Communication method and apparatus, readable storage medium, and computer program product

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, a readable storage medium, and a computer program product, relating to the field of communications, and used for more rationally configuring resources for random access. In the solution, a terminal apparatus receives first configuration information, the first configuration information comprising information used for indicating a first resource. The terminal apparatus sends a first signal on the first resource. A received power value corresponding to the first resource can be used for determining the number of terminal apparatuses having random access demands. For example, the number of terminal apparatuses having the random access demands may be used for configuring resources (e.g., may be used for determining the number of resources allocated for random access). In this way, the number of resources allocated can be more rational, thereby achieving the purpose of saving resources.

Description

Communication method, device, readable storage medium and computer program product

[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 January 25, 2024, with application number 202410114361.2 and invention name "A communication method, device, readable storage medium and computer program product", 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, device, readable storage medium, and computer program product. Background Art

[0004] Currently, the fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) technology is evolving from version R18 to R19. At the same time, NR technology has also entered the commercial deployment stage from the standardization stage. The NR standard protocol is a wireless communication technology designed for terrestrial cellular network scenarios, capable of providing users with wireless communication services with ultra-low latency, ultra-reliability, ultra-high speed, and excessive connectivity. Compared to terrestrial communications, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) communications have the advantages of large coverage areas and flexible networking, and can achieve seamless global network coverage. NTN communications involve the use of drones, high-altitude platforms, satellites and other equipment to form networks, providing data transmission, voice communication and other services to user equipment (UE).

[0005] With the development of NTN, the coverage range of the beam of NTN equipment can reach tens or even hundreds of kilometers. There are a large number of terminal devices with access needs within this coverage range, which requires a large amount of resources for random access. How to more reasonably configure random access resources has become an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, device, readable storage medium and computer program product for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements based on the receiving power value corresponding to the first resource, which can be used to more reasonably configure resources for random access.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be performed by a terminal device. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a network device (or NTN device), or a chip (or chip system) within the network device (or NTN device). For example, the terminal device can be a terminal device or a chip (or chip system) within the terminal device.

[0008] In this solution, a terminal device receives first configuration information, which includes information indicating a first resource. The terminal device transmits a first signal on the first resource. The first resource can be used by at least one terminal device to transmit signals. That is, the first NTN device can receive signals transmitted by one or more terminal devices on the first resource and then determine a receive power value corresponding to the first resource. The receive power value corresponding to the first resource can be used for various purposes, for example, to determine the number of terminal devices requesting random access.

[0009] The number of terminal devices with random access requirements has multiple uses. For example, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be used to configure resources (e.g., to determine the number of resources allocated for random access). This can make the number of allocated resources more reasonable, thereby achieving the goal of saving resources.

[0010] In another possible implementation, the coverage of the first NTN device is divided into multiple areas based on some parameters. The population of the two areas may be different, or it can be understood that the number of terminal devices with random access requirements is different. If the number of resources allocated to each area (such as resources for random access) is the same, it will result in too many resources corresponding to some areas, resulting in a waste of resources; and too few resources corresponding to some areas, resulting in a higher probability of conflict between terminal devices, making it more difficult for terminal devices to access the network. In a possible implementation provided by an embodiment of the present application, the first NTN device can estimate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in each area separately, and then allocate resources (such as resources for random access) to the area based on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area.

[0011] For example, the coverage area of ​​a first NTN device can be divided into areas based on synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs), such as one SSB of the first NTN device being associated with one area. For example, a first resource is associated with the first SSB, and the first resource is used to transmit signals to at least one terminal device within the area associated with the first SSB. This means that the first NTN device can receive signals transmitted by one or more terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB on the first resource, and then determine the receive power value corresponding to the first resource. In this case, the receive power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB. This solution can separately allocate resources for smaller granularity areas divided within the coverage area of ​​the first NTN device, thereby achieving the goal of saving resources.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first signal is a first preamble sequence, and the first configuration information further includes information for indicating the first preamble sequence. For example, the information for indicating the first preamble sequence includes at least one of the following: the type of the first preamble sequence, the length of the first preamble sequence, the root sequence of the first preamble sequence, the number of repetitions of the first preamble sequence, and the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence. It can be seen that the scheme can reuse the preamble sequence originally used for random access (it can also be understood that the preamble sequence was originally used for random access, but the preamble sequence is used as the first signal in this application). In this case, the information for indicating the first signal can be the same as the existing parameter item for indicating the preamble sequence, and the specific parameter value can be set separately. It can be seen that the scheme is relatively compatible with the existing technology.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is cyclic shift 0. This can also be understood as the preamble sequence transmitted by multiple terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB being identical. Because the signals transmitted by multiple terminal devices on the first resource do not require the first NTN device to identify the transmitter of each signal, the signals transmitted by the terminal devices do not need to distinguish the terminal devices. Therefore, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence transmitted by the terminal device can be cyclic shift 0. This solution can reduce the processing complexity of the transmitting end.

[0014] In another possible implementation, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a random cyclic shift. This can also be understood as the fact that the preamble sequences sent by multiple terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB may be different or the same, resulting in a relatively random situation. This solution can increase the randomness of the phase, thereby making the distribution of the received power values ​​of the first NTN device more concentrated, thereby more accurately determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements.

[0015] In one possible implementation, a terminal device receives second configuration information. The second configuration information is used to indicate a second resource, which is used for random access by terminal devices within an area associated with the first SSB. The second resource is determined based on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB. The terminal device transmits a second preamble sequence in the second resource, which is used for random access.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, the first NTN device can allocate resources for random access to terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB based on the number of terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB. The number of resources allocated for random access to the two SSB-associated areas may be different (or the same). In other words, the first NTN device can allocate random access resources at the granularity of the SSB-associated area (or beam granularity). Not all SSB-associated areas of a cell are allocated the same random access resources. This solution can then more reasonably allocate random access resources to meet random access requirements in different areas, save resources, and improve resource utilization.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the first resource satisfies one of the following: the first resource belongs to the resource corresponding to the random access opportunity RO associated with the first SSB; in this scheme, the information used to indicate the first resource can be the index information of a resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB. This scheme can reduce the number of bits occupied by the information used to indicate the first resource, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the first resource does not belong to the resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB, and the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with the resource corresponding to at least one random access opportunity associated with the first SSB. When the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB, the information indicating the first resource may not include indication information for a large amount of time domain resources, thereby saving signaling overhead. In addition, in this solution, the first NTN device can simultaneously receive signals on the first resource and signals on the resource corresponding to the resource corresponding to the RO, thereby reducing the scheduling complexity of the first NTN device.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first configuration information also includes information indicating a power value. The terminal device determines a transmit power value corresponding to the first signal based on the power value. For example, the power value may be an expected receive power value. The terminal device transmits the first signal on the first resource at the transmit power value corresponding to the first signal. Because multiple terminal devices may transmit signals on the first resource, and the first NTN device needs to estimate the number of terminal devices based on the receive power values ​​corresponding to the first resource, the power values ​​of the signals transmitted by each terminal device when they arrive at the first NTN device need to be relatively close or identical. This improves the accuracy of the terminal device count estimated by the first NTN device. In this embodiment of the present application, the first configuration information may indicate a power value, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device count estimated by the first NTN device.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the terminal device determines the transmit power value corresponding to the first signal based on the power value and the terminal device's location within the area associated with the first SSB. This solution ensures that the power values ​​of signals transmitted by terminal devices at various locations when they arrive at the first NTN device are relatively close or identical, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device count estimated by the first NTN device.

[0021] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be performed by a first NTN device. In embodiments of the present application, the first NTN device can be a network device (or NTN device), or a chip (or chip system) within the network device (or NTN device). For example, the first NTN device can be a satellite or a chip (or chip system) within a satellite. Another example is a gateway (also known as a ground station, earth station, gateway, or gateway station) or a chip (or chip system) within a gateway. Another example is an access network device (access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or a chip (or chip system) within an access network device.

[0022] In this solution, a first NTN device sends first configuration information including information indicating a first resource. The first NTN device receives a first signal from the first resource. The first NTN device determines the number of terminal devices with random access requirements based on a received power value corresponding to the first resource.

[0023] The number of terminal devices with random access requirements has multiple uses. For example, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be used to configure resources (e.g., to determine the number of resources allocated for random access). This can make the number of allocated resources more reasonable, thereby achieving the goal of saving resources.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first resource is associated with the first SSB. The first NTN device determines, based on the received power value corresponding to the first resource, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB. For related content and beneficial effects, refer to the description of the possible implementations of the first aspect and are not repeated here.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the first NTN device sends second configuration information indicating a second resource. The second resource is used for random access by terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB. The second resource is determined based on the number of terminal devices requiring random access within the area associated with the first SSB. The first NTN device receives a second preamble sequence from a resource in the second resource. The second preamble sequence is used for random access. For related content and beneficial effects, refer to the description of the possible implementations of the first aspect and are not repeated here.

[0026] For the relevant contents and beneficial effects of the first resource, the first signal, and the first configuration information, please refer to the relevant description of the possible implementation methods of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0027] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be performed by a first NTN device. In embodiments of the present application, the first NTN device can be a network device (or NTN device), or a chip (or chip system) within the network device (or NTN device). For example, the first NTN device can be a satellite or a chip (or chip system) within a satellite. Another example is a gateway (also known as a ground station, earth station, gateway, or gateway station) or a chip (or chip system) within a gateway. Another example is an access network device (access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or a chip (or chip system) within an access network device.

[0028] In this solution, the first NTN device obtains the number of terminal devices with random access requests. The first NTN device sends first indication information indicating the number of terminal devices with random access requests. For the same area, such as the area associated with the first SSB, when an intersatellite handover occurs in that area, for example, if the first NTN device previously provided service for that area but is now being served by a second NTN device, the first NTN device can send information about the number of terminal devices with random access requests in the area to the second NTN device. This prevents the second NTN device from repeatedly executing the solution for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requests, thereby saving power consumption in the second NTN device.

[0029] The manner in which the first NTN device obtains the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be found in the aforementioned description of the second aspect and possible implementations of the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first indication information further includes: information about the coverage of the first SSB associated area, and the first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB. In this way, the first NTN device can determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within a certain area based on the first indication information, and then allocate resources (e.g., random access resources) at a regional granularity.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the first indication information further includes: validity period information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. When the information on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements indicated by the first indication information is within the validity period, the second NTN device may use the information to allocate resources for random access. When the information on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements indicated by the first indication information becomes invalid (or after the validity period has expired), the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be kept relatively consistent with the actual situation.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that can be performed by a second NTN device. The second NTN device in embodiments of the present application can be a network device (or NTN device), or a chip (or chip system) within the network device (or NTN device). For example, the second NTN device can be a satellite or a chip (or chip system) within a satellite. Another example is a gateway (also known as a ground station, earth station, gateway, or gateway station) or a chip (or chip system) within a gateway. Another example is an access network device (access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or a chip (or chip system) within an access network device.

[0033] The second NTN device receives first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area. The second NTN device configures resources for random access by the terminal devices based on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area.

[0034] For the same area, such as the area associated with the first SSB, when the area sends an inter-satellite handover, for example, the first NTN device originally provided services for the area, and now the second NTN device provides services for the area. In this case, the first NTN device can send information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area to the second NTN device, thereby avoiding the second NTN device from repeatedly executing the solution for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, thereby saving power consumption of the second NTN device.

[0035] For the relevant content and beneficial effects of the first indication information, please refer to the relevant description of the possible implementation methods of the third aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device can be the aforementioned terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device. The communication device can include a communication unit and a processing unit to implement any of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4, or any possible implementation of the aspects 1 to 4. The communication unit is configured to perform functions related to transmission and reception. The communication unit can be referred to as a transceiver unit. Optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit can be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit can be the input / output circuitry, input / output interface, or antenna port of the communication chip.

[0037] In another design, the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0038] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or execute any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0039] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device can be the aforementioned terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device. The communication device can include a processor and a memory to implement any of the aforementioned aspects from the first to the fourth, or any possible implementation of the aforementioned aspects from the first to the fourth. Optionally, the device further includes a transceiver. The memory is configured to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is configured to retrieve and execute the computer program or instructions from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions in the memory, the communication device implements any of the aforementioned aspects from the first to the fourth, or any possible implementation of the aforementioned aspects from the first to the fourth.

[0040] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0041] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0042] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0043] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device can be the aforementioned terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device. The communication device can include a processor to execute any of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4, or any possible implementation of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4. For example, the processor executes any of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4, or any possible implementation of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4, through logic circuitry or by executing computer programs or instructions in memory. The processor is coupled to the memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0044] In one implementation, when the communication device is a terminal device, a first NTN device, or a second NTN device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0045] In another implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0046] In an eighth aspect, a system is provided, which includes the above-mentioned terminal device.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the system may further include a first NTN device. In one possible implementation, the system may further include a second NTN device.

[0048] In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables the computer to execute any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0049] In the tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or executes any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0050] In an eleventh aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising: an interface circuit and a processing circuit. The interface circuit may include an input circuit and an output circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals via the input circuit and transmit signals via the output circuit, thereby implementing any of the first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0051] In a specific implementation, the processing device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0052] In one implementation, when the communication device is a terminal device, a first NTN device, or a second NTN device, the interface circuit may be a radio frequency processing chip in the terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device, and the processing circuit may be a baseband processing chip in the terminal device, the first NTN device, or the second NTN device.

[0053] In another implementation, the communication device may be a component of a terminal device, a first NTN device, or a second NTN device, such as an integrated circuit product such as a system-on-chip (SoC) or a communication chip. The interface circuit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processing circuit may be a logic circuit on the chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a beam coverage area of ​​a network device;

[0055] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of another possible communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application;

[0057] FIG3 is a possible flow diagram of a possible communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a possible association relationship between SSB and resources provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG5A is a possible simulation diagram of a received power value corresponding to a first resource under different numbers of terminal devices provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG5B is a schematic diagram of another possible simulation of the received power value corresponding to the first resource under different numbers of terminal devices provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG6 is a possible flow diagram of a possible communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] The following is an introduction to the terms and nouns involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0065] (1) Resources.

[0066] The resources in the embodiments of the present application (eg, the first resource or the second resource to be referred to later) may include, for example, at least one of a time domain resource or a frequency domain resource.

[0067] Time domain resources may include at least one of a radio frame, a subframe, a time slot, a mini slot, or an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. A radio frame may include multiple subframes, a subframe may include one or more time slots, and a time slot may include at least one symbol. Alternatively, a radio frame may include multiple time slots, and a time slot may include at least one symbol. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, an OFDM symbol may also be referred to as a symbol.

[0068] Frequency domain resources may include at least one of a resource element (RE), a resource block (RB), a channel, a subchannel, a carrier, or a bandwidth part (BWP). In this embodiment of the present application, a channel may be equivalently replaced by a resource block set (RB set), and the frequency domain bandwidth of an RB set may be 20 megahertz (MHz).

[0069] (2)SSB.

[0070] The synchronization signal block (SS) is generally sent together with the main information block (MIB) on the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to form an SS / PBCH block. The SSB described below in the embodiments of the present application may refer to an SS / PBCH block. Among them, the synchronization signal can be used by the terminal to perform downlink synchronization and obtain the identity (ID) of the cell. Downlink synchronization may include frequency synchronization and time synchronization. The PBCH can be used by the terminal to obtain information about the cell it is accessing.

[0071] (3) The relationship between SSB and beam.

[0072] Network devices (such as the first or second NTN device) may use multiple antennas to enhance coverage. However, using multiple antennas results in very narrow antenna radiation beams, making it difficult for a single narrow beam to cover the entire cell. Furthermore, due to hardware limitations, network devices often cannot simultaneously transmit signals using multiple beams to cover the entire cell. Therefore, communication systems have introduced beam scanning technology, whereby access network devices can transmit signals using different beams at different times. Therefore, communication systems have introduced beam scanning to cover the entire cell. This means that a network device can cover part of a cell with one beam at a time, and then cover another part of the cell with another beam at another time.

[0073] Referring to Figure 1 , a network device (e.g., a first NTN device or a second NTN device) transmits a beam in a certain direction at a specific moment, and covers the entire cell by transmitting beams in different directions at multiple moments. Specifically, the network device (e.g., the first NTN device) covers the entire cell using beam 0 (for transmitting SSB#0), beam 1 (for transmitting SSB#1), ..., beam N-1 (for transmitting SSB#N-1), and beam N (for transmitting SSB#N). It can be seen that the directions of any two beams can be different, and the SSB indices corresponding to the two SSBs transmitted by any two beams are also different.

[0074] (4) Beam.

[0075] The embodiment of beamforming in the new radio (NR) protocol can be a spatial domain filter, also known as a spatial filter, or also known as a spatial domain parameter, spatial parameter, spatial domain setting, spatial setting, or quasi-colocation (QCL) information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, etc. The beamforming can be indicated by the transmission configuration indicator state (TCI-state) parameter or by the spatial relation parameter.

[0076] Therefore, in this application, beam can be replaced by spatial filter, spatial filter, spatial parameter, spatial parameter, spatial setting, spatial setting, QCL information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, TCI-state (downlink TCI-state, uplink TCI-state), spatial relationship, etc. The above terms are also equivalent to each other. Beam can also be replaced by other terms representing beams, which are not limited in this application.

[0077] The beam used to transmit a signal may be referred to as a transmission beam (Tx beam), or may be referred to as a spatial domain transmission filter, a spatial transmission filter, a spatial domain transmission parameter, or a spatial transmission parameter, or a spatial domain transmission setting. The downlink transmit beam may be indicated by a TCI-state.

[0078] The beam used to receive signals can be called a reception beam (Rx beam), and can also be called a spatial domain reception filter, a spatial reception filter, a spatial domain reception parameter, or a spatial reception parameter, a spatial domain reception setting, or a spatial reception setting. The uplink transmit beam can be indicated by a spatial relationship, an uplink TCI-state, or an SRS resource (indicating the transmit beam using the SRS). Therefore, the uplink beam can also be replaced by an SRS resource.

[0079] The transmit beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted by the antenna, and the receive beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of the wireless signal received from the antenna.

[0080] Furthermore, the beam can be a wide beam, a narrow beam, or other types of beams. The beam forming technology can be beamforming technology or other technologies. The beamforming technology can specifically be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, or hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology.

[0081] Beams generally correspond to resources. For example, when performing beam measurement, network equipment uses different resources to measure different beams. The terminal device then provides feedback on the measured resource quality, allowing the network equipment to determine the quality of the corresponding beam. During data transmission, beam information is also indicated by its corresponding resource. For example, the network equipment uses the transmission configuration indicator (TCI) field in the downlink control information (DCI) to indicate to the terminal device the physical downlink sharing channel (PDSCH) beam information.

[0082] Optionally, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics can be considered a single beam. A beam can include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, and sounding signals. The one or more antenna ports forming a beam can also be considered an antenna port set.

[0083] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, a beam refers to a transmission beam of a network device. In beam measurement, each beam of a network device corresponds to a resource, so the beam corresponding to the resource can be uniquely identified by the resource index.

[0084] (4.1)TCI-state (used to indicate the downlink beam).

[0085] Network devices can generate different beams pointing in different transmission directions. During downlink data transmission, when a network device uses a specific beam to send data to a terminal device, it must inform the terminal device of the transmit beam information it uses. This allows the terminal device to use the corresponding receive beam to receive the data sent by the network device.

[0086] In the 3GPP R15 / R16 protocol, the network device uses the TCI field in the DCI to indicate to the terminal device the relevant information of the transmission beam it adopts. Specifically, the TCI field size is 3 bits, which can specifically represent 8 different field values ​​(codepoint). Each value of the TCI field corresponds to an index of a TCI-state, and the TCI-state index can uniquely identify a TCI-state. The TCI-state in the embodiment of the present application can also be written as TCI state. The TCI-state includes several parameters, and the relevant information of the transmission beam can be determined by these parameters. The TCI-state is configured by the network device to each terminal device. Each TCI-state includes its own index TCI-state identifier and two QCL information (QCL information, QCL-Info). Each QCL-Info includes a cell field and a bwp-Id, which respectively indicate which bwp (Bandwidth part) of which cell (cell) the TCI-state is applied to, that is, different cells or different bwp of the same cell can be configured with different QCL-Info. QCL-Info also includes a referenceSignal (reference signal), which is used to indicate with which reference signal resource a QCL (quasi-co-location) relationship is formed.

[0087] In the R15 / R16 protocols, the word "beam" generally does not appear directly; it is usually replaced by other terms. For example, in data transmission and channel measurement, beams correspond to reference signal resources, with one beam corresponding to one reference signal resource. Therefore, when we say which reference signal resource forms a QCL relationship, we are actually referring to which beam forms a QCL relationship. A QCL relationship means that two reference signal resources (or two antenna ports, where antenna ports and reference signal resources also have a one-to-one correspondence) have certain identical spatial parameters. Which spatial parameters are identical depends on the type of the QCL-Info, i.e., another field of the QCL-Info, qcl-Type. qcl-Type can have four values ​​{typeA, typeB, typeC, typeD}. Taking typeD as an example, typeD indicates that the two reference signal resources have the same spatial reception parameter information, i.e., the two beams have the same receive beam. At most one of the two QCL-Info included in the TCI-state can be TypeD.

[0088] (4.2) Spatial relation (used to indicate uplink beam).

[0089] In the current protocol, the transmit beam for uplink transmission is indicated by spatial relationships, which functions similarly to TCI-state, and is used to inform the terminal device which transmit beam to use for uplink transmission.

[0090] The spatial relationship also needs to be configured through radio resource control (RRC) signaling first. RRC signaling can include the spatial relationship ID, cell ID, target reference signal resource, path loss measurement reference signal, power control parameters, etc. Among them, the target reference signal resource (which can be one of the sounding reference signal (SRS) / SSB / channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS)) is used to indicate the corresponding uplink beam. If the uplink transmission adopts spatial relationship #1, and the spatial relationship #1 includes a target reference signal resource #2, it means that the transmission beam used for the uplink transmission is the transmission / reception beam of the target reference signal. For example, when the target reference signal resource is the uplink resource SRS, it means that the transmission beam used for the uplink transmission is the transmission beam of the SRS (the transmission beam of the SRS is known). For another example, the target reference signal resource is a downlink resource such as SSB / CSI-RS, indicating that the transmit beam used for uplink transmission is the receive beam of the SSB / CSI-RS (the receive beam of the SSB / CSI-RS is known).

[0091] The network device can configure multiple spatial relationships for the terminal device. Then one of them is activated for the corresponding data transmission through the media access control control element (MAC CE). Uplink transmission includes the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), SRS, physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), etc., all of which require corresponding spatial relationships. The spatial relationship of PUCCH is indicated by MAC CE signaling. The spatial relationship of SRS is also indicated by MAC CE signaling. When PUSCH is transmitted, it will be associated with a specific SRS and use the spatial relationship of the SRS for transmission.

[0092] (5) Region.

[0093] Region: Unless otherwise specified, the term "region" in the following embodiments of this application refers to a geographic area. A region is fixed relative to the Earth, or it can be understood as a region that refers to a fixed geographic area relative to the Earth. For example, a region can have at least one of the following attributes: shape, outline, size, radius, area, geographic location, etc.

[0094] "Region" can also have an altitude attribute, that is, a region can be understood as a geographical area of ​​a given altitude or altitude range. By default, a region can refer to a geographical area with an altitude of 0 kilometers (km) above sea level or an altitude of about 0 km (such as in the range of [-2, 2] km), or a geographical area with a certain average altitude. In addition, it can also refer to geographical areas of other specific altitudes or specific altitude ranges, such as a geographical area with an altitude of 10 km above sea level, or a geographical area with an altitude of about 10 km (such as in the range of [7, 13] km).

[0095] In a possible implementation, the above-mentioned region fixed relative to the earth may also be referred to as a "wave position", "geographical region", etc. Of course, other names are also possible, and this application does not specifically limit the name of the region fixed relative to the earth.

[0096] The shapes, outlines, sizes, radii, and areas of different regions may or may not be the same. Different regions may have different geographical locations. Different regions may or may not overlap.

[0097] In one possible implementation, a region is fixed relative to the Earth, which can be understood as: the region's outline, size, or geographic location remains unchanged. For example, the region's outline, size, or geographic location does not change over time. Alternatively, a region is fixed relative to the Earth, which can be understood as: the region's outline and points within the region can be described using an Earth-fixed coordinate system, or the coordinates of each point on the region's outline in the Earth-fixed coordinate system are fixed and unchanging.

[0098] In a possible embodiment, the shape of the region may be a regular hexagon, or other shapes such as a regular pentagon, a circle, an ellipse, etc. Alternatively, the shape of the region may be an irregular shape, which is not limited.

[0099] For example, the shape of a region can be defined by a protocol or by a network device. The region shapes defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple region shapes. Similarly, the size, radius, and area of ​​a region can be defined by a protocol or by a network device. The size, radius, and area of ​​a region defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple region sizes, multiple region radii, or multiple region areas.

[0100] In one possible implementation, the Earth's surface can be divided into multiple regions, and the regions can be indexed (e.g., numbered). The terminal device and the network device can agree on a numbering method for these regions (e.g., starting with 1 or 0) and a correspondence between regions and indices. Alternatively, a protocol can define a numbering method for these regions and a correspondence between regions and indices. Based on the region index, information such as the region's geographic location can be determined.

[0101] Optionally, the multiple divided areas may completely cover the surface of the earth, such as any location on the surface of the earth belongs to a certain area; or, the multiple divided areas may also cover partial geographical locations on the earth, for example, the multiple areas may not cover the South Pole and / or North Pole of the earth, that is, the South Pole and / or the North Pole may not exist in this area.

[0102] Optionally, the method of dividing multiple areas can be defined by a protocol or by a network device. The division methods defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple division methods.

[0103] As a first possible division method, the Earth's surface can be divided using a latitude and longitude grid of a certain granularity. For example, the Earth's surface can be divided into a latitude and longitude grid with a granularity of 1 degree. If only this discrete method is used, the world can be divided into 360 × 360 = 129,600 regions. Terminal devices and network devices can agree on the indexes of these 129,600 regions as 0, 1, ..., 129599, or 1, 2, ..., 129,600.

[0104] Optionally, after introducing the altitude attribute of a geographic region, multiple grids can be defined to divide the Earth's surface. For example, at an altitude of 0 km or within the range of [-2, 2] km, the Earth's surface can be divided using a 1-degree latitude and longitude grid, resulting in 129,600 regions. At an altitude of 10 km or within the range of [7, 13] km, the Earth's surface can be divided using a 1-degree latitude and longitude grid, resulting in another 129,600 regions. When indexing these regions, the index range needs to be expanded. For example, the total index is 0, 1, ..., 129599, 129600, 129601, ..., 259199, where the first 129,600 numbers represent the region indexes at an altitude of 0 km or within the range of [-2, 2] km, and the last 129,600 numbers represent the region indexes at an altitude of 10 km or within the range of [7, 13] km.

[0105] For example, the granularity of the latitude and longitude grid can be determined according to the type of network device. For example, if the network device is a LEO satellite, a relatively small granularity can be used for discretization; if the network device is a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a relatively large granularity can be used for discretization.

[0106] As a second possible division method, the earth's surface can be divided using latitude and longitude grids of various granularities. For example, a part of the earth's surface or a part of the administrative area can be divided using a latitude and longitude grid with a granularity of 1 degree, and another part of the earth's surface or administrative area can be divided using a latitude and longitude grid with a granularity of 2 degrees.

[0107] Alternatively, after introducing the height attribute of the geographic area, the earth's surface can be divided into a latitude and longitude grid with a granularity of 1 degree at an altitude of 0 km, and the earth's surface can be divided into a latitude and longitude grid with a granularity of 2 degrees at an altitude of 10 km.

[0108] As a third possible division method, the Earth's surface can be divided into administrative regions. For example, a township-level administrative region can be considered as a region.

[0109] As a fourth possible division method, for GEO satellites, the projection of a GEO satellite beam on the ground can be considered as a region. Since GEO satellites are stationary relative to the Earth, the projection of a GEO satellite beam on the ground can be considered fixed relative to the Earth.

[0110] In practical applications, the Earth's surface can be divided in a combination of multiple division methods. For example, a part of the Earth's surface or administrative area can be divided by a latitude and longitude grid with a granularity of 1, and another part of the Earth's surface or administrative area can be divided according to administrative regions.

[0111] In one possible implementation, when the earth's surface is divided into multiple regions, different levels of regional division can be performed on the same surface range. For example, for a certain surface range, the first level of regional division can be performed with a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 10 degrees, the second level of regional division can be performed with a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 6, and the third level of regional division can be performed with a longitude and latitude grid with a granularity of 1. At this time, within the surface range, the number of regions in the first level is greater than the number of regions in the second level, and the number of regions in the second level is greater than the number of regions in the third level. In addition, in this scenario, the regions of each level can be numbered separately.

[0112] (6) Random access.

[0113] Before accessing the network, a terminal device must perform a cell search. For example, a cell search can be performed when the terminal is powered off and then powered on again. The purpose of a cell search is to enable the terminal to achieve system time and frequency synchronization, thereby enabling the terminal to read system information (such as information about the cell to be accessed, system bandwidth, and other cell broadcast information) and perform subsequent data transmission.

[0114] Afterward, the terminal device can perform random access. Random access is the process initiated by the terminal to achieve uplink synchronization between the terminal and the access network device after the two devices have achieved downlink synchronization. Random access can be categorized as contention-based random access (also known as four-step random access) and non-contention-free random access (also known as two-step random access).

[0115] (7) Resources used for random access.

[0116] The random access request is transmitted on a physical random access channel occasion (RO). An RO is understood as a random access resource. The terminal device can send a random access preamble sequence on a specific RO (i.e., a specific time-frequency resource). The random access preamble sequence may also be referred to as a preamble, random access preamble, or preamble sequence. The format of the RO may correspond to the format of the preamble sequence.

[0117] In the existing standard (3GPP TS38.331), the configuration information for the RO and the preamble sequence for random access is indicated by a system message, for example, it can be configured through the random access channel (RACH)-ConfigCommon. For example, the parameter rach-ConfigGeneric in RACH-ConfigCommon indicates information related to the generation of the physical random access channel (PRACH) sequence. Information related to the generation of the PRACH sequence may include, for example, root indication, the number of FDMs (the number of ROs in the frequency domain), and the frequency domain position. RACH-ConfigCommon may also include information such as the association between the SSB and the RO.

[0118] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as terrestrial communication systems, NTN communication systems, and satellite communication systems. Among them, the satellite communication system can be integrated with the mobile communication system. For example, the mobile communication system can be a fourth generation (4G) communication system (for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system), a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth generation (5G) communication system (for example, a new radio (NR) system), and future mobile communication systems. The mobile communication system can also be a vehicle to everything (V2X) system and an Internet of Things (IoT) system.

[0119] Figures 2A and 2B illustrate exemplary network architecture diagrams of several communication systems applicable to embodiments of the present application. These communication systems may include network equipment and terminal devices. Network equipment may include one or more of satellites, gateways, access network equipment, and core network (CN) equipment. Figures 2A and 2B illustrate exemplary network architectures integrating NTNs with terrestrial networks. These are described below with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0120] (1) Satellite.

[0121] The satellite can be a highly elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellite, a GEO satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, or a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the operating mode of the satellite. For example, the operating mode of the satellite can be a transparent mode or a regenerative mode. FIG2A illustrates the operating mode of the satellite as the transparent mode, and FIG2B illustrates the operating mode of the satellite as the regenerative mode.

[0122] When a satellite operates in transparent mode, it performs relay functions. A gateway performs the functions of a network device (such as a base station) or some of them. In this case, the gateway can be considered a network device (such as a base station). Alternatively, the network device (such as a base station) can be deployed separately from the gateway. In this case, the feeder link latency includes both the satellite-to-gateway and gateway-to-gNB delays. The transparent mode discussed below uses the case where the gateway and gNB are located together or close together. For scenarios where the gateway and gNB are farther apart, the feeder link latency is simply the sum of the satellite-to-gateway and gateway-to-gNB delays.

[0123] When the satellite operates in regenerative mode, it has data processing capabilities, the functions of a network device (such as a base station) or partial functions of a network device (such as a base station). At this time, the satellite can be regarded as a network device (such as a base station).

[0124] Satellites can wirelessly communicate with terminals by broadcasting communication and navigation signals. Optionally, each satellite can provide terminal devices with communication, navigation, and positioning services using multiple beams. For example, each satellite can use multiple beams to cover its service area, and the relationships between different beams can be based on one or more of time division, frequency division, and space division. Satellites can also operate in quasi-Earth-fixed or satellite-fixed modes.

[0125] Quasi-Earth-fixed mode, also known as staring mode, dynamically adjusts the satellite's beam pointing to continuously serve a specific physical area over a period of time. For example, over a period of time (e.g., time t0, time t1, and time t2), the satellite dynamically adjusts its beam pointing to approximately cover the same area on the ground. In practice, due to beam pointing accuracy issues and distortion caused by different incident angles, the coverage area of ​​the staring beam may fluctuate over time.

[0126] Satellite fixed mode means that the satellite's beam moves with the satellite, and the physical area it serves also changes continuously. For example, during a period of time (such as time t0, time t1, and time t2), the satellite beam coverage area moves with the satellite.

[0127] (2) Gateway.

[0128] A gateway (also known as a ground station, earth station, gateway, or gateway station) can be used to connect satellites to terrestrial network equipment (such as terrestrial base stations). One or more satellites can be connected to one or more terrestrial network equipment (such as terrestrial base stations) through one or more gateways, without limitation.

[0129] The link between the satellite and the terminal is called the service link, and the link between the satellite and the gateway is called the feeder link. Network equipment can be deployed separately from the gateway, so the feeder link latency can include both the satellite-to-gateway and gateway-to-network equipment latency.

[0130] (3) Access network equipment.

[0131] The access network equipment in the embodiments of the present application may be deployed on a satellite or on the ground (such as a ground base station or ground station).

[0132] The access network device involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a radio access network (RAN) node. The RAN may be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a NR system, or a future radio access system defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The RAN may also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. The RAN may also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0133] A RAN node, also known as a radio access network device, RAN entity, or access node, facilitates wireless access to a communication system by a terminal. In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, or a donor node.

[0134] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU implements the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions. The DU implements the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer functions, as well as some or all of the physical layer functions. For detailed descriptions of each of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement the transmission and reception of radio frequency signals. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0135] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU may be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU may be called an open DU (O-DU), and a RU may be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node may be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the RAN node. For ease of description, the following description takes a base station as an example of a RAN node.

[0136] (4) Core network equipment (CN).

[0137] Core network equipment is a device that is installed on the ground and can communicate with NTN equipment in the NTN system. CN equipment is the network element included in the CN part of the mobile communication system. CN equipment can connect terminal equipment to different data networks and perform services such as authentication, billing, mobility management, session management, policy control, and user plane forwarding. CN equipment can be used for current mobile communication systems (such as the 5th generation (5G) th The CN devices in the 5G generation (5G) mobile communication system may also be CN devices in future mobile communication systems. In mobile communication systems of different standards, the names of CN devices with the same function may vary. However, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific names of CN devices with each function.

[0138] For example, in the 4th generation (4 thIn the 4G (4th generation) mobile communication system (i.e., long term evolution, LTE), the network element responsible for access control, security control, and signaling coordination is the mobility management entity (MME); the network element serving as the local mobility management anchor point is the serving gateway (S-GW); the network element serving as the anchor point for switching to the external data network and responsible for allocating Internet protocol (IP) addresses is the packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW); the network element storing user-related data and subscription data is the home subscriber server (HSS); and the network element responsible for policy and charging functions is called the policy and charging rule function (PCRF) network element.

[0139] For example, in a 5G mobile communication system, the core network can be divided into a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP) according to specific logical functional divisions. The network elements in the CN responsible for control plane functions can be collectively referred to as control plane network elements, and the network elements responsible for user plane functions can be collectively referred to as user plane network elements. Specifically, in the user plane, the network element that serves as the interface to the data network and is responsible for user plane data forwarding and other functions is the user plane function (UPF) network element. In the control plane, the network element responsible for access control and mobility management functions is called the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element; the network element responsible for session management and control policy execution is called the session management function (SMF) network element; the network element responsible for managing subscription data, user access authorization, and other functions is called the unified data management (UDM) network element; the network element responsible for billing and policy control functions is called the policy control function (PCF) network element; and the application function (AF) network element is responsible for transmitting the application side's requirements to the network side.

[0140] (5)Terminal.

[0141] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to a base station or receive signals from a base station. A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0142] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0143] The roles of the base station and the terminal can be relative. For example, a helicopter (or drone) can be configured as a mobile base station. For those terminals that access the wireless access network through the helicopter (or drone), the helicopter (or drone) is a base station; but for the base station, the helicopter (or drone) is a terminal, that is, the base station and the helicopter (or drone) communicate through the wireless air interface protocol. Of course, the base station and the helicopter (or drone) can also communicate through the interface protocol between base stations. At this time, relative to the base station, the helicopter (or drone) is also a base station. Therefore, the base station and the terminal can be collectively referred to as a communication device. The network device in the embodiment of the present application can be referred to as a communication device with a base station function, and the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application can be referred to as a communication device with a terminal function.

[0144] The embodiments of the present application may also be applicable to other communication system architectures, such as an air-to-ground (ATG) communication system, which includes at least one network device and at least one high-altitude terminal. Examples of high-altitude terminals include high-altitude aircraft and onboard terminals. The satellites in Figures 2A and 2B may also be replaced with other relay devices, such as high altitude platform stations (HAPS) and other NTN devices. The communication system shown in Figures 2A or 2B is provided as an example and does not limit the communication systems to which the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are applicable.

[0145] Based on the contents shown in Figures 1, 2A, and 2B, as well as the other contents described above, Figure 3 illustrates a possible flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. For ease of understanding, Figure 3 uses the interaction between a first NTN device and a terminal device as an example. For example, the first NTN device can be a satellite or a chip (or chip system) within a satellite as shown in Figures 2A or 2B. Another example is the first NTN device can be a gateway (also known as a ground station, earth station, gateway, or gateway station) or a chip (or chip system) within a gateway as shown in Figures 2A or 2B. Another example is the first NTN device can be an access network device (access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or a chip (or chip system) within an access network device as shown in Figures 2A or 2B. The first NTN device refers to a network device in a communication architecture that includes an NTN. The first NTN device can also be replaced by a network device. Alternatively, when the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application is applicable to other communication architectures, the first NTN device can also be replaced by the name of a device in the other communication architecture. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be the terminal or the chip system within the terminal as shown in Figures 2A or 2B.

[0146] The following is an introduction with reference to FIG3 .

[0147] Step 301: A first NTN device sends first configuration information.

[0148] The terminal device receives first configuration information.

[0149] In the embodiment of the present application, the first configuration information may include one or more of information indicating a first resource (information A1), information indicating a power value (information A2), and information indicating a first signal (information A3), which are described below.

[0150] Information A1 is used to indicate information of the first resource.

[0151] The information used to indicate the first resource may include, for example, a resource identifier and / or a resource set identifier of the first resource.

[0152] The coverage of the first NTN device may include at least one terminal device. The first NTN device can configure resources (e.g., first resources) for the at least one terminal device. The at least one terminal device can transmit signals on the resources (e.g., first resources). The received power value corresponding to the signal from the at least one terminal device transmitted on the resources (e.g., first resources) can have multiple uses. For example, the received power value can be used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. The resource can also have some other names, for example, it can be called RO_forCollect resource. The number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be used to configure resources (e.g., it can be used to determine the number of resources allocated for random access). This can make the number of allocated resources more reasonable, thereby achieving the purpose of saving resources.

[0153] In another possible implementation, the coverage of the first NTN device can be divided into multiple areas. For example, the coverage of the first NTN device can be divided into multiple areas based on certain parameters. For example, the coverage of the first NTN device can be divided into areas based on SSBs, such as one SSB of the first NTN device is associated with one area. In one possible implementation, one SSB is associated with one beam. This can also be understood as the coverage of the first NTN device being divided into areas based on beams, such as the coverage of one beam of the first NTN device is divided into one area (or multiple SSBs are associated with one area, i.e., the coverage areas of beams associated with multiple SSBs are divided into one area). For example, if the first NTN device is configured with multiple beams, such as beam #1 and beam #2, the coverage of the first NTN device can be divided into two areas, namely area #1 and area #2, where area #1 is the coverage area of ​​beam #1 and area #2 is the coverage area of ​​beam #2. The coverage of the first NTN device can also be divided into areas based on other parameters. For example, in a scenario where the SSB broadcast beam is separated from the data beam, the area can also be divided based on the data beam. For example, the coverage of one (or more) data beams is divided into one area. In this case, one SSB broadcast beam can correspond to the coverage of one or more data beams. It can also be understood that one SSB (SSB broadcast beam) is associated with multiple areas (one area is the coverage of one or more data beams). For the relevant definition of the area, please refer to the above description. For ease of understanding, the following introduction will be based on the example of dividing the area based on SSB.

[0154] In an embodiment of the present application, the first configuration information may further include information indicating an area associated with the first resource. The information indicating the area associated with the first resource may include at least one of a wave position identifier of the area, a coverage range of the area, location information of one or more reference points in the area, and a radius of the area range of the area.

[0155] Take an area as an example of an area associated with an SSB for introduction. In one possible implementation, the first NTN device can configure a resource for each SSB (or each area). The two resources configured by two SSBs (or two areas) may have no overlap or partial overlap. For example, resource #1 of SSB#1 and resource #2 of SSB#2 have no overlap in the time domain and overlap in the frequency domain (or partial overlap in the frequency domain), or resource #1 of SSB#1 and resource #2 of SSB#2 have no overlap in the frequency domain and overlap in the time domain (or partial overlap in the time domain), or resource #1 of SSB#1 and resource #2 of SSB#2 have no overlap in the frequency domain and overlap in the time domain. In the embodiment of the present application, the first resource is associated with the first SSB as an example for introduction. The first resource can be understood as a resource configured by the first NTN device for the area associated with the first SSB. The first resource can be used to send a signal to at least one terminal device in the area associated with the first SSB. The received power value corresponding to the signal received by the first NTN device from at least one terminal device on the first resource can be used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB.

[0156] In another possible implementation, multiple SSBs (or multiple areas) can be associated with the same resource. For example, two SSBs are associated with the first resource. In this case, the first NTN device needs to distinguish which SSB the signal received on the first resource comes from, and then the number of terminal devices with access requirements in the area corresponding to the SSB can be determined based on the received power value of the signal corresponding to the SSB. For example, terminal devices of different SSBs can correspond to different root sequences, and then the signals (or preamble sequences) that terminal devices in different SSB areas can generate based on their respective root sequences are also different, and then the signals (or preamble sequences) sent by different SSBs on the first resource are also different. The first NTN device can distinguish the SSBs corresponding to each preamble sequence based on the received preamble sequence.

[0157] In another possible implementation, an SSB may be associated with multiple resources, for example, the first SSB is associated with resource #1 (resource #1 is, for example, the first resource in the range) and resource #2. In this solution, some terminal devices within the first SSB association area may send signals on resource #1, and another part of the terminal devices within the first SSB association area may send signals on resource #2. The first NTN device may separately estimate the number of terminal devices with access requirements corresponding to resource #1 and the number of terminal devices with access requirements corresponding to resource #2, and then use the sum of these two numbers as the number of terminal devices with access requirements within the first SSB association area.

[0158] As can be seen from the above examples, the coverage area of ​​the first NTN device can be considered as one area, or the coverage area of ​​the first NTN device can be divided into at least two areas. The two areas within the first NTN device may have different populations, or the number of terminal devices with random access requirements may be different. If the same amount of resources (e.g., resources for random access) is allocated to each of the multiple areas, some areas may have an excessive amount of resources, resulting in resource waste. In one possible implementation provided by the embodiments of the present application, the first NTN device can estimate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in each area (the coverage area of ​​the first NTN device may include one or more areas) and then allocate resources (e.g., resources for random access) to the area based on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area. For example, if the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in an area is small, the amount of resources (e.g., resources for random access) allocated to the area can also be small, thereby reducing resource overhead. For another example, if the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in an area is large, the amount of resources (e.g., resources for random access) allocated to the area can also be large, thereby meeting the needs of the area. It can be seen that this solution can separately allocate resources for smaller granularity areas divided within the coverage area of ​​the first NTN device, thereby achieving the purpose of saving resources.

[0159] In the embodiment of the present application, the coverage of the first NTN device can be regarded as one area, or divided into at least two areas. The area can also be referred to as a wave position, etc. For the relevant introduction of the area, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated. The first area belongs to the area within the coverage of the first NTN device. The first area can be regarded as the area associated with the first SSB, and the first resource is associated with the first SSB (or it can be understood that the first resource belongs to the resource configured by the first NTN device for the first SSB). The first area is used as an example for description below. If the first NTN device includes other areas, the solutions for the other areas are similar and will not be repeated.

[0160] The first NTN device may configure corresponding resources for the RO associated with the first SSB. The first resource may or may not belong to the resources corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB. This is described below using Examples A1.1 and A1.2, respectively.

[0161] Example A1.1: The first resource may belong to the resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB.

[0162] In example A1.1, the first NTN device can reuse resources corresponding to the RO to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, so that there is no need to configure new resources, thereby saving resource overhead and reducing solution complexity.

[0163] For example, each RO associated with an SSB corresponds to multiple resources (such as FDM), and the numbering of the FDM associated with each SSB starts from FDM#0. In a possible implementation, the first configuration information may indicate that the FDM#0 associated with each SSB is used as the resource corresponding to the SSB for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, or that the FDM#0 associated with each SSB is used as the RO_forCollect resource of the SSB. The resources associated with two SSBs may also be different, for example, the FDM#0 associated with SSB#1 is used as the RO_forCollect resource of the SSB, and the FDM#1 associated with SSB#2 is used as the RO_forCollect resource of the SSB.

[0164] For ease of understanding, Figure 4 illustrates an example of resources associated with an SSB. As shown in Figure 4 , a first NTN device includes SSB#0, SSB#1, and SSB#2. Each RO associated with an SSB is configured with resources. For example, as shown in Figure 4 , the RO associated with SSB#0 is RO0, and the four resources corresponding to RO0 are labeled RO0-FCM#0, RO0-FCM#1, RO0-FCM#2, and RO0-FCM#3, respectively. The RO associated with SSB#1 is RO1, and the two resources corresponding to RO1 are labeled RO1-FCM#0 and RO1-FCM#1, respectively, in Figure 4 . The RO associated with SSB#2 is RO2, and the four resources corresponding to RO2 are labeled RO2-FCM#0, RO2-FCM#1, RO2-FCM#2, and RO2-FCM#3, respectively, in Figure 4 . As shown in Figure 4, the FDM#0 associated with each SSB serves as the resource corresponding to the SSB for determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements. This resource can also be called the RO_forCollect resource. As shown in Figure 4, RO0-FCM#0 is the resource corresponding to SSB#0 for determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements. The terminal devices in the area associated with SSB#0 can send signals on RO0-FCM#0. The first NTN device can determine the received power value of the signal corresponding to RO0-FCM#0 and determine the number of terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with SSB#0 based on the received power value. Similarly, RO1-FCM#0 is the resource corresponding to SSB#1 for determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements, and RO2-FCM#0 is the resource corresponding to SSB#2 for determining the number of terminal devices with access requirements. It can be seen that in this scheme, the information used to indicate the first resource can be the index information of a resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB. This scheme can reduce the number of bits occupied by the information used to indicate the first resource, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0165] Example A1.2: The first resource may not belong to the resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB.

[0166] In example A1.2, the first NTN device may reconfigure a resource (the resource is the first resource) for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, thereby eliminating the need to use resources corresponding to RO, thereby improving the flexibility of the solution.

[0167] In another possible implementation, the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB. The frequency domain of the first resource may partially overlap or not overlap with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB. For example, the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with resource #1 corresponding to RO #1 associated with the first SSB, and the frequency domain of the first resource may partially overlap or not overlap with resource #1.

[0168] When the time domain of the first resource completely overlaps with the resources corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB, the information used to indicate the first resource may not include information indicating more time domain resources. This can also be understood as the first NTN device not needing to use more bits to indicate the time domain resources of the first resource. For example, it can be determined through protocol definition or negotiation that the time domain resources of the first resource completely overlap with the time domain resources of resource #1 corresponding to RO #1. This can reduce the number of bits occupied by the information used to indicate the first resource, thereby saving signaling overhead. In addition, in this solution, the first NTN device can simultaneously receive signals on the first resource and signals on the resources corresponding to the RO, thereby reducing the scheduling complexity of the first NTN device.

[0169] In another possible implementation, the frequency domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB. The time domain of the first resource may partially overlap or not overlap with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB. For example, the frequency domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with resource #2 corresponding to RO#2 associated with the first SSB, and the time domain of the first resource may partially overlap or not overlap with resource #2. When the frequency domain of the first resource completely overlaps with the resource corresponding to at least one RO associated with the first SSB, the information used to indicate the first resource may not include more indication information of time-frequency domain resources. It can also be understood that the first NTN device may not need to indicate the frequency domain resource of the first resource using more bits. For example, it can be determined through protocol definition or negotiation that the time domain resource of the first resource completely overlaps with the frequency domain resource of resource #2 corresponding to RO#2. In this way, the number of bits occupied by the information used to indicate the first resource can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0170] Information A2 is used to indicate the power value.

[0171] In this embodiment of the present application, the information indicating the power value may include, for example, one or more power values. Based on the power value, the terminal device may determine the transmit power value corresponding to the first signal and transmit the first signal on the first resource at the transmit power value corresponding to the first signal. Because multiple terminal devices may transmit signals on the first resource, and the first NTN device needs to estimate the number of terminal devices requiring access based on the received power value corresponding to the first resource, the power values ​​of the signals transmitted by each terminal device when they arrive at the first NTN device need to be relatively close or identical. This can improve the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device. In this embodiment of the present application, the first configuration information can indicate the power value, thereby improving the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device.

[0172] The power value indicated by the information indicating the power value may be, for example, a received power value or a transmitted power value of the terminal device. The received power value may be an expected received power value, which may also have other names, such as "preamble received target power for collection" in English. When the power value indicated by the power value information is an expected received power value, the terminal device may calculate the transmit power value of the terminal device based on the expected received power value and information such as path loss. For example, the transmit power value is the sum of the expected received power value and the power value corresponding to the path loss.

[0173] In another possible implementation, the power value indicated by the information for indicating the power value is associated with the location of one or more reference points. For example, the information for indicating the power value may indicate the power value of one or more reference points (for example, the power value is a transmit power value). The first configuration information may also include information for indicating the reference points associated with the power value. These reference points may include, for example, locations within the coverage area of ​​the first NTN device, or locations within the area corresponding to the first SSB, such as the location of the center point of the area corresponding to the first SSB. The area corresponding to the first SSB can be understood as the coverage area of ​​the beam associated with the first SSB. The coverage area may be, for example, a circle. The power value corresponding to the edge of the circle and the power value corresponding to the center of the area may have a difference. The difference may be defined by oneself, such as 3 decibels (dB). This solution can make the power values ​​of signals sent by terminal devices at various locations closer or the same when they arrive at the first NTN device, thereby improving the accuracy of the number of terminal devices estimated by the first NTN device.

[0174] For example, the information used to indicate the power value indicates that the power value corresponding to the center position of the area corresponding to the first SSB (for example, the transmit power value) is P1, and the power value corresponding to the edge area of ​​the area corresponding to the first SSB (for example, the transmit power value) may be (P1+3dB). The terminal device may interpolate the positions and transmit power values ​​of multiple reference points based on its own position, P1, and (P1+3dB), thereby calculating the power value corresponding to the terminal device (for example, the transmit power value).

[0175] Information A3 is used to indicate information of the first signal.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the first signal may be a signal defined by a protocol or pre-negotiated. In another possible implementation, the first signal may be indicated by the first NTN device through first configuration information.

[0177] In one possible implementation, the first signal is a first preamble sequence, and the information indicating the first signal can be replaced with information indicating the first preamble sequence. This solution can reuse preamble sequences. In this case, the information indicating the first signal can be the same as the parameter item currently used to indicate the preamble sequence, and the specific parameter value can be set separately. This solution is relatively compatible with existing technologies.

[0178] The information indicating the first preamble sequence may include, for example, at least one of the following: the type of the first preamble sequence, the length of the first preamble sequence, the root sequence of the first preamble sequence, the number of repetitions of the first preamble sequence, and the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence. For example, the cyclic shift may be defined by the parameter Ncs, where Ncs=0 indicates a cyclic shift of 0. When the cyclic shift is a random cyclic shift, the random cyclic shift may be defined by a protocol or indicated by the first NTN device.

[0179] In one possible implementation, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is cyclic shift 0. This can also be understood as the preamble sequence transmitted by multiple terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB being identical. Because the signals transmitted by multiple terminal devices on the first resource do not require the first NTN device to identify the transmitter of each signal, the signals transmitted by the terminal devices do not need to distinguish the terminal devices. Therefore, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence transmitted by the terminal device can be cyclic shift 0. This solution can reduce the processing complexity of the transmitting end.

[0180] In another possible implementation, the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a random cyclic shift. It can also be understood that the preamble sequences sent by multiple terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB may be different or the same, and the situation is relatively random. This solution can increase the randomness of the phase, thereby making the distribution of the received power value of the first NTN device more concentrated (for details, see the relevant description of the subsequent Figure 5B), so that the number of terminal devices with access requirements can be more accurately determined.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the information used to indicate the first preamble sequence may also reuse the parameters of the configuration information of the existing random access preamble sequence. For example, the information used to indicate the first preamble sequence may also be indicated by a root indication parameter (e.g., parameter prach_RootSequenceIndex). In the embodiment of the present application, the cyclic shift method (e.g., random cyclic shift or cyclic shift 0) may be determined by agreement or indicated by the first NTN device. From this implementation, it can be seen that the configuration method of the information used to indicate the first preamble sequence in the embodiment of the present application may also reuse the existing configuration method of configuring the random access preamble sequence. The specific parameter values ​​may be set separately, and the parameter items may reuse those defined in the existing protocol. Therefore, the solution may be more compatible with the existing technology.

[0182] When the coverage area of ​​the first NTN device is divided into multiple areas, each area can be configured with information indicating a preamble sequence. The root sequences of the preamble sequences configured in the two areas can be the same or different. For details about the preamble sequence configured in each area, refer to the description of the first preamble sequence and are not repeated here.

[0183] The above-mentioned information A1, information A2 and information A3 can be carried by one message or by multiple messages. In the embodiment of the present application, the three information are carried in the same message as an example for illustration.

[0184] The first configuration information can be carried in a cell-level broadcast message. In this way, the first NTN device can maintain it at a cell-level granularity. For example, a set of configuration information can be maintained for a cell (for example, a cell corresponds to the first configuration information, and terminal devices in the cell can perform subsequent operations based on the first configuration information). This solution can reduce the complexity of the work on the first NTN device side. In another possible implementation, the first configuration information can be carried in a beam-level broadcast message. In this way, the first NTN device can maintain it at a beam-level granularity. For example, a set of configuration information can be maintained for a beam (for example, a beam (or a cell associated with the first SSB) corresponds to the first configuration information, and terminal devices within the coverage area of ​​the beam can perform subsequent operations based on the first configuration information). The two sets of configuration information corresponding to two beams can be different. This solution improves the flexibility of the solution.

[0185] Step 302: The terminal device sends a first signal via a first resource.

[0186] Correspondingly, the first NTN device receives the first signal at the first resource.

[0187] The first resource can be associated with an area within the coverage area of ​​the first NTN device. For example, the first resource can be associated with a first SSB. Thus, the first resource can be used to transmit signals to at least one terminal device within the area associated with the first SSB. Step 302 can also be replaced by: one or more terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB transmit signals on the first resource (the first signal being part of these signals). Correspondingly, the first NTN device receives signals from one or more terminal devices on the first resource.

[0188] Taking a terminal device as an example, in one possible implementation, the first signal transmitted by the terminal device on the first resource may be a first preamble sequence. When the first configuration information indicates a power value, the terminal device may determine the power value corresponding to the first signal and transmit the first signal at that power value. The method for determining the first preamble sequence and power value by the terminal device can be found in the example described in step 301 above and will not be further described.

[0189] Step 303: The first NTN device determines a received power value corresponding to the first resource.

[0190] The received power value corresponding to the first resource has various uses. In the embodiment of the present application, the use of the received power value corresponding to the first resource to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements is used as an example.

[0191] Step 304: The first NTN device determines the number of terminal devices having random access requirements according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource.

[0192] For example, the greater the received power value on the first resource, the greater the number of terminal devices that may have random access requirements. For another example, the smaller the received power value on the first resource, the smaller the number of terminal devices that may have random access requirements. In one possible implementation, a correlation between the received power value and the number of terminal devices can be determined based on historical experience or some historical values. Then, after obtaining the received power value corresponding to the first resource, the first NTN device can search for this correlation and find the number of terminal devices corresponding to the received power value from this correlation. This number can be regarded as the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

[0193] Figures 5A and 5B illustrate exemplary simulation diagrams of received power values ​​corresponding to the first resource for different numbers of terminal devices. The curves shown in Figures 5A and 5B can also be understood as cumulative distribution function (CDF) curves. The curve for 50UE in Figures 5A and 5B represents a situation where the area associated with the first SSB includes 50 terminal devices with access requirements, the curve for 200UE represents a situation where the area associated with the first SSB includes 200 terminal devices with access requirements, the curve for 500UE represents a situation where the area associated with the first SSB includes 500 terminal devices with access requirements, and the curve for 1000UE represents a situation where the area associated with the first SSB includes 1000 terminal devices with access requirements. Referring to Figure 5A , the curve corresponding to 500UE is used as an example. As can be seen from Figure 5A , when the area associated with the first SSB includes 500 terminal devices with access requirements, the received power values ​​of the first NTN device on the first resource are substantially distributed between 200 and 1000. Taking point A on the curve corresponding to 500UE as an example, the horizontal coordinate corresponding to point A is 500 and the vertical coordinate is 0.5. This means that when the area associated with the first SSB includes 500 terminal devices (500UE) with access requirements, the probability that the received power value of the first NTN device on the first resource is less than or equal to 500 (the horizontal coordinate is 500) is 50% (the vertical coordinate is 0.5), and the received power is most likely distributed in the range near 500. As can be seen from Figure 5A, there are obvious differences between the distributions of the received power values ​​of the first NTN device under different numbers of terminal devices. Based on this, in the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, determining the number of terminal devices based on the received power value is more accurate.

[0194] Please refer to Figure 5B. Compared with Figure 5A, the difference between Figure 5B is that the random cyclic shift corresponding to the preamble sequence sent by the terminal device is different. Figure 5A is illustrated by taking the random cyclic shift corresponding to the preamble sequence sent by the terminal device as 0 as an example, and Figure 5B is illustrated by taking the cyclic shift corresponding to the preamble sequence sent by the terminal device as a random cyclic shift as an example. The rest of the content is similar to Figure 5A and can be referred to each other. By comparing Figure 5A and Figure 5B, it can be seen that when random cyclic shift is adopted, the distribution of receiving power values ​​of different UE numbers is more concentrated. For example, in Figure 5B, when the area associated with the first SSB includes 500 terminal devices with access requirements, the receiving power value of the first NTN device on the first resource is basically distributed between 400 and 600. Subsequently, the number of terminal devices estimated based on the scheme of Figure 5B is more accurate.

[0195] Step 305: The first NTN device sends second configuration information.

[0196] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second configuration information.

[0197] The second configuration information is used to indicate a second resource. The second resource is used for random access by terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB. The second resource is determined based on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB.

[0198] Step 306: The terminal device sends a second preamble sequence in a resource in the second resource.

[0199] Correspondingly, the first NTN device receives a second preamble sequence in the second resource. The second preamble sequence is used for random access.

[0200] The message used to send the second preamble sequence may be a random access message, such as message A for two-step random access, or message 1 for four-step random access.

[0201] In an embodiment of the present application, the first NTN device can allocate resources for random access to terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB based on the number of terminal devices with access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB. The number of resources for random access allocated to the areas associated with the two SSBs may be different (or the same). The number of resources for random access can be understood as the number of ROs. For example, the number of ROs allocated to SSB#0 is 4, the number of ROs allocated to SSB#1 is 2, and the number of ROs allocated to SSB#3 is 4. In other words, the first NTN device can allocate random access resources at the granularity of the SSB-associated area (or beam granularity). Not all SSB-associated areas of a cell are allocated the same random access resources. This solution can then allocate random access resources more reasonably, meet the random access requirements in different areas, save resources, and improve resource utilization.

[0202] In another possible implementation, due to the granularity of the SSB-associated area (or beam granularity), the configuration information for configuring random access resources in an SSB-associated area (e.g., the second configuration information) varies with the number of access demands. Therefore, compared with other system messages, the configuration information for configuring random access resources (e.g., the second configuration information) may be updated more frequently. Based on this, in a possible implementation, the configuration information for configuring random access resources (e.g., the second configuration information) can be configured as a separate system message, and the system message is configured with an independent update period. The system message does not need to be updated at the same frequency as other system messages, thereby avoiding excessive repeated parsing of other system messages by the terminal device, thereby saving resource overhead.

[0203] In one possible implementation, the first NTN device may periodically determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, where the periodic duration may be, for example, milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc. In this way, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be kept relatively consistent with actual conditions.

[0204] In another possible implementation, the signal received by the first NTN device on the first resource can be used for multiple purposes. Steps 303 and 304 are examples and are not required steps and may not be performed. In another possible implementation, the number of terminal devices with access requirements determined by the first NTN device can be used for multiple purposes, such as allocating resources based on that number. Steps 305 and 306 are examples and are not required steps and may not be performed.

[0205] Based on the contents shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3, 4, 5A, and 5B, as well as the other contents described above, Figure 6 illustrates a possible flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. For ease of understanding, Figure 6 uses the interaction between a first NTN device and a second NTN device as an example. Figure 6 can also be considered an extended embodiment of Figure 3. For example, the second NTN device can be the satellite or chip (or chip system) within the satellite as shown in Figures 2A or 2B. Another example is the gateway (also known as a ground station, earth station, gateway, or gateway station) or chip (or chip system) within the gateway as shown in Figures 2A or 2B. Another example is the access network device (access network device deployed on a satellite or on the ground) or chip (or chip system) within the access network device as shown in Figures 2A or 2B. The second NTN device refers to a network device in a communication architecture that includes an NTN. The second NTN device can also be replaced by a network device. Alternatively, when the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application is applicable to other communication architectures, the second NTN device can also be replaced by the name of a device in the other communication architecture. For a related example of the first NTN device, reference may be made to the related description of FIG3 , which will not be described in detail.

[0206] The following is an introduction with reference to FIG6 .

[0207] Step 601: The first NTN device determines the number of terminal devices having random access requirements.

[0208] In step 601, the first NTN device may determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements through the solution provided in FIG. 3 (eg, steps 301, 302, 303, and 304), and the related content will not be repeated.

[0209] Step 602: The first NTN device sends first indication information.

[0210] Correspondingly, the second NTN device receives the first indication information.

[0211] The first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area. In this way, the second NTN device can determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area based on the first indication information, rather than using the solution provided in FIG. 3 (e.g., steps 301, 302, 303, and 304). Instead, the second NTN device can determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area based on the first indication information, thereby reducing the workload of the second NTN device.

[0212] In another possible implementation, the first indication information further indicates information of an area associated with the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, and the area may be an area associated with the first SSB. The first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the area associated with the first SSB. The first indication information may also include information for indicating the area associated with the first SSB, for example, it may include a beam identifier for the area. In this way, the second NTN device can determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in a certain area based on the first indication information, and then allocate resources (such as random access resources) at a regional granularity.

[0213] In another possible implementation, the first indication information further includes: validity period information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. The validity period information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements may, for example, include information on the remaining validity period of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements. In another possible implementation, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements may be determined periodically, and the duration of the period may, for example, be in the order of milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc. The validity period information of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements may include the remaining duration of the current period.

[0214] When the information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements indicated by the first indication information is within the validity period, the second NTN device can use this information to allocate resources for random access. When the information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements indicated by the first indication information becomes invalid (or after the validity period has expired), the second NTN device can re-determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area through the solution provided in Figure 3 (e.g., steps 301, 302, 303, and 304). In this way, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be kept relatively consistent with the actual situation.

[0215] In step 603, the second NTN device configures resources for random access of the terminal device according to the number of the terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area.

[0216] After the second NTN device obtains the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB associated area, it configures resources for random access for the terminal devices within the first SSB associated area based on the number. Furthermore, the second NTN device may also send configuration information to the terminal devices, instructing the terminal devices within the first SSB associated area to configure resources for random access. The terminal devices within the first SSB associated area may initiate random access to the second NTN device using these resources, for example, by sending a preamble sequence for random access using these resources. For related solutions, see aforementioned steps 305 and 306, which are similar and will not be described in detail here.

[0217] For the same area, such as the area associated with the first SSB, when the area sends an inter-satellite handover, for example, the first NTN device originally provided services for the area, and now the second NTN device provides services for the area. In this case, the first NTN device can send information about the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area to the second NTN device, thereby avoiding the second NTN device from repeatedly executing the solution for determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements, thereby saving power consumption of the second NTN device.

[0218] It is understood that to implement the functions described in the above embodiments, the first NTN device, the second NTN device, and the terminal device may include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the respective functions. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and method steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or via computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0219] Figures 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or NTN device in the above-described method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above-described method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal device as shown in Figure 2A or Figure 2B, or an NTN device (such as a satellite, gateway, or access network device) as shown in Figure 2A or Figure 2B, or a chip system applied to the terminal device or network device shown in Figure 2A or Figure 2B.

[0220] As shown in Figure 7 , communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. Communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of a terminal device, a first NTN device, or a second NTN device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 3 or 6 . Transceiver unit 1320, also known as a communication unit, may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit.

[0221] When communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of a terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 , in one possible implementation, transceiver unit 1320 is configured to receive first configuration information. Processing unit 1310 is configured to: send a first signal using a first resource, and the received power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

[0222] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, in one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to receive the second configuration information and send the second preamble code sequence in the resource in the second resource.

[0223] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 , in one possible implementation, the processing unit 1310 is configured to determine a transmit power value corresponding to the first signal based on the power value. The transceiver unit 1320 is configured to transmit the first signal on the first resource at the transmit power value corresponding to the first signal.

[0224] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, in one possible implementation, the processing unit 1310 is used to: determine the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal based on the power value and the position of the terminal device in the area associated with the first SSB.

[0225] When communication device 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the first NTN device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 , in one possible implementation, transceiver unit 1320 is configured to send first configuration information and receive a first signal on a first resource. Processing unit 1310 is configured to determine the number of terminal devices with random access requirements based on the received power value corresponding to the first resource.

[0226] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first NTN device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, in one possible implementation, the processing unit 1310 is used to: determine, based on the received power value corresponding to the first resource: the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB.

[0227] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first NTN device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 , in one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to: send the second configuration information and receive the second preamble sequence in the resource in the second resource.

[0228] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first NTN device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 , in a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1320 is used to send the first indication information.

[0229] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the second NTN device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 , in one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1320 is configured to: receive first indication information indicating the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area. The processing unit 1310 is configured to: configure resources for random access by the terminal devices based on the number of terminal devices with random access requirements within the first SSB association area.

[0230] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320 , reference may be made to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 6 .

[0231] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. The processor 1410 and the interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understandable that the interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. The transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter can be used to send information or signals, and the receiver can be used to receive information. Other functions can be implemented by the processor. The input / output interface is used to input and / or output information. Output can be understood as sending, and input can be understood as receiving. Other functions can be implemented by the processor. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1410 or storing input data required by the processor 1410 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0232] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 6 , the processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1310 , and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0233] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The terminal chip receives information from the base station, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sends information or signals to the base station, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0234] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip used in a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the NTN device in the aforementioned method embodiment. When the base station chip receives information from a terminal, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then transmitted to the base station chip by these modules. When the base station chip sends information or signals to a terminal, it can be understood that the information is transmitted to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then transmitted to the terminal by these modules.

[0235] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the method shown in Figure 3 or Figure 6 is implemented.

[0236] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which stores a computer program. The computer program includes program instructions, which, when executed by a computer, can implement the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 6 .

[0237] In this application, when entity A sends information or a signal to entity B, it can be done directly from A to B or indirectly through another entity. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be done directly from entity B or indirectly through another entity. Entities A and B herein can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within a RAN node or terminal. The sending and receiving of information can be information exchange between a RAN node and a terminal, for example, between a base station and a terminal; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between two RAN nodes, for example, between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between different modules within a device, for example, between a terminal chip and other modules in the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules within the base station.

[0238] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0239] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0240] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using 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. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions of the embodiments of the present application are performed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media, such as floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes; optical media, such as digital video disks; or semiconductor media, such as solid-state drives. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0241] In the various embodiments of the present 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 according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0242] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0243] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of this application (such as the numerical numbers "first" and "second", and the letter numbers "A1, A2", "B1, B2", "C1, C2", etc.) are only for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applicable to a terminal device, and the method includes: Receiving first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes information for indicating a first resource; Sending a first signal on the first resource, and a received power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first resource is associated with a first synchronization signal and a synchronization signal and broadcast channel block SSB; The received power value corresponding to the first resource is used to determine: the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement within the area associated with the first SSB.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first signal is a first preamble sequence, and the first configuration information further includes information for indicating the first preamble sequence.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The information for indicating the first preamble sequence includes information for indicating at least one of the following: The type of the first preamble sequence, the length of the first preamble sequence, the root sequence of the first preamble sequence, the number of repetitions of the first preamble sequence, and the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is cyclic shift 0; or, The cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a random cyclic shift.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to indicate a second resource, and the second resource is used for terminal devices within the area associated with the first SSB to perform random access, and the second resource is determined according to the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement within the area associated with the first SSB; Sending a second preamble sequence on a resource in the second resource, where the second preamble sequence is used for random access.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first resource satisfies one of the following: The first resource belongs to a resource corresponding to a random access opportunity RO associated with the first SSB; The first resource does not belong to a resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB, and a time domain of the first resource completely overlaps or partially overlaps with a resource corresponding to at least one random access opportunity associated with the first SSB.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first configuration information further includes: information for indicating a power value; The method further includes: Determining a transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value; The sending the first signal on the first resource includes: Sending the first signal on the first resource with the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The determining the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value includes: Determining the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal according to the power value and a position of the terminal device within the area associated with the first SSB.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The number of terminal devices having a random access requirement can be used to configure resources.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applicable to a first non-terrestrial network NTN device, and the method includes: Sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes information for indicating a first resource; Receiving a first signal on the first resource; Determining the number of terminal devices having a random access requirement according to a received power value corresponding to the first resource.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first resource is associated with a first synchronization signal and a synchronization signal and broadcast channel block SSB; Determining the number of terminal devices with random access requirements according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource includes: Determining, according to the received power value corresponding to the first resource, the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first signal is a first preamble sequence, and the first configuration information further includes information for indicating the first preamble sequence.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The information for indicating the first preamble sequence includes at least one of the following: The type of the first preamble sequence, the length of the first preamble sequence, the root sequence of the first preamble sequence, the repetition times of the first preamble sequence, and the cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is cyclic shift 0; or, The cyclic shift corresponding to the first preamble sequence is a random cyclic shift.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11-15, characterized in that The method further includes: Sending second configuration information for indicating a second resource, where the second resource is used by terminal devices in the area associated with the first SSB for random access, and the second resource is determined according to the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB; Receiving a second preamble sequence in the second resource, where the second preamble sequence is used for random access.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11-16, characterized in that, The first resource satisfies one of the following: The first resource belongs to the resource corresponding to the random access opportunity RO associated with the first SSB; The first resource does not belong to the resource corresponding to the RO associated with the first SSB, and the time domain of the first resource completely or partially overlaps with the resources corresponding to at least one random access opportunity associated with the first SSB.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11-17, characterized in that, The first configuration information further includes information for indicating a power value, and the transmission power value corresponding to the first signal is determined according to the power value.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The transmission power value corresponding to the first signal is determined according to the power value and the position of the terminal device in the area associated with the first SSB.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11-19, characterized in that, The method is applicable to a first NTN device, and the method includes: Sending first indication information for indicating the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, The first indication information further includes: Information about the coverage range of the area associated with the first SSB, where the first indication information is used to indicate the number of terminal devices with random access requirements in the area associated with the first SSB; and / or, Information about the validity period of the number of terminal devices with random access requirements.

22. The method according to any one of claims 11-21, characterized in that The number of terminal devices with random access requirements can be used to configure resources.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or including a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a processor, where the processor realizes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or realizes the method according to any one of claims 11 to 22 through logic circuits or by executing computer programs or instructions.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented, or the method described in any one of claims 11 to 22 is implemented.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product stores a computer program, the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method described in any one of claims 11 to 22.

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