Communication method, device, communication system, communication device and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of communication, and relates to a communication method, a device, a communication system, a communication device and a storage medium. The method comprises: a terminal sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device; starting a response time window, wherein the response time window is used for waiting for receiving a response message sent by the network device, and the response message comprises downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and receiving the response message in the response time window. After the terminal sends the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling to the network device, the response window is started, and the terminal waits for receiving the response message in the response window, thereby achieving the aim of sending data or signaling between the terminal and the network device.

Description

Communication method and device, communication system, communication device, and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device, a communication system, a communication device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] During the random access procedure, Mobile Originated Early Data Transmission (MO-EDT) allows a terminal to send user data in a single uplink data packet and a single uplink followed by a single downlink data packet.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and device, a communication system, a communication device, and a storage medium, which can be used in the field of communication technology to solve the bottleneck problem of system capacity in the EDT process.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, which is executed by a terminal, including: sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device; starting a response time window, the response time window being used to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and receiving the response message within the response time window.

[0006] According to the second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, which is executed by a network device, including: receiving uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by a terminal; determining a response time window, the response time window being used for the terminal to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and sending a response message to the terminal within the response time window.

[0007] According to the third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal is proposed, comprising a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein the transceiver module is used to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device; the processing module is used to start a response time window, and the response time window is used to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; the transceiver module is also used to receive a response message within the response time window.

[0008] According to the fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device is proposed, including a transceiver module and a processing module, the transceiver module being used to receive uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by a terminal; the processing module being used to determine a response time window, the response time window being used for the terminal to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; the transceiver module being further used to send a response message to the terminal within the response time window.

[0009] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is proposed, comprising one or more processors; wherein the one or more processors are used to call instructions so that the communication device executes the method described in any one of the first and second aspects.

[0010] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method of the second aspect.

[0011] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, wherein the storage medium stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes any one of the methods of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0012] According to the communication method proposed in this disclosure, a terminal sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device; a response window is initiated, which is used to wait for a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and the response message is received within the response window. After the terminal sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device, a response window is initiated, and the response message is waited for within the response window, thereby achieving the purpose of sending data or signaling between the terminal and the network device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG2 is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG3A is a schematic flow chart of a communication method for a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG3B is a flow chart of a communication method for a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG4A is a flow chart of a communication method for a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG4B is a flow chart of a communication method for a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG5 is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG6A is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG7A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG7B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and device, a communication system, a communication device, and a storage medium.

[0026] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which is executed by a terminal and includes: sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device; starting a response time window, where the response time window is used to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, where the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and receiving the response message within the response time window.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the terminal achieves the purpose of communication between the terminal and the network device by sending an uplink message to the network device and waiting to receive a response message from the network device within a response time window.

[0028] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: message 1 Msg1 and / or message 3 Msg3 for a first early data transmission EDT process, the first EDT process is a random access channel RACH EDT process, and the first EDT process includes Msg1, Msg2, Msg3, and Msg4; Msg3 for a second EDT process, the second EDT process is a Msg1-less EDT process, and the second EDT process includes Msg3 and Msg4; the downlink signaling includes at least one of the following: message 2 Msg2 and / or message 4 Msg4 for the first early data transmission EDT process; Msg4 for the second EDT process.

[0029] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device includes: sending uplink signaling based on the control plane, the uplink signaling carrying uplink data.

[0030] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device includes: sending uplink data based on the user plane and sending uplink signaling based on the control plane in a multiplexed manner.

[0031] In the above embodiments, the terminal may send uplink data and / or uplink signaling in different ways, such as sending signaling via the control plane, or sending data and / or signaling in a multiplexed manner by combining the control plane and the user plane.

[0032] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, starting the response time window includes waiting for a first period of time after the subframe for sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling ends, and starting the response time window.

[0033] In the above embodiment, by waiting for the first time period after the subframe for sending data or signaling ends and then starting the response time window, a certain response can be given to the terminal.

[0034] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first duration includes at least one of the following: a round-trip time RTT between the terminal and the network device; and a time offset.

[0035] In the above embodiments, in the case of different terminals, the delay may be RTT, or time offset, or include RTT and time offset.

[0036] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the subframe that ends sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: the end subframe of the last transmission of uplink data and / or uplink signaling that is repeatedly sent multiple times in one physical uplink shared channel PUSCH transmission; the end subframe of the last transmission of uplink data and / or uplink signaling that is repeatedly sent multiple times in each PUSCH transmission of the retransmitted PUSCH.

[0037] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: under the first condition, stopping the response time window.

[0038] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the response message received by the terminal includes the terminal identifier; the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the physical downlink control channel PDCCH of the terminal receiving the response message includes a first resource identifier, and the first resource identifier is the demodulation reference signal DMRS resource identifier and / or orthogonal cover code OCC resource identifier used by the terminal to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling; the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the PDCCH of the terminal receiving the response message is identified by the first network identifier, and the first network identifier is the radio network temporary identifier RNTI corresponding to the uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal; the terminal uses non-competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the response message received by the terminal includes layer 1 feedback L1-ACK; the response message received by the terminal includes a fallback indication, and the fallback indication is used to instruct the terminal to fall back to RACH EDT process: The terminal receives the PDCCH, which is identified by the RNTI configured for the terminal, and the media access control protocol data unit MAC PDU is successfully decoded.

[0039] In the above embodiment, by setting different conditions for stopping the response time window, the response time window is maintained, and the purpose of receiving the response message within the response time window is achieved.

[0040] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: performing a first operation when the response time window times out.

[0041] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first operation includes at least one of the following: falling back from the second EDT process to the first EDT process; retrying to execute the second EDT process when the number of attempts to execute the second EDT process is less than or equal to a preset threshold, otherwise falling back to the first EDT process; terminating the second EDT process.

[0042] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the length of the response time window is predefined by a protocol or configured by a network device.

[0043] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which is executed by a network device, including: receiving uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by a terminal; determining a response time window, the response time window being used for the terminal to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and sending a response message to the terminal within the response time window.

[0044] In the above embodiment, after receiving data and / or signaling sent by the terminal, the network device can determine a response time window for sending a response message to the terminal within the response time window, thereby achieving the purpose of communicating with the terminal within the response time window.

[0045] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: message 1 Msg1 and / or message 3 Msg3 for a first early data transmission EDT process, the first EDT process is a random access channel RACH EDT process, and the first EDT process includes Msg1, Msg2, Msg3, and Msg4; Msg3 for a second EDT process, the second EDT process is a Msg1-less EDT process, and the second EDT process includes Msg3 and Msg4; the downlink signaling includes at least one of the following: message 2 Msg2 and / or message 4 Msg4 for the first early data transmission EDT process; Msg4 for the second EDT process.

[0046] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, receiving uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal includes: receiving uplink signaling based on the control plane, the uplink signaling carrying uplink data.

[0047] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, receiving uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal includes: receiving uplink data based on the user plane and receiving uplink signaling based on the control plane in a multiplexing manner.

[0048] In the above embodiments, the network device may receive uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal in different ways, such as signaling sent by the control plane, or receiving signaling sent by the control plane and data sent by the user plane in a multiplexed manner.

[0049] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the start time of the response time window is: waiting for a first duration after the terminal finishes sending a subframe of uplink data and / or uplink signaling.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first duration includes at least one of the following: a round-trip time RTT between the terminal and the network device; and a time offset.

[0051] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the subframe at which the terminal ends sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: the end subframe of the last transmission of uplink data and / or uplink signaling repeatedly sent multiple times by the terminal in one physical uplink shared channel PUSCH transmission; the end subframe of the last transmission of uplink data and / or uplink signaling repeatedly sent multiple times in each PUSCH transmission in which the terminal retransmits PUSCH.

[0052] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the response time window stops under the first condition.

[0053] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following: the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the response message received by the terminal includes the terminal identifier; the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the physical downlink control channel PDCCH of the terminal receiving the response message includes a first resource identifier, and the first resource identifier is the demodulation reference signal DMRS resource identifier and / or orthogonal cover code OCC resource identifier used by the terminal to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling; the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the PDCCH of the terminal receiving the response message is identified by the first network identifier, and the first network identifier is the wireless network temporary identifier RNTI corresponding to the uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal; the terminal uses non-competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the response message received by the terminal includes layer 1 feedback L1-ACK; the response message received by the terminal includes a fallback indication, and the fallback indication is used to instruct the terminal to fall back to RACH EDT process: The terminal receives the PDCCH, which is identified by the RNTI configured for the terminal, and the media access control protocol data unit MAC PDU is successfully decoded.

[0054] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: performing a first operation when the response time window times out.

[0055] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first operation includes at least one of the following: falling back from the second EDT process to the first EDT process; retrying to execute the second EDT process when the number of attempts to execute the second EDT process is less than or equal to a preset threshold, otherwise falling back to the first EDT process; terminating the second EDT process.

[0056] In the above embodiment, after receiving uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal, the network device determines a response time window and sends a response message to the terminal within the response time window, thereby achieving the purpose of communication between the terminal and the network device.

[0057] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, comprising a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein the transceiver module is used to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device; the processing module is used to start a response time window, and the response time window is used to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, and the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling; the transceiver module is also used to receive a response message within the response time window.

[0058] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, comprising a transceiver module and a processing module, the transceiver module being used to receive uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by a terminal; the processing module being used to determine a response time window, the response time window being used for the terminal to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; the transceiver module being further used to send a response message to the terminal within the response time window.

[0059] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the one or more processors are used to call instructions so that the communication device executes the method described in any one of the embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0060] In the sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system, comprising: a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is used to execute the method described in any one of the embodiments in the first aspect of the present disclosure; the network device is used to execute the method described in any one of the embodiments in the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0061] In combination with some embodiments of the sixth aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal is at least one of the following: a non-terrestrial network NTN terminal; a reduced bandwidth and low complexity BL terminal; an enhanced coverage terminal; or a narrowband Internet of Things NB-IoT terminal.

[0062] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in any one of the embodiments of the first and second aspects of the present disclosure.

[0063] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0064] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0065] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, which includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects above.

[0066] It is understandable that the above-mentioned terminals, network devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, computer programs, chips, or chip systems are all used to perform the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0067] The present disclosure provides a communication method and device, a communication system, a communication device, and a storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms communication method and information processing method are interchangeable, the terms terminal, network device, information processing device, and communication device are interchangeable, and the terms information processing system and communication system are interchangeable.

[0068] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0069] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0070] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0071] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "the", "the", etc., can mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0072] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0073] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of", "at least one of", "at least one of", "one or more", "a plurality of", "multiple", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, descriptions such as “at least one of A, B, C…”, “A and / or B and / or C…”, etc. include the situation where any one of A, B, C… exists alone, and also include any combination of any multiple of A, B, C…, and each situation can exist alone; for example, “at least one of A, B, C” includes the situation where A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, the combination of A and B, the combination of A and C, the combination of B and C, and the combination of A, B, and C; for example, A and / or B includes the situation where A exists alone, B exists alone, and the combination of A and B.

[0075] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "in one case A, in another case B," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B," may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: executing A independently of B (in some embodiments, A); executing B independently of A (in some embodiments, B); selectively executing A and B (in some embodiments, selecting between A and B); and executing both A and B (in some embodiments, A and B). The same applies when there are more branches, such as A, B, and C.

[0076] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0077] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0078] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time / frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or the frequency domain.

[0079] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0080] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0081] In some embodiments, devices, etc. can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. Terms such as "device", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", and "subject" can be used interchangeably.

[0082] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.).

[0083] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station" "fixed station", "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0084] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0085] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced by a terminal. For example, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which the communication between the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the terminal is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, it is also possible to set the structure in which the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channels, downlink channels, etc. can be replaced by side channels, and uplinks, downlinks, etc. can be replaced by side links.

[0086] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device may have a structure that has all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0087] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0088] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0089] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0090] First, a brief introduction to the relevant terms in this application:

[0091] 1. Cellular Internet of Things (CIOT)

[0092] 2. Mobile Originated Early Data Transmission (MO-EDT)

[0093] In the solution of the present disclosure, Early Data Transmission may also be early data transmission, and early data transmission and early data transmission may be used interchangeably.

[0094] 3. Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC)

[0095] 4. Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS)

[0096] 5. Radio Resource Control (RRC)

[0097] 6. Common Control Channel (CCCH)

[0098] 7. Random Access Channel (RACH)

[0099] 8. Non-Access Stratum (NAS)

[0100] 9. Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH)

[0101] 10. Evolved Packet System (E-UTRAN + EPC collectively referred to as EPS)

[0102] 11. Mobile Management Entity (MME)

[0103] The MME is a key control node in the 3GPP LTE access network. It is responsible for locating idle-mode UEs (User Equipment), paging processes, and relaying. It is involved in the bearer activation / deactivation process and selects an S-GW (Serving GateWay) for a UE when it initializes and connects. It authenticates a user through interaction with the HSS and assigns a temporary ID. The MME also supports interception and monitoring within the scope permitted by law. The MME provides a control function interface for 2G / 3G access networks via the S3 interface. For roaming UEs, the S6a interface is also provided to the HSS.

[0104] 12. Serving GateWay (S-GW)

[0105] It is a gateway that terminates at the E-UTRAN interface. The main functions of this device include: acting as a local anchor point during inter-eNodeB handover and assisting in the eNodeB reordering function; acting as a mobility anchor point during handover between different 3GPP access systems (terminating at the S4 interface, implementing service routing between the 2G / 3G system and the P-GW), and also having a reordering function; performing lawful interception; routing and forwarding data packets; performing packet marking at the uplink and downlink transport layers; in idle state, buffering downlink packets and initiating network-triggered service requests; and being used for inter-operator billing, etc.

[0106] 13. Coverage Enhancement (CE)

[0107] 14. Bandwidth-reduced Low complexity UE (BLUE)

[0108] 15. Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI)

[0109] 16. Downlink (DL)

[0110] 17. Preconfigured Uplink(ul)Resources (PUR)

[0111] 18. Round Trip Time (RTT)

[0112] 19. Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)

[0113] 20. Non-terrestrial network (NTN)

[0114] 21. Protocol Data Unit (PDU): MAC layer protocol data unit

[0115] MO-EDT allows one uplink data transmission followed by one downlink data transmission during the random access procedure. MO-EDT is triggered when upper layers request the establishment or resumption of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection for mobile early data (i.e., non-signaling or SMS) and the uplink data size is less than or equal to the terabyte size indicated in the system information. When using user plane CIOT EPS / 5GS optimization, MO-EDT is not used for data on the control plane. MO-EDT is only applicable to Basic IoT users, IoT users with enhanced coverage, and cellular-based narrowband IoT users.

[0116] The characteristics of MO-EDT when using user plane CIOT EPS / 5GS optimization are as follows: uplink user data is transmitted in a NAS message in the UL RRC Early Data Request message attached to the CCCH; downlink user data can be optionally transmitted in a NAS message in the DL RRC Early Data Request message attached to the CCCH; there is no transition to an RRC connection.

[0117] The existing EDT process is based on the random access process. To send uplink data, the UE must go through at least four steps: sending Msg1; receiving Msg2; sending Msg3; receiving Msg4. The random access process includes: (1) a two-step random access process: the terminal sends MsgA; the network feeds back MsgB; the terminal matches MsgB with MsgA to determine whether the contention is resolved. (2) a four-step random access process: the terminal sends Msg1; the network feeds back Msg2; the terminal sends Msg3 based on the UL grant of Msg2; the network feeds back Msg4; the terminal matches Msg3 with Msg4 to determine whether the contention is resolved. Single PRACH transmission means that the UE sends a preamble to the network device at one time, or in other words, the UE sends a message 1 (Msg1) to the network device at one time. Similarly, multi-PRACH transmission means that the UE sends multiple preambles to the network device at one time, or in other words, the UE sends multiple Msg1s to the network device at one time. Currently, uplink capacity is increased through OCC, but this can only increase the capacity of Msg1 and Msg3, while Msg2 and Msg4 will become bottlenecks restricting system capacity.

[0118] To address the above issues, this disclosure proposes an EDT method without Msg1 / Msg2, namely, only Msg3 and Msg4, hereinafter referred to as Msg1-Less EDT. Msg3 is sent directly without Msg1 and Msg2, while Msg4 is transmitted efficiently to increase the capacity of Msg4. After the UE sends Msg3 in Msg1-Less EDT, it needs to activate a receive window to wait for Msg4.

[0119] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a communication method and device, a communication system, a communication device, and a storage medium, wherein a terminal sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device; initiates a response time window, which is used to wait for a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and receives the response message within the response time window. After the terminal sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device, a response window is initiated, and the response message is waited for within the response window, thereby achieving the purpose of the terminal sending data or signaling to the network device.

[0120] The method proposed in the present disclosure is applicable to various communication systems, including but not limited to 4G, 5G, 5G-advance and subsequent communication technologies (such as 6G, etc.).

[0121] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 may include a terminal 101 and a network device 102 .

[0122] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a device that sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling.

[0123] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a device that initiates a response window.

[0124] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a device that receives a response message.

[0125] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a device that performs the first operation.

[0126] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a device for determining the first condition.

[0127] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a device that performs the first EDT process.

[0128] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a device that performs the second EDT process.

[0129] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may be a non-terrestrial network (NTN) terminal.

[0130] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a BL terminal.

[0131] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be an enhanced coverage terminal.

[0132] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may be a NB-IoT terminal.

[0133] In some embodiments, the name of the terminal 101 is not limited, and it can be, for example, "a device for sending uplink data", "a device for sending uplink signaling", "a device for receiving response messages", or "a device for performing the first operation".

[0134] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may be a device that receives uplink data.

[0135] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may be a device that receives uplink signaling.

[0136] In some embodiments, network device 102 may be the device that sends the response message.

[0137] In some embodiments, network device 102 may be a device that determines a response time window.

[0138] In some embodiments, the name of the network device 102 is not limited, and it can be, for example, "a receiving device for uplink data", "a sending device for response messages", "a receiving device for uplink signaling", "a determining device for response time windows", etc.

[0139] In some embodiments, the terminal may include at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication capabilities, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0140] In some embodiments, the access network device may include at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved node B (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, and an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0141] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0142] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0143] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a device including one or more network elements, or may be multiple devices or device groups, each including all or part of the one or more network elements. The network element may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0144] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0145] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1, or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in Figure 1 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in Figure 1, or may include other entities outside of Figure 1. The number and form of the entities may be arbitrary. The connection relationship between the entities is illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0146] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future Generation Radio Access (FX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.17 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.18 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.19 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.21 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.22 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.23 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.24 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.25 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.26 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.27 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.28 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.29 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.30 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.31 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.32 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.33 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other user plane path establishment methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these systems. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0147] Figure 2 is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method that can be executed by a communication system, such as the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1. The communication system includes a terminal and a network device. The interactive method may include the following steps:

[0148] Step 2101: The terminal sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device.

[0149] In some embodiments, the uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: message 1 Msg1 and / or message 3 Msg3 for a first early data transmission EDT process, the first EDT process is a random access channel RACH EDT process, and the first EDT process includes Msg1, Msg2, Msg3, and Msg4; Msg3 for a second EDT process, the second EDT process is a Msg1-less EDT process, and the second EDT process includes Msg3 and Msg4.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first early data transmission and the first advance data transmission may be used interchangeably.

[0151] In some embodiments, the terminal may send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device based on RACHEDT or Msg1-less EDT, wherein the uplink signaling in the RACHEDT process may be Msg1 or Msg3, and the uplink signaling in the Msg1-less EDT process may be Msg3.

[0152] In some embodiments, the resource used by the terminal to send uplink signaling may be a competitive resource or a non-competitive resource.

[0153] For example, the resources sent by Msg3 for Msg1-Less EDT can be competitive resources or non-competitive resources. For non-competitive resources, it can be a PUR resource that contains a UE-specific OCC resource configuration. For competitive resources, the UE is not configured with a unique OCC / DMRS resource. When using competitive resources, the UE needs to select an OCC / DMRS resource from the OCC / DMRS resource pool. Competitive resources can be sent to the UE through system messages or dedicated signaling, and non-competitive resources are sent to the UE through dedicated signaling. In some embodiments, the terminal sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device can be based on uplink signaling sent by the control plane, and the uplink signaling carries uplink data.

[0154] In some embodiments, the terminal may send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device in a multiplexed manner, sending uplink data based on the user plane and sending uplink signaling based on the control plane.

[0155] In some embodiments, the terminal may send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device based on the above two methods.

[0156] For example, Msg3 of Msg1-Less EDT includes one or more of the following: UL RRC early data request information based on the control plane CIOT EPS / 5GS; uplink user data transmission of the user plane CIOT EPS / 5GS and UL RRC connection recovery request message on the control plane CCCH are sent in a multiplexed manner.

[0157] In some embodiments, the terminal sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device also includes requesting the network device to configure a response time window.

[0158] Step 2102: The network device determines a response time window.

[0159] In some embodiments, determining the response time window may be that the network device determines the length, the start node, and / or the end node of the response time window.

[0160] In some embodiments, the network device determining the response time window may be that the network device determines the length of the response time window and configures the length of the response time window for the terminal.

[0161] In some embodiments, the network device determines a response time window for the network device to send a response message to the terminal within the response time window.

[0162] Step 2103: The terminal starts a response time window.

[0163] In some embodiments, the terminal initiating the response time window may be determining the length, the start node and / or the end node of the response time window.

[0164] In some embodiments, the length of the response time window is configured by the network device.

[0165] In some embodiments, the terminal may determine the response time window by configuring the length of the response time window based on a length predefined by a protocol.

[0166] For example, the length of the response time window is configured by the network, or the length of the response time window may be configured by the CE level.

[0167] In some embodiments, the terminal determines a response time window for the terminal to receive a response message sent by the network device within the response time window.

[0168] In some embodiments, starting the response time window may be used for the terminal to receive a response message within the response time window. In other words, if the response time window is not started, the terminal cannot receive a response message sent by the network device.

[0169] In some embodiments, starting the response time window may be starting the response time window by waiting for a first time period after the subframe in which uplink data and / or uplink signaling is finished being sent.

[0170] In some embodiments, the subframe at which uplink data and / or uplink signaling ends being sent may be the subframe at which the last uplink data and / or uplink signaling is repeatedly sent multiple times in one physical uplink shared channel PUSCH transmission.

[0171] In some embodiments, the terminal may send a PUSCH to the network device once, and repeatedly send uplink data and / or uplink signaling multiple times in one PUSCH. Each repeated transmission may be called a repetition. The subframe that ends sending the uplink data and / or uplink signaling may be the end subframe of the last repetition, that is, the end position of the last repetition.

[0172] In some embodiments, the first duration may be a round-trip time (RTT) between the terminal and the network device.

[0173] In some embodiments, the size of the RTT may be determined by the NTN network propagation delay, which may include the propagation delay from the terminal to the satellite and the propagation delay from the satellite to the base station.

[0174] For example, the start time of the terminal response time window is the duration of waiting for an RTT after the subframe of the PUSCH transmission end position, the PUSCH transmission end position is the end position of the last repeatedly sent Msg3 of the PUSCH, and the terminal is an NTN terminal.

[0175] In some embodiments, the first duration may be a time offset.

[0176] In some embodiments, the time offset may be the processing delay of the terminal in determining whether to open the response time window or the length of a subframe added to ensure normal reception of resources. The time offset may be multiple subframes.

[0177] For example, the time offset may be 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 subframes.

[0178] For example, the start time of the terminal response time window is the duration of waiting for a time offset after the subframe of the PUSCH transmission end position, the PUSCH transmission end position is the end position of the last repeated Msg3 sent by PUSCH, and the terminal is an NB-IoT terminal or a BL terminal or a CE terminal.

[0179] In some embodiments, the first duration may be the RTT and time offset between the terminal and the network device.

[0180] For example, the start time of the terminal response time window is the duration of waiting for an RTT plus a time offset after the subframe of the PUSCH transmission end position, the PUSCH transmission end position is the end position of the last repeated Msg3 sent by PUSCH, and the terminal is an NTN terminal.

[0181] In some embodiments, the subframe at which uplink data and / or uplink signaling ends being sent may be the end subframe of the last transmission of uplink data and / or uplink signaling that is repeatedly sent multiple times in each PUSCH transmission of the retransmitted PUSCH.

[0182] In some embodiments, the terminal may repeatedly send PUSCH to the network device one or more times, and repeatedly send uplink data and / or uplink signaling multiple times in each PUSCH sent. Each repeated sending of uplink data and / or uplink signaling can be called a repetition, and the subframe that ends sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling can be the end subframe of the last repetition, that is, the position of the last repetition.

[0183] In some embodiments, the first duration may be a round-trip time (RTT) between the terminal and the network device.

[0184] For example, the terminal may restart the response time window by waiting for an RTT after the subframe at the end of the retransmission, where the subframe at the end of the retransmission is the end position of the last repeated Msg3 of the retransmission PUSCH. The terminal is an NTN terminal.

[0185] In some embodiments, the first duration may be a time offset.

[0186] For example, the terminal can restart the response time window, and the time for restarting the response time window is the length of time to wait for a time offset after the subframe at the end of the retransmission position, where the subframe at the end of the retransmission position is the end position of the last repeated Msg3 of the retransmission PUSCH. The terminal is an NB-IoT terminal, a BL terminal, or a CE terminal.

[0187] In some embodiments, the first duration may be a round-trip time (RTT) and a time offset between the terminal and the network device.

[0188] For example, the terminal can restart the response time window by waiting for an RTT plus the time offset after the subframe at the end of the retransmission. The subframe at the end of the retransmission is the end position of the last repeated Msg3 of the retransmission PUSCH. The terminal is an NTN terminal.

[0189] In the above embodiment, the terminal starts the response time window to receive the response message sent by the network device.

[0190] Step 2104: The network device sends a response message to the terminal.

[0191] In some embodiments, the network device sending the response message to the terminal may be sending Msg to the terminal through downlink signaling.

[0192] In some embodiments, the response message sent by the network device is sent based on uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal.

[0193] In some embodiments, the downlink signaling includes at least one of the following: message 2 Msg2 and / or message 4 Msg4 for the first early data transmission EDT process; Msg4 for the second EDT process.

[0194] For example, in the RACHEDT process, the terminal sends Msg1 to the network device. After receiving Msg1, the network device sends Msg2 to the terminal within the response time window.

[0195] For example, in the RACHEDT process, the terminal sends Msg3 to the network device. After receiving Msg3, the network device sends Msg4 to the terminal within the response time window.

[0196] For example, in the Msg1-Less EDT process, the terminal sends Msg3 to the network device. After receiving Msg3, the network device sends Msg4 to the terminal within the response time window.

[0197] In some embodiments, the network device sends a response message to the terminal within a response time window.

[0198] For example, the network device sends Msg4 to the terminal within the response time window.

[0199] For example, the network device sends a response message Msg4 including the terminal identifier to the terminal within the response time window.

[0200] For example, the network device sends Msg4 to the terminal within the response time window, where the PDCCH of Msg4 includes the DMRS resource ID and / or OCC resource ID used by the terminal when sending Msg3.

[0201] For example, the network device sends Msg4 to the terminal within the response time window, wherein the PDCCH of Msg4 is identified by the RNTI corresponding to Msg3 sent by the terminal.

[0202] For example, the network device sends Msg4 including L1-ACK to the terminal within the response time window.

[0203] For example, the network device sends Msg4 containing a Fallback indication to the terminal within the response time window.

[0204] For example, the network device sends Msg4 to the terminal within the response time window, and the PDCCH of Msg4 is identified by the RNTI configured for the terminal.

[0205] Step 2105: The terminal stops responding to the time window.

[0206] In some embodiments, the terminal stops responding to the time window under the first condition.

[0207] In some embodiments, after the terminal stops responding to the time window, it no longer sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device, and accordingly, no longer receives a response message sent by the network device.

[0208] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal uses competitive resources to transmit uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the response message received by the terminal includes the terminal's identifier. In other words, if the terminal receives a message including its own identifier, it indicates that the current response message is sent to the terminal, and the terminal no longer needs to wait for the response message, and the response time window is terminated.

[0209] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources to send Msg1-Msg3 of the Less EDT process. When the terminal receives the response message Msg4 including the terminal identifier, the terminal stops the response window.

[0210] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACHEDT process. When the terminal receives the response message Msg2 or Msg4 containing the terminal identifier, the terminal stops the response window.

[0211] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the physical downlink control channel PDCCH of the terminal receiving the response message includes a first resource identifier, and the first resource identifier is the demodulation reference signal DMRS resource identifier and / or orthogonal cover code OCC resource identifier used by the terminal to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling.

[0212] For example, the terminal uses contention resources to send Msg3 of the Msg1-Less EDT process. The terminal receives the PDCCH of Msg4 including the DMRS resource ID and / or OCC resource ID used by the terminal to send Msg3, and the terminal stops the response window.

[0213] For example, the terminal uses contention resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACH EDT process. When the terminal receives the PDCCH of Msg2 or Msg4 including the DMRS resource ID and / or OCC resource ID used by the terminal to send Msg1 or Msg3, the terminal stops responding to the window.

[0214] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, the response message received by the terminal contains the terminal identifier, and the physical downlink control channel PDCCH of the response message includes a first resource identifier, and the first resource identifier is the demodulation reference signal DMRS resource identifier and / or orthogonal cover code OCC resource identifier used by the terminal to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling.

[0215] For example, the terminal uses contention resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACH EDT process. The terminal receives the PDCCH of Msg2 or Msg4 including the terminal identifier and the DMRS resource ID and / or OCC resource ID used by the terminal when sending Msg1 or Msg3, and the terminal stops responding to the window.

[0216] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources to send Msg3 of the Msg1-Less EDT process. The terminal receives Msg4 containing the terminal's identifier, and the PDCCH of Msg4 includes the DMRS resource ID and / or OCC resource ID used by the terminal when sending Msg3. The terminal stops responding to the window.

[0217] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the PDCCH on which the terminal receives the response message is identified by a first network identifier, which is the wireless network temporary identifier RNTI corresponding to the terminal sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling.

[0218] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources to send Msg3 of the Msg1-Less EDT process. The UE receives the PDCCH of Msg4 and identifies it through the RNTI corresponding to the Msg3 sent by the terminal, and the terminal stops the response window.

[0219] For example, the terminal uses contention resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACH EDT process. When the UE receives the PDCCH of Msg2 or Msg4, it is identified by the RNTI corresponding to the Msg1 or Msg3 sent by the terminal, and the terminal stops the response window.

[0220] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal uses competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, the response message received by the terminal contains the terminal's identifier, and the PDCCH of the response message is identified by the first network identifier, which is the wireless network temporary identifier RNTI corresponding to the terminal sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling.

[0221] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources to send Msg3 of the Msg1-Less EDT process. The UE receives Msg4 containing the terminal identifier, and the PDCCH of Msg4 is identified by the RNTI corresponding to Msg3 sent by the terminal, and the terminal stops responding to the window.

[0222] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACH EDT process. The UE receives Msg2 or Msg4 containing the terminal identifier, and the PDCCH of Msg2 or Msg4 is identified by the RNTI corresponding to Msg1 or Msg3 sent by the terminal, and the terminal stops responding to the window.

[0223] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal uses competitive resources to transmit uplink data and / or uplink signaling, the response message received by the terminal includes an identifier of the terminal, and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the response message includes a first resource identifier, where the first resource identifier is a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) resource identifier and / or an orthogonal cover code (OCC) resource identifier used by the terminal to transmit uplink data and / or uplink signaling. The PDCCH of the response message is identified by a first network identifier, where the first network identifier is a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) corresponding to the uplink data and / or uplink signaling transmitted by the terminal.

[0224] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources to send Msg3 of the Msg1-Less EDT process, the UE receives Msg4 containing the terminal identifier, and the PDCCH of Msg4 includes the terminal identifier and the DMRS resource ID and / or OCC resource ID used by the terminal when sending Msg1 or Msg3. The PDCCH is identified by the RNTI corresponding to the Msg3 sent by the terminal, and the terminal stops responding to the window.

[0225] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACH EDT process, the UE receives Msg2 or Msg4 containing the terminal identifier, and the PDCCH of Msg2 or Msg4 includes the terminal identifier and the DMRS resource ID and / or OCC resource ID used by the terminal when sending Msg1 or Msg3. The PDCCH is identified by the RNTI corresponding to the Msg1 or Msg3 sent by the terminal, and the terminal stops the response window.

[0226] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal uses non-competitive resources to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling, and the response message received by the terminal includes layer 1 feedback L1-ACK.

[0227] For example, the terminal uses non-contention resources to send Msg3 of the Msg1-Less EDT process. If the terminal receives Msg4 including L1-ACK, the UE stops the response window.

[0228] For example, the terminal uses non-contention resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACH EDT process. If the terminal receives Msg2 or Msg4 containing L1-ACK, the UE stops the response window.

[0229] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the response message received by the terminal includes a fallback indication, where the fallback indication is used to instruct the terminal to fall back to the RACH EDT process.

[0230] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources or non-competitive resources to send Msg3 of the Msg1-Less EDT process. If the terminal receives Msg4 containing a Fallback indication, the UE stops the response window.

[0231] For example, the terminal uses contention resources or non-contention resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACH EDT process. If the terminal receives Msg2 or Msg4 containing a Fallback indication, the UE stops the response window.

[0232] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal receives a PDCCH, the PDCCH is identified by an RNTI configured for the terminal, and the medium access control protocol data unit MAC PDU is successfully decoded.

[0233] In some embodiments, the first condition may be that the terminal receives a PDCCH identified by an RNTI configured for the terminal, and the medium access control protocol data unit MAC PDU is successfully decoded.

[0234] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources or non-competitive resources to send Msg3 of the Msg1-Less EDT process. If the terminal receives a PDCCH identified by the RNTI configured for the terminal and the MAC PDU is successfully decoded, the terminal stops the response window.

[0235] For example, the terminal uses competitive resources or non-competitive resources to send Msg1 or Msg3 of the RACH EDT process. If the terminal receives a PDCCH identified by the RNTI configured for the terminal and the MAC PDU is successfully decoded, the terminal stops the response window.

[0236] In the above embodiment, the first condition for the terminal to stop responding to the time window may be a combination of one or more of the above embodiments, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0237] In the above embodiment, the terminal determines whether to end the response time window based on the received response message.

[0238] In the above embodiment, the purpose of controlling the terminal receiving window is achieved by setting different conditions for the terminal to end the response time window.

[0239] Step 2106: The terminal performs the first operation.

[0240] In some embodiments, the terminal performs a first operation when the response time window times out.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first operation may be to fall back from the second EDT process to the first EDT process.

[0242] For example, when the response time window times out, the terminal falls back from the Msg1-Less EDT process to the RACH-based EDT process.

[0243] In some embodiments, the first operation may be to retry executing the second EDT process when the number of attempts to execute the second EDT process is less than or equal to a preset threshold, and otherwise fall back to the first EDT process.

[0244] In some embodiments, the preset threshold may be a threshold configured by the network device.

[0245] For example, when the response time window times out, if the number of attempts to use Msg1-Less EDT is less than or equal to the threshold, the terminal retries Msg1-Less EDT. Otherwise, it falls back to RACH-based EDT or terminates Msg1-Less EDT.

[0246] In some embodiments, the first operation may be to terminate the second EDT process.

[0247] For example, when the response time window of the terminal times out, the terminal terminates Msg1-Less EDT.

[0248] For example, when the response time window times out, if the number of attempts to send Msg1-Less EDT is less than or equal to the threshold, the terminal retries the Msg1-Less EDT. Otherwise, the terminal terminates the Msg1-Less EDT.

[0249] In the above embodiment, based on the timeout of the response time window, the terminal may perform any of the above first operations, continue to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling in step 2101, or fall back to the RACH-based EDT process, or terminate the EDT process.

[0250] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps 2101 to 2106. For example, step 2101 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 2102 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and so on, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Steps 2101+2102, step 2101+2102+2103, step 2101+2102+2103+2104, step 2101+2102+2103+2104+2105, step 2101+2102+2103+2105, step 2101+2102+2103+2105+2106, and step 2101+2102+2103+2104+2105+2106 can be implemented as independent embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0251] In some embodiments, step 2104 and step 2106 are optional, and all or part of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0252] In this embodiment or example, unless there is any contradiction, each step can be independent, arbitrarily combined or exchanged in order, the optional methods or optional examples can be arbitrarily combined, and can be arbitrarily combined with any steps of other embodiments or other examples.

[0253] FIG3A is a flow chart of a communication method of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0254] Step 3101: Send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device.

[0255] The optional implementation of step 3101 can refer to the optional implementation of step 2101 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0256] Step 3102, start the response time window.

[0257] For optional implementations of step 3102, reference may be made to the optional implementations of step 2103 in FIG. 2 and other related parts of the embodiment involved in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0258] Step 3103: Receive a response message sent by the network device.

[0259] For optional implementations of step 3103, please refer to the optional implementations of step 2104 in FIG. 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0260] Step 3104, stop the response time window.

[0261] For optional implementations of step 3104, please refer to the optional implementations of step 2105 in FIG. 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0262] Step 3105, perform the first operation.

[0263] For optional implementations of step 3105, please refer to the optional implementations of step 2106 in FIG. 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0264] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps 3101 to 3105. For example, step 3101 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 3102 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. And so on, but the present invention is not limited to this. Steps 3101+3102, steps 3101+3102+3103, steps 3101+3102+3103+3104, steps 3101+3102+3104+3105, and steps 3101+3102+3103+3104+3105 can be implemented as independent embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0265] FIG3B is a flow chart of a communication method of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0266] Step 3201: Send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device.

[0267] Optional implementations of step 3201 can be found in step 2101 of FIG. 2 , optional implementations of step 3101 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0268] Step 3202: Start a response time window. The response time window is used to wait for a response message sent by a network device, where the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling.

[0269] The optional implementation of step 3202 can be found in step 2103 of FIG. 2 , the optional implementation of step 3102 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0270] Step 3203: Receive a response message within the response time window.

[0271] Optional implementations of step 3203 can be found in step 2104 of FIG. 2 , optional implementations of step 3103 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0272] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, step 3201 may be combined with step 3102 in FIG. 3A , and step 3203 may be combined with step 3104 in FIG. 3A .

[0273] FIG4A is a flow chart of a communication method for a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0274] Step 4101: Receive uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal.

[0275] The optional implementation of step 4101 can refer to the optional implementation of step 2101 in Figure 2, step 3101 in Figure 3A, step 3201 in Figure 3B, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 3A, and 3B, which will not be repeated here.

[0276] Step 4102: Determine the response time window.

[0277] The optional implementation of step 4102 can refer to the optional implementation of step 2102 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0278] Step 4103: Send a response message to the terminal.

[0279] The optional implementation of step 4103 can refer to the optional implementation of step 2104 in Figure 2 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0280] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps 4101 to 4103. For example, step 4101 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 4102 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. And so on, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Steps 4101 + 4103 and steps 4101 + 4102 + 4103 can be implemented as independent embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0281] FIG4B is a flow chart of a communication method for a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0282] Step 4201: Receive uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the terminal.

[0283] The optional implementation of step 4201 can be found in step 2101 of Figure 2, step 3101 of Figure 3A, step 3201 of Figure 3B, the optional implementation of step 4101 of Figure 4A, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 3A, 3B, and 4A, which will not be repeated here.

[0284] Step 4202, determine the response time window.

[0285] The response time window is used for the terminal to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, where the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling.

[0286] The optional implementation of step 4202 can refer to step 2102 in Figure 2, the optional implementation of step 4102 in Figure 4A, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2 and 4A, which will not be repeated here.

[0287] Step 4203: Send a response message to the terminal within the response time window.

[0288] The optional implementation of step 4203 can be found in step 2104 of FIG. 2 , the optional implementation of step 4103 of FIG. 4A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0289] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, step 4201 may be combined with step 4102 in FIG. 4A .

[0290] FIG5 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5 , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, and the method includes:

[0291] Step 5101: The terminal sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device.

[0292] The optional implementation methods of step 5101 can be found in step 2101 of Figure 2, step 3101 of Figure 3A, step 3201 of Figure 3B, step 4101 of Figure 4A, and step 4201 of Figure 4B, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B, which will not be repeated here.

[0293] Step 5102, start the response time window.

[0294] The response time window is used to wait for a response message sent by a network device, where the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling;

[0295] The optional implementation of step 5102 can refer to the optional implementation of step 2103 in Figure 2, step 3103 in Figure 3A, step 3202 in Figure 3B, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 3A, and 3B, which will not be repeated here.

[0296] Step 5103: Receive a response message within the response time window.

[0297] For the optional implementation of step 5103, please refer to step 2104 of Figure 2, step 3103 of Figure 3A, step 3203 of Figure 3B, step 4103 of Figure 4A, and step 4203 of Figure 4B, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B, which will not be repeated here.

[0298] In some embodiments, the above method may include the method described in the above terminal side, network device side, etc. embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0299] In this embodiment or example, unless there is any contradiction, each step can be independent, arbitrarily combined or exchanged in order, the optional methods or optional examples can be arbitrarily combined, and can be arbitrarily combined with any steps of other embodiments or other examples.

[0300] In summary, the communication method proposed in this disclosure includes sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to a network device via a terminal; initiating a response window, which is used to wait for a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and receiving the response message within the response window. After the terminal sends uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device, the response window is initiated and the response message is waited for within the response window, thereby achieving the purpose of sending data or signaling between the terminal and the network device.

[0301] The following describes a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes the following steps:

[0302] 1. Send Msg3 of Msg1-Less EDT. The UE can send Msg3 in the following two ways:

[0303] 1.1. The resources sent in Msg3 for Msg1-Less EDT can be either competitive or non-competitive resources. Non-competitive resources can be PUR resources that include a UE-specific OCC resource configuration. For competitive resources, the UE is not configured with a unique OCC / DMRS resource. When using competitive resources, the UE must select an OCC / DMRS resource from the OCC / DMRS resource pool. Competitive resources can be sent to the UE via system messages or dedicated signaling, while non-competitive resources are sent to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0304] 1.2. Msg3 of Msg1-Less EDT includes one or more of the following: UL RRC early data request information based on CIOT EPS / 5GS on the control plane; uplink user data transmission of CIOT EPS / 5GS on the user plane and UL RRC connection recovery request message on CCCH are multiplexed and sent.

[0305] Optionally, Msg1-Less EDT may be the second EDT process.

[0306] Optionally, the optional implementation of step 1 can refer to the optional implementation of step 2101 of Figure 2, step 3101 of Figure 3A, step 3201 of Figure 3B, step 4101 of Figure 4A, step 4201 of Figure 4B, and step 5101 of Figure 5, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, and 5, which will not be repeated here.

[0307] 2. Start the response window.

[0308] Optionally, the response window can be replaced with a response time window.

[0309] The start time of the UE response window is the subframe containing the end position of the PUSCH transmission + UE-gNB RTT + X.

[0310] Optionally, the RTT round trip time is determined by two propagation delays, one from the UE to the satellite and the other from the satellite to the base station.

[0311] 2.1, X is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 subframes.

[0312] Alternatively, X may be a time offset.

[0313] 2.2. The PUSCH transmission end position is the end position of the last PUSCH repetition.

[0314] Optionally, the length of the response window is configured by the network, or the length of the response window can be configured by the CE level.

[0315] In the above embodiment, the UE is an NTN UE.

[0316] 3. Restart the response window.

[0317] If the UE receives a retransmission schedule within the response window, the UE restarts the response window at the subframe where the retransmission ends + UE-gNB RTT + X.

[0318] 3.1, X is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 subframes.

[0319] Alternatively, X may be a time offset.

[0320] 3.2. The retransmission end position is the end position of the last repetition of the retransmitted PUSCH.

[0321] In the above embodiment, the UE is an NTN UE.

[0322] Optionally, the optional implementation methods of step 2 and step 3 can refer to the optional implementation methods of step 2102, step 2103 of Figure 2, step 3102 of Figure 3A, step 3202 of Figure 3B, step 4102 of Figure 4A, step 4202 of Figure 4B, and step 5102 of Figure 5, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, and 5, which will not be repeated here.

[0323] 4. The UE stops responding to the window.

[0324] Optionally, the condition for stopping the response window may be the first condition.

[0325] 4.1. If the UE uses contention resources to send Msg1-Msg3 of Less EDT, if the UE receives a response message containing the UE identity, the UE stops the response window.

[0326] 4.1.1. The PDCCH of Msg4 received by the UE includes the DMRS resource ID and / or OCC resource ID used by the UE to send Msg3, and the UE stops responding to the window.

[0327] 4.1.2. The UE receives the PDCCH of Msg4 and identifies it through the RNTI corresponding to the Msg3 sent by the UE, and the UE stops the response window.

[0328] Optionally, step 4.1 can be combined with step 4.1.1 as a condition for stopping the response window.

[0329] Optionally, step 4.1 can be combined with step 4.1.2 as a condition for stopping the response window.

[0330] Optionally, step 4.1 can be combined with steps 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 as a condition for stopping the response window.

[0331] 4.2. The UE uses non-competitive resources to send Msg3 of Msg1-Less EDT. If the UE receives Msg4 containing L1-ACK, the UE stops the response window.

[0332] 4.3. If the UE receives Msg4 containing a fallback indication, the UE stops responding to the window.

[0333] 4.4. If the UE receives a PDCCH identified by the RNTI configured for the UE and the MAC PDU is successfully decoded, the UE stops the response window.

[0334] Optionally, the conditions of each embodiment in step 4 can be independent or combined.

[0335] Optionally, the optional implementation of step 4 can refer to the optional implementation of step 2104, step 2105 in Figure 2, step 3103, step 3104 in Figure 3A, step 4102 in Figure 4A, step 4202 in Figure 4B, and step 5103 in Figure 5, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2, 3A, 4A, 4B, and 5, which will not be repeated here.

[0336] 5. When the response window times out, the UE performs any of the following operations:

[0337] 5.1. UE falls back to RACH-based EDT.

[0338] Optionally, RACH-based EDT may be the first EDT process.

[0339] 5.2. If the number of times the UE attempts Msg1-Less EDT is less than or equal to the threshold, the UE retries Msg1-Less EDT. Otherwise, the UE falls back to RACH-based EDT or terminates Msg1-Less EDT.

[0340] Optionally, the threshold value may be a preset threshold value, and the network device configures the maximum number of times the terminal attempts the second EDT process.

[0341] 5.3. The UE terminates Msg1-Less EDT.

[0342] Optionally, the optional implementation of step 5 can refer to the optional implementation of step 2106 in Figure 2, step 3105 in Figure 3A, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2 and 3A, which will not be repeated here.

[0343] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps 1 to 5. For example, step 1 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 2 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 3 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and so on, without limitation thereto. Step 1+2 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 1+3 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 1+2+4 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 1+3+4 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 1+2+4+5 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 1+3+4+5 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 1+2+3+4+5 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but without limitation thereto.

[0344] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0345] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0346] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0347] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capability, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP); in another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the above hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable, such as a hardware circuit implemented by a processor as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0348] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6A, the terminal 6100 includes a transceiver module 6101 and a processing module 6102. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 6101 is used to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device and receive a response message within a response time window. The processing module 6102 is used to wait for a response message sent by the network device, and the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling. Optionally, the transceiver module is used to execute at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving (for example, step 2101, step 2104, step 3101, step 3103, step 3201, step 3203, but not limited to this) performed by the terminal 6100 in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here. The processing module is used to execute at least one of the other steps (such as step 2103, step 2105, step 2106, step 3102, step 3104, step 3105, step 3203, but not limited thereto), which will not be repeated here.

[0349] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device 6200 provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6B, network device 6200 may include a transceiver module 6201 and a processing module 6202. In some embodiments, transceiver module 6201 is configured to receive uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by a terminal; processing module 6202 is configured to determine a response time window, which is a time window during which the terminal waits to receive a response message from the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; and the transceiver module is further configured to send a response message to the terminal within the response time window.

[0350] Optionally, the transceiver module is configured to execute at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps 2101, 2104, 4101, 4103, 4201, and 4203, but not limited thereto) performed by the network device 6200 in any of the above methods, which are not described in detail here. The processing module is configured to execute at least some of the other steps (e.g., steps 2102, 4102, and 4202, but not limited thereto), which are not described in detail here.

[0351] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, and the transmitting module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with the transceiver.

[0352] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 7100 provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 7100 can be a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., a user device, etc.), a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a terminal to implement any of the above methods. Communication device 7100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0353] As shown in Figure 7A, the communication device 7100 includes one or more processors 7101. The processor 7101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 7100 is used to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 7101 are used to call instructions to enable the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods.

[0354] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more transceivers 7102. When the communication device 7100 includes one or more transceivers 7102, the transceiver 7102 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps 2101, 2104, 3101, 3103, 3201, 3203, 4101, 4103, 4201, 4203, 5101, and 5103) of the above method, and the processor 7101 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps 2102, 2103, 2105, 2106, 3102, 3104, 3105, 4102, 4202, and 5102, but not limited thereto). In alternative embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, and the receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, terms such as transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface can be replaced with each other, terms such as transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit can be replaced with each other, and terms such as receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit can be replaced with each other.

[0355] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more memories 7103 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 7103 may be located outside the communication device 7100. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 7100 may include one or more interface circuits 7104. Optionally, the interface circuits 7104 are connected to the memory 7102 and may be configured to receive data from the memory 7102 or other devices, or to send data to the memory 7102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 7104 may read data stored in the memory 7102 and send the data to the processor 7101.

[0356] In some embodiments, processor 8101 may store a computer program 7105. The computer program 7105, when executed on processor 7101, enables communication device 7000 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The computer program 7105 may be embedded in processor 7101, in which case processor 7101 may be implemented by hardware.

[0357] The communication device 7100 described in the above embodiment may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 7100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 7100 may not be limited by FIG. 7A. The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0358] 7B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 7200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 7100 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 7200 shown in FIG7B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0359] The chip 7200 includes one or more processors 7201. The chip 7200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0360] In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more interface circuits 7202. Alternatively, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pins may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more memories 7203 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of memory 7203 may be located external to chip 7200. Optionally, interface circuit 7202 is connected to memory 7203 and may be used to receive data from memory 7203 or other devices, or may be used to send data to memory 7203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 7202 may read data stored in memory 7203 and send the data to processor 7201.

[0361] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 7202 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps 2101, 2104, 3101, 3103, 3201, 3203, 4101, 4103, 4201, 4203, 5101, and 5103) in the above-described method. The interface circuit 7202 performing the communication steps (e.g., steps 2101, 2104, 3101, 3103, 3201, 3203, 4101, 4103, 4201, 4203, 5101, and 5103) in the above-described method, for example, means that the interface circuit 7202 performs data exchange between the processor 7201, the chip 7200, the memory 7203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 7201 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps 2102, 2103, 2105, 2106, 3102, 3104, 3105, 4102, 4202, and 5102, but not limited thereto).

[0362] The modules and / or devices described in various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be arbitrarily combined or separated according to circumstances. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0363] The present disclosure also proposes a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the communication device 7100, the communication device 7100 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0364] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 7100, enables the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0365] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is executed by a terminal, and includes: Sending uplink data and / or uplink signaling to network devices; Starting a response time window, where the response time window is used to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, where the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling; The response message is received within the response time window.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: Message 1 Msg1 and / or message 3 Msg3 for a first early data transmission EDT process, where the first EDT process is a random access channel RACH EDT process, and the first EDT process includes Msg1, Msg2, Msg3, and Msg4; Msg3 for a second EDT process, where the second EDT process is a Msg1-less EDT process and includes Msg3 and Msg4; The downlink signaling includes at least one of the following: Message 2 Msg2 and / or message 4 Msg4 used for the first early data transmission EDT process; Msg4 for the second EDT process.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The sending of uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device includes: The uplink signaling is sent based on a control plane, where the uplink signaling carries the uplink data.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The sending of uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device includes: The uplink data is sent based on a user plane and the uplink signaling is sent based on a control plane in a multiplexing manner.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The startup response time window includes: After the subframe in which the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling is sent ends, a first time duration is waited and the response time window is started.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first duration includes at least one of the following: The round-trip time (RTT) between the terminal and the network device; Time offset.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that The subframe for ending the sending of the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: Repeatedly sending the end subframe of the last transmission of the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling multiple times in one physical uplink shared channel PUSCH transmission; The end subframe of the last transmission of the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling is repeatedly transmitted multiple times in each PUSCH transmission of the retransmitted PUSCH.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Under a first condition, the response time window is stopped.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal sends the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling using competitive resources, and the response message received by the terminal includes an identifier of the terminal; The terminal uses competitive resources to send the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling, and the physical downlink control channel PDCCH in which the terminal receives the response message includes a first resource identifier, where the first resource identifier is a demodulation reference signal DMRS resource identifier and / or an orthogonal cover code OCC resource identifier used by the terminal to send the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling; The terminal uses competitive resources to send the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling, and the PDCCH on which the terminal receives the response message is identified by a first network identifier, where the first network identifier is a radio network temporary identifier RNTI corresponding to the terminal sending the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling; The terminal sends the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling using non-competitive resources, and the response message received by the terminal includes layer 1 feedback L1-ACK; The response message received by the terminal includes a fallback indication, where the fallback indication is used to instruct the terminal to fall back to the RACH EDT process; The terminal receives a PDCCH, the PDCCH is identified by an RNTI configured for the terminal, and a medium access control protocol data unit MAC PDU is successfully decoded.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the response time window times out, a first operation is performed.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first operation includes at least one of the following: Fall back from the second EDT process to the first EDT process; When the number of attempts to execute the second EDT process is less than or equal to a preset threshold, retry to execute the second EDT process, otherwise fall back to the first EDT process; The second EDT process is terminated.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The length of the response time window is predefined by a protocol or configured by the network device.

13. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a network device, and includes: receiving uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by a terminal; Determine a response time window, where the response time window is used for the terminal to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, where the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling; Send the response message to the terminal within the response time window.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: Message 1 Msg1 and / or message 3 Msg3 for a first early data transmission EDT process, where the first EDT process is a random access channel RACH EDT process, and the first EDT process includes Msg1, Msg2, Msg3, and Msg4; Msg3 for a second EDT process, where the second EDT process is a Msg1-less EDT process and includes Msg3 and Msg4; The downlink signaling includes at least one of the following: Message 2 Msg2 and / or message 4 Msg4 used for the first early data transmission EDT process; Msg4 for the second EDT process.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the receiving terminal includes: The uplink signaling is received based on a control plane, where the uplink signaling carries the uplink data.

16. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by the receiving terminal includes: The uplink data is received based on a user plane and the uplink signaling is received based on a control plane in a multiplexing manner.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that The start time of the response time window is: Waiting for a first time duration after the terminal finishes sending the subframe of the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first duration includes at least one of the following: The round-trip time (RTT) between the terminal and the network device; Time offset.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The subframe in which the terminal ends sending the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling includes at least one of the following: The terminal repeatedly transmits the end subframe of the last transmission of the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling multiple times in one physical uplink shared channel PUSCH transmission; The terminal repeatedly transmits the end subframe of the last transmission of the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling multiple times in each PUSCH transmission when the terminal retransmits the PUSCH.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, characterized in that The response time window stops under a first condition.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The first condition includes at least one of the following: The terminal sends the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling using competitive resources, and the response message includes an identifier of the terminal; The terminal uses competitive resources to send the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling, and the physical downlink control channel PDCCH of the response message includes a first resource identifier, where the first resource identifier is a demodulation reference signal DMRS resource identifier and / or an orthogonal cover code OCC resource identifier used by the terminal to send the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling; The terminal uses competitive resources to send the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling, and the PDCCH of the response message is identified by a first network identifier, where the first network identifier is a radio network temporary identifier RNTI corresponding to the terminal sending the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling; The terminal sends the uplink data and / or the uplink signaling using non-competitive resources, and the terminal response message includes layer 1 feedback L1-ACK; The response message includes a fallback indication, where the fallback indication is used to instruct the terminal to fall back to the RACH EDT process; The terminal receives a PDCCH, the PDCCH is identified by an RNTI configured for the terminal, and a medium access control protocol data unit MAC PDU is successfully decoded.

22. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 21, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the response time window times out, a first operation is performed.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The first operation includes at least one of the following: Fall back from the second EDT process to the first EDT process; When the number of attempts to execute the second EDT process is less than or equal to a preset threshold, retry to execute the second EDT process, otherwise fall back to the first EDT process; The second EDT process is terminated.

24. A terminal, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module is used to send uplink data and / or uplink signaling to the network device; a processing module, configured to start a response time window, wherein the response time window is used to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, wherein the response message includes downlink data and / or downlink signaling; The transceiver module is further configured to receive the response message within the response time window.

25. A network device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, configured to receive uplink data and / or uplink signaling sent by a terminal; a processing module, configured to determine a response time window, wherein the response time window is used for the terminal to wait for receiving a response message sent by the network device, the response message including downlink data and / or downlink signaling; The transceiver module is further configured to send the response message to the terminal within the response time window.

26. A communication device, wherein: include: transceiver; Memory; A processor is connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively, and is configured to control the wireless signal reception and transmission of the transceiver by executing computer-executable instructions on the memory, and can implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

27. A computer storage medium, wherein: The computer storage medium stores computer-executable instructions; after the computer-executable instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 can be implemented.

28. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12; and the network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein The terminal is at least one of the following: Non-terrestrial network NTN terminals; Bandwidth reduction and low complexity BL terminals; Enhanced coverage terminal; Narrowband Internet of Things NB-IoT terminal.

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