Case 3 in the above embodiments where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, another modification method is proposed.

[0168] For configurations in Cases 2 and 3 where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, modify the Number of PRACH slots within a 60kHz slot to ensure that it is different from other modified configurations.

[0169] Specifically, as shown in Table 9, in order to provide more flexible and diverse PRACH configurations, the value of the Number of PRACH slots within a 60kHz slot column of these configurations is modified. If it is originally 1, it is changed to 2, and if it is originally 2, it is changed to 1 to ensure that it is different from other modified configurations.

[0170] For example, when PRACH Config.Index is 15, after changing the Starting symbol to 0, the remaining parameter configurations are the same as when PRACH Config.Index is 17. Change the Number of PRACH slots within a 60kHz slot in the configuration of PRACH Config.Index 15 to 0 to ensure that it is different from other modified configurations.

[0171] Table 9

[0172] In this embodiment, for configurations whose Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified in Case 2 and Case 3, the Starting symbol is changed to 0, and the value of the Number of PRACH slots within a 60kHz slot column of these configurations is modified to ensure that they are different from other modified configurations, thereby increasing the number of ROs.

[0173] As another embodiment, for the configuration in Case 2 and Case 3 where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, another modification method is proposed.

[0174] For configurations in cases 2 and 3 where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, delete the configuration and add a new configuration under the corresponding preamble format.

[0175] Specifically, considering that the PRACH configuration period does not need to set too many 10ms periods in the satellite communication scenario, the PRACH Config.Index row corresponding to the 10ms period is deleted, and the newly added configuration period can be longer, that is, x in the table is set to 160ms / 80ms / 40ms, and the number of configurable time slots is more.

[0176] The specific implementation is to add a PRACH configuration with x equal to 16 / 8 / 4 in the corresponding format and to configure the number of time slots to insert more configurable RO time slot indices at equal intervals in the existing configuration. Detailed information is shown in Table 10.

[0177] For example, if the x values ​​of PRACH Config.Index are {15, 19, 21, 25}, all of them are 1, then the row corresponding to the index is deleted and the deleted row is replaced with In this form, add the PRACH configuration with x being 16 / 8 / 4 and the configuration of the number of time slots in the corresponding format. At the same time, increase the slot number to increase the number of ROs more densely. The increase of the slot number is similar to Table 8 and will not be repeated here.

[0178] Table 10

[0179] Optionally, since the y offset in the PRACH configuration is not set to 0 in order to reduce interference in the FR2-TDD mode, and there is no such interference for FDD, these added configurations can be set in the 0th frame in the cycle, ie, y=0.

[0180] In this embodiment, for configurations in Case 2 and Case 3 where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, the configuration is deleted, a new configuration is added under the corresponding preamble format, and the slot number is increased to increase the number of ROs to be denser.

[0181] As another embodiment, for the configuration in Case 2 and Case 3 where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, another modification method is proposed.

[0182] For configurations in cases 2 and 3 where the Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified, delete the configuration and add a new configuration under the corresponding preamble format.

[0183] Specifically, considering that in satellite communication scenarios there may be some remote areas with a small number of users and therefore a small number of access UEs, there is no need to configure too many ROs. Therefore, the newly added configuration period is longer, that is, x in the table is set to 160ms / 80ms / 40ms and the number of configurable time slots is reduced.

[0184] The specific implementation is to add a PRACH configuration with x equal to 16 / 8 / 4 in the corresponding format and configure the number of time slots to be an interval value in the existing configuration so that the slot number in the configuration is more sparse. See Table 11 for details.

[0185] For example, if x is 1 for all PRACH Config.Index {15, 19, 21, 25}, the row corresponding to the index is deleted, and PRACH configurations with x of 16 / 8 / 4 and the number of timeslots are added in the corresponding format. At the same time, the interval value is taken to make the slot number in the obtained configuration more sparse. For example, after the configuration with PRACH Config.Index of 15 is deleted, the configuration with x of 16 is added, and the slot number is set to {4, 14, 24, 34}.

[0186] Table 11

[0187] Optionally, since the y offset in the PRACH configuration is not set to 0 in order to reduce interference in the FR2-TDD mode, and there is no such interference for FDD, these added configurations can be set in the 0th frame in the cycle, ie, y=0.

[0188] This embodiment deletes the configurations whose Starting symbol is not 0 but has not been modified in Case 2 and Case 3, adds new configurations under the corresponding preamble format, and takes interval values ​​to make the slot number under the obtained configuration more sparse, thereby avoiding the waste of unnecessary RO resources in this scenario.

[0189] 3. Communication Device

[0190] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 500 includes a transceiver unit 510 and a processing unit 520. The transceiver unit 510 can communicate with the outside world, and the processing unit 520 is used to process data. The transceiver unit 510 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0191] Optionally, the transceiver unit 510 may also be referred to as a communication interface or communication unit, and may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit. The transceiver unit 510 may be a transceiver (including a transmitter and / or a receiver), an input / output interface (including an input and / or output interface), a pin, or a circuit. The transceiver unit 510 may be configured to perform the transmitting and / or receiving steps in the above-described method embodiments.

[0192] Optionally, the processing unit 520 may be a processor (may include one or more), a processing circuit with processor functions, etc., and may be used to execute other steps except sending and receiving in the above method embodiment.

[0193] Optionally, the apparatus 500 further includes a storage unit, which may be a memory, an internal storage unit (e.g., a register, a cache, etc.), an external storage unit (e.g., a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.), etc. The storage unit is used to store instructions, and the processing unit 520 executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to enable the communication apparatus to perform the above method.

[0194] It should be understood that the apparatus 500 herein is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuits, and / or other suitable components that support the described functionality.

[0195] The apparatus 500 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device (such as the first communication device, and the second communication device) in the above-mentioned method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or the corresponding software can be implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the sending and receiving operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0196] In addition, the transceiver unit 510 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit 1020 may be a processing circuit.

[0197] It should be noted that the device in FIG5 may also be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface, and the processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. This is not limited here.

[0198] The device 500 can be used to execute the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiment. In this case, the device 500 can be a satellite or a component that can be configured on a satellite. The transceiver unit 510 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 520 is used to execute the processing-related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiment.

[0199] Alternatively, the device 500 can be used to execute the actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment. In this case, the device 500 can be a terminal device or a component that can be configured on the terminal device. The transceiver unit 510 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations on the terminal device side in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 520 is used to execute the processing-related operations on the terminal device side in the above method embodiment.

[0200] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 600 shown in Figure 6 includes a processor 610, a memory 620, and a transceiver 630. The processor 610 is coupled to the memory 620 and is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 620 to control the transceiver 630 to transmit and / or receive signals.

[0201] It should be understood that the processor 610 and memory 620 can be combined into a single processing device, with the processor 610 configured to execute program code stored in the memory 620 to implement the aforementioned functions. In a specific implementation, the memory 620 can also be integrated into the processor 610 or independent of the processor 610. It should be understood that the processor 610 can also correspond to the various processing units in the aforementioned communication device, and the transceiver 630 can correspond to the various receiving units and transmitting units in the aforementioned communication device.

[0202] It should also be understood that the transceiver 630 may include a receiver (or receiver) and a transmitter (or transmitter). The transceiver may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more. The transceiver may also be a communication interface or interface circuit.

[0203] It should be understood that when the communication device 600 is a chip, the chip includes an interface unit and a processing unit. The interface unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; and the processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip.

[0204] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0205] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0206] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0207] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0208] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0209] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0210] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0211] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0212] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0213] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0214] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are essentially or partly contributed to the prior art or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard drives, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0215] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A satellite communication method, characterized in that, Comprising: Selecting a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration from a first set; Transmitting an index of the PRACH configuration, wherein the first set comprises at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations: Each of the candidate PRACH configurations corresponds to an index; n f mod x = y is the radio frame position where the random access occasion RO is located, x is the configuration period, and y is the offset.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

6. A satellite communication method, characterized in that, Comprising: Receiving an index of a PRACH configuration; Determining a PRACH configuration according to the index of the PRACH configuration and the first set; Performing random access according to the PRACH configuration; Wherein the first set comprises at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations: Each of the candidate PRACH configurations corresponds to an index; n f mod x = y is the radio frame position where the random access occasion RO is located, x is the configuration period, and y is the offset.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that The first set further includes at least one of the following candidate PRACH configurations:

11. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: A processor coupled to a memory; The processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, so that the device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or so that the device executes the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

12. A communication system, characterized in that, Comprising the communication device according to claim 11.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Comprising: A computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer is made to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or the computer is made to execute the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

14. A chip system, characterized in that, Comprising: A processor is configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

15. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product comprises instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

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