Contention resolution method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a contention resolution method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving a first signal, wherein the first signal bears broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used for triggering one or more terminal devices to perform random access; the terminal device sending, at least on the basis of the first signal, second information used for requesting random access, wherein the second information is borne in a second signal that is formed by means of the terminal device backscattering a first waveform or is borne in a third signal that is autonomously generated by the terminal device; and the terminal device receiving first information used for contention resolution.

Description

Competition resolution methods and devices Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies. Background Art

[0002] From the 2G era to the early days of 4G, cellular mobile communication systems primarily served mobile phones—mobile terminal devices held by people. With the rapid development of mobile internet and the Internet of Things (IoT), the technological evolution of cellular mobile communication systems, starting in the late 4G era and continuing to this day, has considered and supported an increasingly diverse range of IoT application scenarios. Consequently, a wider variety of IoT device types have been supported and implemented in actual network deployments and service applications, including eMTC, NB-IoT, and RedCap. With this increasing diversity of IoT terminal devices, cellular mobile systems have increasingly enhanced their capabilities for providing services tailored to vertical industries.

[0003] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is merely intended to provide a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of this application and facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Simply because these solutions are described in the background technology section of this application, it should not be assumed that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The inventors discovered that among the vast number of IoT devices, cellular mobile communication systems still lack a large number of lower-cost IoT terminal devices. To provide more robust, reliable, and complete IoT application solutions, supporting lower-cost IoT terminal devices within the 3GPP cellular mobile system has become a pressing issue.

[0006] To address at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a contention resolution method and apparatus.

[0007] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a contention resolution method is provided, including:

[0008] The terminal device receives a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access;

[0009] The terminal device sends second information for requesting random access at least according to the first signal, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device;

[0010] The terminal device receives first information for contention resolution.

[0011] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a contention resolution device is provided, including:

[0012] a receiving unit configured to receive a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access;

[0013] a sending unit, configured to send, at least according to the first signal, second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device;

[0014] The receiving unit further receives first information for contention resolution.

[0015] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a contention resolution method is provided, including:

[0016] The network device or the first device sends a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access;

[0017] The network device or the first device receives second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device;

[0018] The network device or the first device sends first information for contention resolution.

[0019] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a contention resolution device is provided, including:

[0020] a sending unit configured to send a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access;

[0021] a receiving unit configured to receive second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device;

[0022] The sending unit further sends first information for contention resolution.

[0023] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a communication system is provided, including:

[0024] A network device or a first device, which sends a first signal, the first signal carrying broadcast information, the broadcast information being used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access; receives second information for requesting random access; and sends first information for contention resolution;

[0025] A terminal device that receives the first signal and sends second information for requesting random access at least based on the first signal, where the second information is carried on a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or on a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device; and receives first information for contention resolution.

[0026] One of the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is that: a terminal device receives a first signal, the first signal carrying broadcast information, the broadcast information being used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access; the terminal device at least sends second information for requesting random access based on the first signal, and receives first information for contention resolution. This enables random access between low-cost devices and network devices, effectively reducing the complexity and cost of the terminal device.

[0027] With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the present application can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present application include many variations, modifications and equivalents.

[0028] Features described and / or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0029] It should be emphasized that the term "include / comprising" when used herein refers to the presence of features, integers, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The elements and features described in one figure or one embodiment of the present application can be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other figures or embodiments. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several figures and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0031] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG2 is another schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG3 is another schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a contention resolution method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a contention resolution method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a contention resolution device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a contention resolution device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The above and other features of the present application will become apparent through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, which illustrate some embodiments in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the present application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish different elements from the name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or temporal order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising", "including", "having", etc. refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components or components.

[0042] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc. include plural forms and should be broadly understood to mean "a" or "a type" rather than being limited to "one." Furthermore, the term "said" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "according to" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", and the term "based on" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0043] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that complies with any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A, LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0044] Furthermore, communication between devices in the communication system may be carried out according to communication protocols of any stage, for example, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), future 6G, etc., and / or other communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0045] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to, for example, a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to the communication network and provides services to the terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0046] Among them, base stations may include but are not limited to: NodeB (NodeB or NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) and 5G base station (gNB), IAB host (IAB-donor), etc., and may also include remote radio head (RRH, Remote Radio Head), remote radio unit (RRU, Remote Radio Unit), relay (relay) or low-power node (such as femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" may include some or all of their functions. Each base station can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area. The term "cell" can refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "user equipment" (UE) or "terminal equipment" (TE) refers to, for example, a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), terminal, subscriber station (SS), access terminal (AT), tag, etc.

[0048] Among them, the terminal device may include but is not limited to the following devices: cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, machine type communication device, laptop computer, cordless phone, smart phone, smart watch, digital camera, label, label-attached device, etc.

[0049] For another example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), terminal devices can also be machines or devices for monitoring or measurement, such as but not limited to: machine type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle-mounted communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals, AIoT terminals, and the like.

[0050] In addition, the term "network side" or "network device side" refers to one side of the network, which can be a base station or one or more network devices as described above. The term "user side" or "terminal side" or "terminal device side" refers to the user or terminal side, which can be a UE or one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified herein, "device" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0051] Low-cost IoT terminal devices in 3GPP cellular mobile systems are called Ambient IoT devices. IoT devices that support ambient power are powered by energy harvesting and lack batteries or have limited energy storage capabilities (e.g., capacitors). These devices can be called AIoT devices, or simply tags. Devices that communicate directly with AIoT devices can be called readers, interrogators, etc. Readers can exist on network devices, enabling direct communication between Ambient IoT devices and 5G networks without requiring a UE to transmit information between them. Readers can also exist on terminal devices, enabling indirect Ambient IoT network communication, meaning communication between Ambient IoT devices and 5G networks, with a UE that supports Ambient IoT helping to transmit information between the Ambient IoT devices and the 5G network.

[0052] 3GPP's 5G system supports tag-type terminal devices (also known as AIoT devices), allowing them to reuse existing base station deployments and support industry applications based on these terminals through existing cellular mobile communication networks, thereby effectively reducing deployment and usage costs. 3GPP's 5G system can provide reliable authentication, network coordination, and accurate and stable terminal device management mechanisms. Based on this, it can also optimize the network to improve system capacity and spectrum efficiency.

[0053] As a new type of IoT terminal in the 5G system, tag-type terminal devices are severely cost-constrained. Their hardware capabilities are significantly weaker than those of standard smartphones and other IoT devices. This creates pressing challenges, including initial access for new AIoT devices, resolving resource competition among multiple AIoT devices, and ensuring data communication.

[0054] The following describes the scenarios of the embodiments of the present application through examples, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, and Figure 3 is yet another schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. Figures 1 to 3 schematically illustrate a situation using a terminal device and a network device as an example.

[0056] As shown in Figure 1, the network device can communicate directly with the AIoT device, directly send signals to the AIoT device or directly receive signals from the AIoT device; as shown in Figure 2, the network device can also go through an intermediate node (intermediate node), use the intermediate node to send signals to the AIoT device or use the intermediate node to receive signals from the AIoT device; as shown in Figure 3, the network device can also send signals to the AIoT device or receive signals from the AIoT device with the assistance of an assisting node. The intermediate node can be a relay, an IAB node, a UE, a repeater, etc., and the assisting node can be a relay, an IAB node, a UE, a repeater, etc., but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present application, a network device may send signals / information / configurations to an AIoT device, or an AIoT device may receive signals / information / configurations from a network device. This may be done directly by the network device and received by the AIoT device, or by the network device via an intermediate node and received by the AIoT device, or by the network device with the help of an auxiliary node and received by the AIoT device, or by the network device using other methods and received by the AIoT device. Unless otherwise specified, this application is not limited to this.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present application, when an AIoT device sends a signal / information to a network device, or when a network device receives a signal / information from an AIoT device, the AIoT device may send the signal and the network device may receive it directly, or the AIoT device may send the signal and the network device may receive it via an intermediate node, or the AIoT device may send the signal and the network device may receive it with the help of an auxiliary node, or the AIoT device may send the signal and the network device may receive it through other methods. Unless otherwise specified, the present application is not limited to this.

[0059] Embodiments of the first aspect

[0060] The embodiment of the present application provides a contention resolution method, which is described from the perspective of a terminal device.

[0061] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a contention resolution method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the method includes:

[0062] 401. A terminal device receives a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access.

[0063] 402. The terminal device sends second information for requesting random access based on at least the first signal, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device; and

[0064] 403. The terminal device receives first information for contention resolution.

[0065] It is worth noting that FIG4 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG4 above.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present application, if there is resource contention (or conflict) when a terminal device accesses a network, the terminal device may receive first information for resolving the contention. This allows the terminal device to know whether it has successfully accessed the network or whether the network has successfully identified the terminal device, thereby enabling further communication with the reader.

[0067] For AIoT devices, since they may be passive, they must transmit data through backscatter. The carrier wave that provides backscatter is called the first waveform, which can be a blank carrier, a carrier wave, a continuous wave, a sine wave, a backscattered / backscattering wave, or an uplink wave, etc., but this application is not limited to these.

[0068] For example, the first waveform is used to provide energy to an AIoT device. The first waveform can be emitted by a device communicating with the AIoT, such as the network device (base station), intermediate node, auxiliary node, etc. in Figures 1 to 3. The first waveform can also be emitted by an independent third-party device.

[0069] In one example, the AIoT device sends the second information by backscattering a first waveform. The first waveform is a waveform sent by the network device or a third-party device. The terminal device modulates the information to be sent to the network device on the first waveform by adjusting its backscatter circuit, and then backscatters the modulated first waveform. The first signal is a signal sent by a network node or an intermediate node and carried by the first waveform.

[0070] The first signal can also be used for timing and / or time synchronization of the terminal device. The terminal device uses the first signal to synchronize timing / time with the network device, which is at least one of the following:

[0071] - the terminal device determines the symbol length and / or starting point and / or ending point of the signal from the network device,

[0072] - the terminal device determines the length and / or starting point and / or ending point of a time unit of a signal from a network device,

[0073] - the terminal device determines the length and / or starting point and / or ending point of the signal from the network device,

[0074] - the terminal device determines a sampling clock and / or a sampling start position and / or a sampling frequency and / or a sampling end position, etc. for receiving a signal,

[0075] - the terminal device determines the symbol length and / or the starting point and / or the ending point of the transmitted signal, etc.,

[0076] - the terminal device determines the length and / or the starting point and / or the ending point etc. of the time unit to be used for signal transmission,

[0077] -The terminal device determines the start / length / end etc. of the transmitted signal.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first signal, the second signal and the third signal are single carrier signals.

[0079] For example, compared with multi-carrier signals, the modulation and demodulation of single-carrier signals (such as OOK, On-Off Keying modulation) are less complex and have lower requirements on hardware capabilities and accuracy, which can effectively reduce the complexity and cost of terminal equipment.

[0080] AIoT devices cannot use the RRC connection state like ordinary terminal devices, so random access may occur during initial access and each uplink transmission. AIoT devices may also not have a UE identifier like ordinary terminal devices, and a new definition of the AIoT identifier is required. Contention resolution can also be called conflict resolution, that is, the network uses some method to inform the device that the device has successfully accessed. Successful access can be for initial access, access before each uplink data transmission, or access before each round of data transmission (such as an inventory cycle, a session, etc.). Successful access can also mean that each uplink transmission data is successfully received by the reader. In this case, the uplink data is sent together with the access request.

[0081] The AIoT device can initiate random access after receiving the first signal sent by the network. The information corresponding to the first signal can be a broadcast information (such as inventory information, inquiry information, selection information, execution command, etc.), which is used to trigger the AIoT devices in the area to initiate random access.

[0082] When multiple AIoT devices attempt to access a random connection, uplink signal collisions (conflicts) may occur. For example, if a network device broadcasts a message (such as inventory-related information) requesting responses from AIoT devices within its area, multiple AIoT devices will respond with uplink data, potentially causing data conflicts. The following describes how to determine whether the network has correctly received the device's information and how to retransmit (access) it.

[0083] In some embodiments, the contention resolution is associated with a time window, within which the terminal device performs random access and waits to receive the first information for contention resolution.

[0084] For example, a time window, such as a response window, can be defined. Within this time window, random access can be performed and contention resolution feedback from the network side can be waited for. If no contention resolution feedback is received after the time window expires, the random access is considered to have failed. The time window can be opened when the access request message (second information) is first sent, or each subsequent time the access request message (second information) is re-initiated. The access request message can be re-initiated after a fallback indication sent by the network is received.

[0085] For another example, a timer, such as a contention resolution timer, can be defined. When uplink access is initiated, the timer is started; if contention resolution information is received, the timer is stopped. If the timer times out, contention resolution is considered to have failed. Similarly, the timer can be started when the access request message (second information) is first sent, or each subsequent time the access request message (second information) is re-initiated.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first information for contention resolution includes a fallback indication for indicating a contention resolution failure.

[0087] For example, a fallback indication can be defined. If contention resolution for the AIoT device fails, the network side issues a fallback indication, which can cause the AIoT device to re-initiate random access at some point in the future.

[0088] For example, the terminal device randomly waits for a period of time before performing random access according to the fallback indication. For example, the fallback indication can be 1 bit, and the AIoT device can randomly wait for a period of time after the fallback time according to the 1-bit information before performing random access.

[0089] For another example, the backoff indication includes an indication value, the terminal device obtains a maximum backoff time according to the indication value, randomly generates a backoff time based on the maximum backoff time, and performs random access after waiting for the backoff time.

[0090] In some examples, the backoff indication may include a positive integer N. The AIoT device may obtain the maximum backoff time (e.g., in milliseconds or other time units) based on the positive integer, and randomly generate a random number between 0 (or 1) and the maximum value as the backoff time. The maximum value may be the positive integer N, or a function of the positive integer N (e.g., 2 N -1). Multiple competing devices randomly select backoff times within a contention time window, which helps avoid collisions. The backoff indicator value can be adjusted based on the number of devices in the area. For example, if there are many devices, the indicator value can be larger, which increases the number of backoff time options and avoids possible conflicts.

[0091] For another example, the fallback indication is further associated with a maximum access number (or a maximum fallback number), and the maximum access number is included in the first information, or the maximum access number is predefined.

[0092] In some examples, a maximum number of accesses may be specified, either broadcast by the network or specified by a standard.

[0093] In some embodiments, the first information for contention resolution includes indication information for indicating that contention resolution is successful.

[0094] For example, an AIoT device needs to determine whether it has successfully accessed the network (contention resolution) by receiving network information after initiating random access. Since wireless signals are broadcast signals at the physical layer, each AIoT device needs to match its own information with the information in the signal to determine whether the signal is sent to it.

[0095] In some embodiments, the indication information is a preamble identifier.

[0096] For example, the second information includes a preamble code; if the preamble code identifier included in the first information for contention resolution matches the identifier corresponding to the preamble code included in the second information, the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

[0097] For example, an AIoT device may include a preamble when sending a random access request, and the preamble corresponds to a preamble identifier. If the network correctly receives the request of the AIoT device, the preamble identifier is included in the reply message. When the AIoT device receives a reply containing the preamble identifier, it considers that the contention is resolved. That is, the reply information is a contention resolution message, and the AIoT can perform subsequent transmissions. The time, resources, or opportunities for subsequent transmissions may be included in the reply message. If the preamble identifier contained in the signal received by the AIoT device does not match the preamble when it was sent, it indicates that the information may be sent to other AIoT devices.

[0098] For another example, a preamble pool can be predefined, that is, multiple preambles and corresponding identifiers (indexes). The AIoT device can select a preamble from the preamble pool to send. The network deduces the corresponding preamble identifier based on the correctly received preamble.

[0099] In some embodiments, the indication information is a device identification.

[0100] For example, the second information includes a device identifier; if the device identifier included in the first information for contention resolution matches the device identifier included in the second information, the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

[0101] In some embodiments, the device identifier is one of the following identifiers or a truncated portion of one of the identifiers:

[0102] The globally unique identifier of the terminal device;

[0103] The identifier of the item corresponding to the terminal device;

[0104] A random number generated by the terminal device.

[0105] For example, an AIoT device can include a device identifier when sending a random access request. The device identifier can be a globally unique identifier for the device, the identifier of the item corresponding to the device (such as the goods on which the tag is placed), or a truncated length of these identifiers. The device identifier can also be a random number randomly generated by the device, such as a 16-bit random number.

[0106] For another example, if the network correctly receives the AIoT device's request, it will include the device ID in its reply message. Upon receiving the reply containing the device ID, the AIoT device considers the contention resolved. The network's reply message may also include a fixed portion of the device ID. The network may also use a fixed algorithm to calculate the received device ID, generate a new device ID, and send it to the device. The device can also use the same fixed algorithm to calculate the device ID it sent, and then match it with the new device ID it received.

[0107] In some embodiments, the indication information is a device identifier, and the first information used for contention resolution also includes uplink transmission opportunity information, then the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

[0108] For example, if the first information includes a device identifier and an uplink transmission opportunity, that is, if the message received from the network also contains information indicating uplink resource allocation, the AIoT device will consider that the contention has been resolved and can perform uplink transmission. The uplink resource information can be time information, such as which time slot, which time window, or how long it will take for uplink transmission to occur.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first information used for contention resolution includes at least a portion of the second information, and the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

[0110] For example, a network device can include the access request information received from an AIoT device in its reply message. For example, the reply message contains a specific field that serves as a container for the information sent by the AIoT device. This field, for example, is called a contention resolution identifier. The container can contain a bitstream or a bytestream. The AIoT device compares the contents of the container with the content it sent. If they are identical, contention resolution is complete.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first information includes an identifier allocated to the terminal device, which is used for uplink data transmission of the terminal device.

[0112] For example, the network can include a network-assigned device identifier in the reply message as a temporary identifier to identify the device in subsequent communications within the area. The device uses this temporary identifier in subsequent communications within the area. The area can be the cell, base station, or a conversation, an inventory process, or an intra-group communication.

[0113] The above schematically illustrates the contention resolution of the present application. Contention resolution can be performed through the above identifiers, but the conflict problem may not be completely resolved at once. For example, using the preamble identifier may still result in multiple terminal devices selecting the same preamble, leading to the possibility of conflict. Therefore, the above methods can be used in combination to perform contention resolution through multiple steps. For example, first use one identifier to make a judgment, and then use another identifier to make a judgment after success. After two (or more) judgments, it is determined that the contention resolution is successful.

[0114] Furthermore, the above methods of the embodiments of the present application can also be used in combination with various media access (MAC) layer contention resolution methods, such as the ALOHA protocol, slotted ALOHA, adaptive binary tree, and listen-before-talk. Using these various algorithms or protocols, the network can send the contention resolution message of the embodiments of the present application to indicate contention resolution / completion.

[0115] The above description is based on the example of direct communication between the network device and the terminal device. For example, taking Figure 1 as an example, the terminal device receives the first signal from the network device, sends the second information to the network device, and receives the first information from the network device.

[0116] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives the first signal from a first device, sends the second information to the first device, and receives the first information from the first device. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the terminal device can also communicate with a reader at an intermediate node or auxiliary node. For example, the first device can be another terminal device, a relay, an IAB node, a repeater, a Network-Controlled Repeater (NCR), and so on.

[0117] In some embodiments, the first device sends the first signal to the terminal device (for example, using a single carrier signal), and the information carried by the first signal comes from the network device, that is, the broadcast content contained in the first signal is generated by the network device.

[0118] In some embodiments, the first device receives second information from the terminal device (e.g., using a single carrier signal) and forwards the second information sent by the terminal device to the network device (e.g., using a multi-carrier signal). The first device receives first information from the network device (e.g., using a multi-carrier signal) and forwards the first information to the terminal device (e.g., using a single carrier signal).

[0119] The above implementation method can be applied to the topology in Figure 2 or Figure 3. Since the intermediate nodes or auxiliary nodes may be mobile, they can be deployed more flexibly, which can more widely support AIoT devices in different regions.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first signal and the first information use a downlink physical channel dedicated to the AIoT device, and the second signal, the third signal, and the second information use an uplink physical channel dedicated to the AIoT device.

[0121] In some embodiments, the first signal, the first information, the second signal, the third signal, and the second information use a physical channel dedicated to the AIoT device, that is, the AIoT dedicated physical channel does not distinguish between uplink and downlink.

[0122] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0123] As can be seen from the above embodiment, a terminal device receives a first signal carrying broadcast information used to trigger random access by one or more terminal devices. The terminal device then transmits, based on at least the first signal, second information requesting random access and receives first information for contention resolution. This enables random access between low-cost devices and network devices, effectively reducing the complexity and cost of terminal devices.

[0124] Embodiments of the second aspect

[0125] The embodiment of the present application provides a contention resolution method, which is described from the perspective of the network device side or the first device side. The embodiment of the second aspect can be combined with the embodiment of the first aspect, and the same contents as the embodiment of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0126] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a contention resolution method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the method includes:

[0127] 501. A network device or a first device sends a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access.

[0128] 502. The network device or the first device receives second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device.

[0129] 503. The network device or the first device sends first information for contention resolution.

[0130] It is worth noting that FIG5 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG5 above.

[0131] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0132] As can be seen from the above embodiment, a terminal device receives a first signal carrying broadcast information used to trigger random access by one or more terminal devices. The terminal device then transmits, based on at least the first signal, second information requesting random access and receives first information for contention resolution. This enables random access between low-cost devices and network devices, effectively reducing the complexity and cost of terminal devices.

[0133] Embodiments of the third aspect

[0134] The embodiment of the present application provides a contention resolution device, which may be, for example, a terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the terminal device, and the contents that are the same as those in the first and second aspects of the embodiment are not repeated here.

[0135] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a contention resolution device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the contention resolution device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0136] A receiving unit 601 receives a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access;

[0137] a sending unit 602, configured to send, at least according to the first signal, second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device;

[0138] The receiving unit 601 further receives first information for contention resolution.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first signal, the second signal and the third signal are single carrier signals.

[0140] In some embodiments, the first signal is used for timing and / or time synchronization of the terminal device.

[0141] In some embodiments, the contention resolution is associated with a time window, within which the terminal device performs random access and waits to receive the first information for contention resolution.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first information for contention resolution includes a fallback indication for indicating a contention resolution failure.

[0143] In some embodiments, the terminal device performs random access after randomly waiting for a period of time according to the fallback indication.

[0144] In some embodiments, the backoff indication includes an indication value, the terminal device obtains a maximum backoff time according to the indication value, randomly generates a backoff time based on the maximum backoff time, and performs random access after waiting for the backoff time.

[0145] In some embodiments, the fallback indication is further associated with a maximum access number, the maximum access number is included in the first information, or the maximum access number is predefined.

[0146] In some embodiments, the first information for contention resolution includes indication information for indicating that contention resolution is successful.

[0147] In some embodiments, the indication information is a preamble identifier.

[0148] In some embodiments, the second information includes a preamble;

[0149] If the preamble identifier included in the first information for contention resolution matches the identifier corresponding to the preamble included in the second information, the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

[0150] In some embodiments, the indication information is a device identification.

[0151] In some embodiments, the second information includes a device identification;

[0152] If the device identification included in the first information for contention resolution matches the device identification included in the second information, the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

[0153] In some embodiments, the device identifier is one of the following identifiers or a truncated portion of one of the identifiers:

[0154] The globally unique identifier of the terminal device;

[0155] The identifier of the item corresponding to the terminal device;

[0156] A random number generated by the terminal device.

[0157] In some embodiments, the indication information is a device identifier, and the first information used for contention resolution also includes uplink transmission opportunity information, then the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first information used for contention resolution includes at least a portion of the second information, and the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first information includes an identifier allocated to the terminal device, which is used for uplink data transmission of the terminal device.

[0160] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives the first signal from a network device, sends the second information to the network device, and receives the first information from the network device.

[0161] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives the first signal from a first device, sends the second information to the first device, and receives the first information from the first device.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first device is another terminal device, or a relay, or an IAB node, or a repeater.

[0163] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0164] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The contention resolution device 600 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0165] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG6 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0166] As can be seen from the above embodiment, a terminal device receives a first signal carrying broadcast information used to trigger random access by one or more terminal devices. The terminal device then transmits, based on at least the first signal, second information requesting random access and receives first information for contention resolution. This enables random access between low-cost devices and network devices, effectively reducing the complexity and cost of terminal devices.

[0167] Embodiments of the fourth aspect

[0168] The present embodiment provides a contention resolution device, which may be, for example, a network device or a first device, or one or more components or assemblies configured on the network device or the first device. The same contents as those in the first to third aspects of the embodiment are not repeated here.

[0169] FIG7 is another schematic diagram of a contention resolution apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the contention resolution apparatus 700 includes:

[0170] A sending unit 701 is configured to send a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access;

[0171] A receiving unit 702 receives second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device;

[0172] The sending unit 701 further sends first information for contention resolution.

[0173] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0174] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The contention resolution device 700 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0175] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG7 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0176] As can be seen from the above embodiment, a terminal device receives a first signal carrying broadcast information used to trigger random access by one or more terminal devices. The terminal device then transmits, based on at least the first signal, second information requesting random access and receives first information for contention resolution. This enables random access between low-cost devices and network devices, effectively reducing the complexity and cost of terminal devices.

[0177] Embodiments of the fifth aspect

[0178] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, and reference may be made to Figures 1 to 3 . The contents that are the same as those in the first to fourth embodiments will not be repeated.

[0179] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include at least:

[0180] A network device or a first device, which sends a first signal, the first signal carrying broadcast information, the broadcast information being used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access; receives second information for requesting random access; and sends first information for contention resolution;

[0181] A terminal device that receives the first signal and sends second information for requesting random access at least based on the first signal, where the second information is carried on a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or on a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device; and receives first information for contention resolution.

[0182] The embodiment of the present application also provides a terminal device, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other devices.

[0183] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8 , terminal device 800 may include a processor 810 and a memory 820. For example, memory 820 stores data and programs and is coupled to processor 810. It should be noted that this diagram is exemplary; other types of structures may be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunication or other functions.

[0184] For example, the processor 810 may be configured to execute a program to implement the contention resolution method described in the embodiment of the first aspect. For example, the processor 810 may be configured to perform the following control: receiving a first signal, the first signal carrying broadcast information, the broadcast information being used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access; sending second information for requesting random access based on at least the first signal, the second information being carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device; and receiving first information for contention resolution.

[0185] As shown in FIG8 , the terminal device 800 may further include a communication module 830 and may or may not include a power supply. It is worth noting that the terminal device 800 does not necessarily include all of the components shown in FIG8 , and the aforementioned components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 800 may also include components not shown in FIG8 , for which reference may be made to the prior art.

[0186] An embodiment of the present application further provides a network device or a first device, which may be, for example, a base station, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other devices.

[0187] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a network device or first device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9 , the network device or first device 900 may include a processor 910 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and a memory 920 ; the memory 920 is coupled to the processor 910 . The memory 920 may store various data and may also store an information processing program 930 , which is executed under the control of the processor 910 .

[0188] For example, the processor 910 may be configured to execute a program to implement the contention resolution method described in the embodiment of the second aspect. For example, the processor 910 may be configured to perform the following control: sending a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, where the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access; receiving second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device; and sending first information for contention resolution.

[0189] In addition, as shown in Figure 9, network device 900 may further include: a transceiver 940 and an antenna 950; wherein, the functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and are not further described here. It is worth noting that network device 900 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Figure 9; in addition, network device 900 may also include components not shown in Figure 9, and reference may be made to the prior art for details.

[0190] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program causes the terminal device to execute the contention resolution method described in the embodiment of the first aspect.

[0191] An embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a terminal device to execute the contention resolution method described in the embodiment of the first aspect.

[0192] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program causes the network device to execute the contention resolution method described in the embodiment of the second aspect.

[0193] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a network device to execute the contention resolution method described in the embodiment of the second aspect.

[0194] The above devices and methods of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software. The present application relates to such a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the devices or components described above, or enables the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.

[0195] The method / device described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams shown in the figure and / or one or more combinations of functional block diagrams can correspond to various software modules of the computer program flow or to various hardware modules. These software modules can respectively correspond to the various steps shown in the figure. These hardware modules can be implemented by solidifying these software modules, for example, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0196] The software module may be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

[0197] One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any appropriate combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application. One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0198] The present application has been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application based on the spirit and principles of the present application, and such modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0199] Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following additional notes are also disclosed:

[0200] 1. A contention resolution method comprising:

[0201] The terminal device receives a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access;

[0202] The terminal device sends second information for requesting random access at least according to the first signal, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device;

[0203] The terminal device receives first information for contention resolution.

[0204] 2. A contention resolution method comprising:

[0205] The network device or the first device sends a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access;

[0206] The network device or the first device receives second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device;

[0207] The network device or the first device sends first information for contention resolution.

[0208] 3. The method according to Note 2, wherein the first device sends the first signal to the terminal device, and the information carried by the first signal comes from the network device.

[0209] 4. The method according to Note 2 or 3, wherein the first device forwards the second information from the terminal device to the network device, and / or the first device forwards the first information from the network device to the terminal device.

[0210] 5. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein the first signal, the first information, the second signal, the third signal, and the second information use a physical channel specific to the terminal device type.

[0211] 6. A terminal device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the contention resolution method as described in Note 1.

[0212] 7. A network device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the contention resolution method as described in Note 2.

[0213] 8. A computer program product, comprising at least a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the terminal device executes the contention resolution method as described in Note 1.

[0214] 9. A computer program product comprising at least a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the network device executes the contention resolution method as described in Note 2.

Claims

1. A contention resolution device comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access; a sending unit, configured to send second information for requesting random access at least according to the first signal, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device; The receiving unit further receives first information for contention resolution.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein The first signal, the second signal, and the third signal are single-carrier signals.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein The first signal is used for timing and / or time synchronization of the terminal device.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein The contention resolution is associated with a time window, within which the terminal device performs random access and waits to receive the first information for contention resolution.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein The first information for contention resolution includes a fallback indication for indicating contention resolution failure.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein The terminal device performs random access after randomly waiting for a period of time according to the fallback indication.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein The backoff indication includes an indication value, the terminal device obtains a maximum backoff time according to the indication value, randomly generates a backoff time based on the maximum backoff time, and performs random access after waiting for the backoff time.

8. The device according to claim 5, wherein The fallback indication is further associated with a maximum access number, where the maximum access number is included in the first information, or the maximum access number is predefined.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein The first information used for contention resolution includes indication information used to indicate that contention resolution is successful.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein The indication information is a preamble identifier; The second information includes a preamble; If the preamble identifier included in the first information for contention resolution matches the identifier corresponding to the preamble included in the second information, the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein The indication information is a device identification; The second information includes a device identification; If the device identification included in the first information for contention resolution matches the device identification included in the second information, the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein The device identifier is one of the following identifiers or a cutout portion of one of the identifiers: The globally unique identifier of the terminal device; The identifier of the item corresponding to the terminal device; A random number generated by the terminal device.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein The indication information is a device identifier, and the first information used for contention resolution also includes uplink transmission opportunity information, then the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

14. The device according to claim 9, wherein If the first information used for contention resolution includes at least a portion of the second information, the terminal device determines that the contention resolution is successful.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes an identifier allocated to the terminal device, which is used for uplink data transmission of the terminal device.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein The terminal device receives the first signal from the network device, sends the second information to the network device, and receives the first information from the network device.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein The terminal device receives the first signal from the first device, sends the second information to the first device, and receives the first information from the first device.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein The first device is another terminal device, or a relay, or an IAB node, or a repeater.

19. A contention resolution device comprising: a sending unit configured to send a first signal, where the first signal carries broadcast information, and the broadcast information is used to trigger one or more terminal devices to perform random access; a receiving unit configured to receive second information for requesting random access, where the second information is carried in a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or in a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device; The sending unit further sends first information for contention resolution.

20. A communication system comprising: A network device or a first device sends a first signal, wherein the first signal carries broadcast information. receiving second information for requesting random access; and sending a first message for contention resolution; A terminal device that receives the first signal and sends second information for requesting random access at least based on the first signal, where the second information is carried on a second signal formed by the terminal device by backscattering the first waveform or on a third signal autonomously generated by the terminal device; and receives first information for contention resolution.

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