Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications. Provided are a communication method and apparatus. In the method, a first extension length may be indicated, and the first extension length may be associated with a first number of repetitions, such that a signal transmitting apparatus can repeatedly transmit a first signal on the basis of the first number of repetitions, and can also extend the length of the first signal by means of using the first extension length, and resources occupied by the first signal can thus be reused by other users (or signals), so as to reduce overall resource overheads of a communication system, thereby facilitating an increase of the capacity of the communication system.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on February 8, 2024, with application number 202410177385.2 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0004] In some communication systems, such as satellite communication systems, and especially communication systems where terminal devices directly connect to satellites, the quality of the link from the terminal device to the satellite is often poor due to the limited transmission power of the terminal device. To address this issue, the protocol introduces repetition-based uplink coverage enhancement technology to compensate for the insufficient transmission power of the terminal device. Uplink coverage enhancement technology means that when transmitting data, more resources can be allocated, allowing the terminal device to monopolize these resources for multiple repeated uplink transmissions. Although uplink coverage enhancement technology can improve communication performance to a certain extent, the terminal device occupies more resources, reducing the capacity of the communication system. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for improving the capacity of a communication system in a repeated transmission scenario.

[0006] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. The method can be performed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a network device (such as an access network device (such as a base station, satellite) or a roadside device, etc.), a software module or a hardware module in a network device (such as a chip or a chip system), etc., a terminal device (such as a mobile phone or a vehicle-mounted device), a software module or a hardware module in a terminal device (such as a chip or a chip system), etc., and no specific limitation is made to this. The method includes: sending a first indication message, and the first indication message is used to indicate a first extended length. The first extended length is the length of the extended processing of the first signal, and the first extended length is associated with a first repetition number, and the first repetition number is the number of repetitions of the first signal, or it can be understood that the first repetition number is the number of times the first data is repeatedly transmitted.

[0007] The first extended length being associated with the first repetition number may be determined according to the first repetition number, or the first extended length may be associated with the first repetition number. The first indication information for indicating the first extended length is, for example, carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message, a system message, a radio resource control parameter (or RRC parameter), a random access response (RAR) message, or downlink control information (DCI), and is not specifically limited thereto.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, a first communication device, for example, sends first indication information to a second communication device. The first indication information is used to indicate a first extension length, providing a method for indicating the first extension length. In this way, the first communication device or the second communication device can extend and repeatedly transmit the signal based on the first extension length and the first number of repetitions. The extended processing supports multiple users, thereby relatively reducing the resources of the communication system occupied by a single user and improving the overall capacity of the communication system. In addition, the first extension length is related to the first number of repetitions. In this way, the first communication device can indicate the first number of repetitions by the first extension length, or can indicate the first extension length by the first number of repetitions. There is no need to indicate the first extension length and the first number of repetitions separately, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a second signal, where the second signal is the first signal sequentially transmitted through N SF times the expansion processing and N rep The result of repeated transmission, N SF is the value of the first extension length, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; and the second signal is processed according to the first repetition number and the first extension length to obtain the first signal. In this embodiment, the first communication device is equivalent to a receiving end of the signal.

[0010] In the above embodiment, the second information is the result of the first signal being extended and repeatedly transmitted, which is equivalent to enhancing the first signal, thereby improving the reliability of the first communication device receiving the first signal.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes: performing N on the first signal SF times the expansion processing to obtain the first signal after expansion, N SF is the value of the first extension length; N is performed on the first signal after extension rep Repeat times to obtain the second signal, N repis the value of the first repetition number; and, sending the second signal. In this embodiment, the first communication device is equivalent to a signal sending end.

[0012] For example, N is performed on the first signal SF The expansion processing includes: performing N times expansion on the first signal in the time domain SF times expansion, the first signal is processed N times in the frequency domain. SF times expansion, or N times expansion of the first signal in the time domain and frequency domain SF times the expansion.

[0013] In the above implementation, the first communication device may process the first signal using the first extension length and the first number of repetitions, thereby ensuring the reliability of transmitting the first signal.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, N is performed on the first signal. SF times the expansion processing to obtain the expanded first signal, including: using the first expansion length to expand the first signal on K1 first-type time domain units corresponding to the first frequency to obtain the signal on the first frequency, K1 is a positive integer; and / or using the first expansion length to expand the first signal on K2 first-type time domain units corresponding to the second frequency to obtain the signal on the second frequency, K2 is a positive integer; wherein the expanded first signal includes the signal on the first frequency and / or the signal on the second frequency.

[0015] For example, the first frequency and the second frequency refer to different frequencies in the case of frequency hopping transmission of the first signal, and the first extension length may be an extension length corresponding to the first frequency and / or the second frequency, which is not limited.

[0016] In the above embodiment, when a first signal is transmitted using frequency hopping, the first extension length can be used to perform extension processing on the first signal on one or more frequencies, thereby providing a method for extended processing under frequency hopping transmission. Furthermore, when the first extension length is used to process the first signal on multiple frequencies, it is not necessary to configure an extension length for each frequency, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the unit of the first extension length is a first type of time domain subunit and / or a first type of sub-frequency domain unit; and / or the unit of the first repetition number is a second type of time domain subunit and / or a second type of sub-frequency domain unit.

[0018] For example, the unit of the first extended length is the first type of time domain subunit, and the unit of the first repetition number is the second type of time domain subunit. Alternatively, the unit of the first extended length is the first type of frequency domain subunit, and the unit of the first repetition number is the second type of frequency domain subunit. Alternatively, the unit of the first extended length is the first type of time domain subunit and the first type of sub-frequency domain unit, and the unit of the first repetition number is the second type of time domain subunit and the second type of sub-frequency domain unit. The first type of time domain subunit and the second type of time domain subunit can be the same type of time domain subunit or different types of time domain subunits, and there is no specific limitation on this. The first type of time domain subunit is, for example, a time slot or a symbol, and the first type of sub-frequency domain unit is, for example, a subcarrier or a resource block. The second type of time domain subunit is, for example, a time slot or a symbol. The first type of sub-frequency domain unit and the second type of time domain subunit can be the same type of frequency domain subunit or different types of frequency domain subunits.

[0019] In the above implementation, there are multiple specific implementation forms of the first type of time domain sub-unit, the first type of sub-frequency domain unit, and the second type of time domain sub-unit, which is conducive to improving the flexibility of extended processing and repeated transmission of the first signal.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending second indication information, wherein the second indication information indicates a first repetition count, and the first extension length is associated with the first repetition count and the first indication information. In this way, the first communication device can indicate the first extension length in conjunction with the first repetition count and the first indication information.

[0021] The second indication information may be carried in, for example, an RRC message, a system message, an RRC parameter, an RAR message, or a DCI, without specific limitation. The second indication information and the first indication information may be carried in the same message or in different messages, without specific limitation. For example, the first indication information may be carried in a DCI, and the second indication information may be carried in an RRC message.

[0022] In the above implementation, the first extension length may vary with the indicated first repetition count or the first indication information, which is beneficial to improving the flexibility of indicating the first extension length.

[0023] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, determining the first extension length according to the first number of repetitions includes: determining the first extension length according to a ratio of the first number of repetitions to a first parameter value, where the first parameter value is determined according to a value of the first indication information.

[0024] For example, the first parameter value may have other names, etc., which are not limited. The first parameter value is a, a=2 kOr a = k / M, etc. Of course, the first parameter value can have multiple values, which are not specifically limited. k is the value of the first indication information, for example, the decimal value of the corresponding bit of the first indication information. M represents the number of first-type time-domain sub-units in a first-type time-domain unit used to transmit the first signal.

[0025] In the above embodiment, a method for determining the first extension length is provided. Different values ​​of the first indication information may also have different values ​​of the first extension length, thereby facilitating more flexible indication of the first extension length and relatively saving the bit overhead occupied by the first indication information.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, each of the at least one repetition number corresponds to at least one extended length, and the at least one repetition number includes the first repetition number. In other words, the repetition number and the extended length can have a one-to-one correspondence or a one-to-many correspondence.

[0027] For example, each number of repetitions corresponds to at least one extended length, which can also be described as each number of repetitions being associated with at least one extended length. The content of each number of repetitions in the at least one number of repetitions corresponding to at least one extended length can be represented in a table, array, or other form, which is not specifically limited.

[0028] In the above embodiment, the first number of repetitions corresponds to at least one extended length, that is, the first extended length can be any extended length among the at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions, making the value of the first extended length more flexible.

[0029] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first indication information indicates the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions.

[0030] In the above implementation, the first indication information indicates the first extended length from the extended lengths within a small range, and the extended length within the small range is at least one extended length corresponding to the first repetition number, so the number of bits occupied by the first indication information can be relatively saved.

[0031] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first indication information includes an index of the first extended length, where the index of the first extended length is used to determine the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions.

[0032] In the above implementation, the manner in which the first indication information indicates the first extension length is simple and direct, and the number of bits occupied by the first indication information is relatively reduced.

[0033] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first extension length is one of the following: or, or, Among them, N SF Indicates the first extended length, ceil indicates rounding up, N rep represents the first repetition number, floor represents rounding down, k represents the value of the first indication information, and M represents the number of first-type time domain sub-units used to transmit the first signal in a first-type time domain unit.

[0034] In the above implementation, a plurality of calculation methods for determining the first extension length are provided, which enriches the methods for determining the first extension length.

[0035] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate an index of the first extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length.

[0036] The first extended length can be understood as the length of the first extended sequence. The third indication information may be carried in, for example, an RRC message, a system message, an RRC parameter, a RAR message, or a DCI, and is not specifically limited thereto. The third indication information and the first indication information may be carried in the same message, or in different messages, and is not specifically limited thereto. For example, the third indication information and the first indication information may both be carried in a DCI. The third indication information and the second indication information may be carried in the same message, or in different messages, and is not specifically limited thereto.

[0037] In the above implementation, in addition to indicating the first extension length, information of the first extension sequence may also be indicated to facilitate subsequent extension processing of the first signal.

[0038] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, N bits in the third indication information are used to indicate an index of the first extended sequence, where a value of N is determined based on the first extended length, and N is a positive integer.

[0039] In the above implementation, the value of the first extension length is different, and the value of N may also be different, which is equivalent to the third indication information dynamically indicating the index of the first extension sequence, thereby improving the flexibility of indicating the index of the first extension sequence and relatively saving the bit overhead of the third indication information.

[0040] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the value of N is one of the following: N=ceil(log2(N SF )); or, N = floor(log2(N SF )); or, N = log2(N SF ); where N SFIndicates the first extended length, ceil indicates rounding up, and floor indicates rounding down.

[0041] In the above implementation, a variety of calculation methods for determining the value of N are provided, which enriches the methods for determining the value of N.

[0042] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the third indication information includes: a number of the first extended sequence, where the number of the first extended sequence is used to determine an index of the first extended sequence from an index set, where the index set includes indexes of some or all extended sequences corresponding to the first extended length; or a sequence index value and / or a second parameter value, where the sequence index value and the second parameter value are used to determine the index of the first extended sequence.

[0043] The sequence index value may be the index value of one or more extended sequences. The second parameter value may also have other names, etc., which are not limited.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the third indication information indicates the number of the first extended sequence relative to the index set, or the third indication information may indicate a sequence index value, and the sequence index value and the second parameter value may be used to determine the indexes of more extended sequences. In this way, when the index of the first extended sequence is flexibly indicated, the number of bits occupied by the third indication information can be relatively reduced.

[0045] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the index of the first extended sequence is: the sum of a sequence index value and a second parameter value; a result of dividing the sum of the sequence index value and the second parameter value by the first extension length; or a modulo the product of the sequence index value and the first extension length divided by the second parameter value.

[0046] The above embodiments provide multiple methods for determining the index of the first extended sequence, enriching the methods for determining the index of the first extended sequence. Furthermore, the index of the first extended sequence can be determined using a sequence index value and a second parameter value, eliminating the need to directly indicate the index of the first extended sequence, thereby reducing resource overhead associated with determining the index of the first extended sequence.

[0047] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first extension length is related to a first quantity, where the first quantity is the number of first-type time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-type time domain unit excluding the first-type time domain subunits for transmitting the demodulation reference signal.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the situation where the first extension length exceeds the first number can be avoided.

[0049] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first extension length corresponds to the second extension length, wherein the first extension length is used to perform extension processing on a first portion of the first signal carried in the time domain, and the second extension length is used to perform extension processing on a second portion of the first signal carried in the time domain. Optionally, the first portion of the first signal can be carried on a first portion of a first-type time domain subunit. Furthermore, the second portion of the first signal can be carried on a second portion of a second-type time domain subunit.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the first signal can be jointly processed using the first extension length and the second extension length, thereby increasing the flexibility of the extended processing of the first signal. Furthermore, the second extension length is related to the first extension length, so there is no need to separately indicate the second extension length, which helps to save signaling overhead.

[0051] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the second extension length is: the difference between the second number and the first extension length; or, the minimum value of the first extension length and the second number; wherein the second number is the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-class time domain unit except for the first-class time domain subunit for transmitting the demodulation reference signal, or the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal on the first frequency or the second frequency, and both the first frequency and the second frequency are used to transmit the first signal.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the second extension length is determined based on the second number and the first extension length, eliminating the need to indicate the second extension length separately, thus saving signaling overhead and preventing the second extension length from being too large.

[0053] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the value of the first extension length is a prime number. When the value of the first extension length is a composite number, the second extension length may also be determined, which is not limited.

[0054] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first number of repetitions is carried in the second indication information, and the second indication information also carries at least one of the following: a first extension type, wherein the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain within a single time slot, or the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain within multiple time slots; a first transmission mode, wherein the first transmission mode indicates that the first signal is transmitted across a first type of time domain unit, or a single first type of time domain unit transmits the first signal; a third quantity, wherein the third quantity is the number of first type of time domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extension sequence; a fourth quantity, wherein the fourth quantity is the number of first type of frequency domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extension sequence; an index of the first extension sequence corresponding to the first extension length; the size of the comb teeth, wherein the size of the comb teeth indicates the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain direction; or, the offset value of the comb teeth, wherein the offset value of the comb teeth indicates the offset of the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain direction.

[0055] In the above implementation, the second indication information may be reused to indicate configurations related to the transmission of the first signal, thereby reducing the number of signaling interactions.

[0056] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. The method can be performed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a network device (such as an access network device (such as a base station, satellite) or a roadside device, etc.), a software module or a hardware module in a network device (such as a chip or a chip system), etc., a terminal device (such as a mobile phone or a vehicle-mounted device), a software module or a hardware module in a terminal device (such as a chip or a chip system), etc., and no specific limitation is made to this. For example, the second communication device and the first communication device are both terminal devices. Alternatively, the second communication device is a terminal device, and the first communication device is a network device. The method includes: receiving a first indication information, the first indication information indicates a first extension length, the first extension length is associated with a first number of repetitions, the first number of repetitions is the first number of repetitions of the first signal, and the first extension length is the length of the extended processing of the first signal; determining the first extension length.

[0057] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving a second signal, the second signal being the first signal sequentially transmitted through N SF times the expansion processing and N rep The result of repeated transmission, N SF is the value of the first extension length, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; according to the first repetition number and the first extension length, the second signal is processed to obtain the first signal.

[0058] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the method further includes: performing N operations on the first signal SFtimes the expansion processing to obtain the first signal after expansion, N SF is the value of the first extension length; N is performed on the first signal after extension rep Repeat times to obtain the second signal, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; and, sends a second signal.

[0059] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, N is performed on the first signal. SF times the expansion processing to obtain the expanded first signal, including: using the first expansion length to expand the first signal on K1 first-type time domain units corresponding to the first frequency to obtain the signal on the first frequency, K1 is a positive integer; and / or using the first expansion length to expand the first signal on K2 first-type time domain units corresponding to the second frequency to obtain the signal on the second frequency, K2 is a positive integer; wherein the expanded first signal includes the signal on the first frequency and / or the signal on the second frequency.

[0060] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the unit of the first extension length is a first type of time domain subunit and / or a first type of sub-frequency domain unit; and / or the unit of the first repetition number is a second type of time domain subunit and / or a second type of sub-frequency domain unit.

[0061] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, wherein the second indication information indicates a first number of repetitions, and the first extension length is associated with both the first number of repetitions and the first indication information.

[0062] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, determining the first extension length includes: determining the first extension length according to a ratio of the first number of repetitions to a first parameter value, where the first parameter value is determined according to a value of the first indication information.

[0063] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, a=2 k , a is the first parameter value, k is the value of the first indication information; or, a=k / M, a is the first parameter value, k is the value of the first indication information, and M represents the number of first-type time domain sub-units for transmitting the first signal in a first-type time domain unit.

[0064] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, each repetition number in the at least one repetition number corresponds to at least one extension length, and the at least one repetition number includes a first repetition number.

[0065] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, determining the first extended length includes: determining the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions according to the first indication information.

[0066] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information includes an index of the first extended length, where the index of the first extended length is used to determine the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions.

[0067] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first extension length is one of the following: or, or, Among them, N SF Indicates the first extended length, ceil indicates rounding up, N rep represents the first repetition number, floor represents rounding down, k represents the value of the first indication information, and M represents the number of first-type time domain sub-units used to transmit the first signal in a first-type time domain unit.

[0068] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate an index of the first extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length.

[0069] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, N bits in the third indication information are used to indicate an index of the first extended sequence, where a value of N is determined based on the first extended length, and N is a positive integer.

[0070] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the value of N is one of the following: N=ceil(log2(N SF )); or, N = floor(log2(N SF )); or, N = log2(N SF ); where N SF Indicates the first extension length, ceil indicates rounding up, and floor indicates rounding down.

[0071] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the third indication information includes: a number of the first extended sequence, where the number of the first extended sequence is used to determine an index of the first extended sequence from an index set, where the index set includes indexes of some or all extended sequences corresponding to the first extended length; or a sequence index and / or a second parameter value, where the sequence index and the second parameter value are used to determine the index of the first extended sequence.

[0072] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the index of the first extended sequence is: the sum of the sequence index and the second parameter value; the result of dividing the sum of the sequence index and the second parameter value by the first extension length; or the modulo the product of the sequence index and the first extension length divided by the second parameter value.

[0073] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first extension length is related to a first quantity, where the first quantity is the number of first-type time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-type time domain unit excluding the first-type time domain subunit for transmitting the demodulation reference signal.

[0074] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: determining a second extension length based on the first extension length, wherein the first extension length is used to perform extension processing on the first part of the first signal carried in the time domain, and the second extension length is used to perform extension processing on the second part of the first signal carried in the time domain.

[0075] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the second extension length is: the difference between the second number and the first extension length; or, the minimum value of the first extension length and the second number; wherein the second number is the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-class time domain unit except for the first-class time domain subunit for transmitting the demodulation reference signal, or the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal on the first frequency or the second frequency, and both the first frequency and the second frequency are used to transmit the first signal.

[0076] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, a value of the first extension length is a prime number.

[0077] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first number of repetitions is carried in the second indication information, and the second indication information also carries at least one of the following: a first extension type, wherein the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain; a first transmission mode, wherein the first transmission mode indicates that the first signal is transmitted across a first type of time domain unit, or a single first type of time domain unit transmits the first signal; a third quantity, wherein the third quantity is the number of first type of time domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extension sequence; a fourth quantity, wherein the fourth quantity is the number of first type of frequency domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extension sequence; an index of the first extension sequence corresponding to the first extension length; the size of the comb teeth, wherein the size of the comb teeth indicates the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain direction; or, the offset value of the comb teeth, wherein the offset value of the comb teeth indicates the offset of the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain direction.

[0078] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information is carried in a radio resource control message, a system message, a radio resource control parameter, a random access response message or downlink control information, and the radio resource control parameter is used to indicate a radio resource control parameter shared by multiple communication devices.

[0079] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. The method can be performed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a network device (such as an access network device (such as a base station, satellite) or a roadside device, etc.), a software module or a hardware module in a network device (such as a chip or a chip system), etc., a terminal device (such as a mobile phone or a vehicle-mounted device), a software module or a hardware module in a terminal device (such as a chip or a chip system), etc., and no specific limitation is made to this. The method includes: determining a first number of repetitions, the first number of repetitions is associated with a first extension length, the first number of repetitions is the number of times the first signal is repeatedly transmitted, and the first extension length is the length of the extended processing of the first signal; sending a first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the first number of repetitions, and the first number of repetitions is used to determine a first extension factor.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present application, a first communication device, for example, sends first indication information to a second communication device. The first indication information is used to indicate a first number of repetitions, providing a method for indicating the first number of repetitions. In this way, the first communication device or the second communication device can extend and repeatedly transmit the signal based on the first extension length and the first number of repetitions. The extension processing supports multiple users, thereby relatively reducing the resources of the communication system occupied by a single user and improving the overall capacity of the communication system. In addition, the first extension length is related to the first number of repetitions. In this way, the first communication device can indicate the first extension length by the first number of repetitions, and there is no need to indicate the first extension length and the first number of repetitions separately, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0081] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving a second signal, where the second signal is the first signal sequentially transmitted through N SF times the expansion processing and N rep The result of repeated transmission, N SF is the value of the first extension length, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; and the second signal is processed according to the first repetition number and the first extension length to obtain the first signal. In this embodiment, the first communication device is equivalent to a receiving end of the signal.

[0082] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the method further includes: performing N on the first signal SF times the expansion processing to obtain the first signal after expansion, N SF is the value of the first extension length; N is performed on the first signal after extension rep Repeat times to obtain the second signal, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; and, sending the second signal. In this embodiment, the first communication device is equivalent to a signal sending end.

[0083] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, N operations are performed on the first signal. SF times the expansion processing to obtain the expanded first signal, including: using the first expansion length to expand the first signal on K1 first-type time domain units corresponding to the first frequency to obtain the signal on the first frequency, K1 is a positive integer; and / or using the first expansion length to expand the first signal on K2 first-type time domain units corresponding to the second frequency to obtain the signal on the second frequency, K2 is a positive integer; wherein the expanded first signal includes the signal on the first frequency and / or the signal on the second frequency.

[0084] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the unit of the first extension length is a first type of time domain subunit and / or a first type of sub-frequency domain unit; and / or the unit of the first repetition number is a second type of time domain subunit and / or a second type of sub-frequency domain unit.

[0085] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes: sending second indication information, wherein the first extension length is associated with the first repetition number and the second indication information. In this way, the first communication device can indicate the first extension length in conjunction with the first repetition number and the second indication information.

[0086] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first extension length is determined according to a ratio of the first number of repetitions to a first parameter value, and the first parameter value is determined according to a value of the second indication information.

[0087] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, each of the at least one repetition number corresponds to at least one extended length, and the at least one repetition number includes the first repetition number. In other words, the repetition number and the extended length can have a one-to-one correspondence or a one-to-many correspondence.

[0088] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first extended length is indicated from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions through the second indication information.

[0089] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the second indication information includes an index of the first extended length, where the index of the first extended length is used to determine the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions.

[0090] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first extension length is one of the following: or, or, Among them, N SF Indicates the first extended length, ceil indicates rounding up, N reprepresents the first repetition number, floor represents rounding down, k represents the value of the second indication information, and M represents the number of first-type time domain sub-units used to transmit the first signal in a first-type time domain unit.

[0091] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes: sending third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate an index of the first extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length.

[0092] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, N bits in the third indication information are used to indicate an index of the first extended sequence, where a value of N is determined based on the first extended length, and N is a positive integer.

[0093] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the value of N is one of the following: N=ceil(log2(N SF )); or, N = floor(log2(N SF )); or, N = log2(N SF ); where N SF Indicates the first extended length, ceil indicates rounding up, and floor indicates rounding down.

[0094] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the third indication information includes: a number of the first extended sequence, where the number of the first extended sequence is used to determine an index of the first extended sequence from an index set, where the index set includes indexes of some or all extended sequences corresponding to the first extended length; or a sequence index value and / or a second parameter value, where the sequence index value and the second parameter value are used to determine the index of the first extended sequence.

[0095] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the index of the first extended sequence is: the sum of a sequence index value and a second parameter value; a result of dividing the sum of the sequence index value and the second parameter value by the first extended length; or a modulo the product of the sequence index value and the first extended length divided by the second parameter value.

[0096] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first extension length is related to a first quantity, where the first quantity is the number of first-type time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-type time domain unit excluding the first-type time domain subunits for transmitting the demodulation reference signal.

[0097] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first extension length corresponds to the second extension length, wherein the first extension length is used to perform extension processing on the first part of the first signal carried in the time domain, and the second extension length is used to perform extension processing on the second part of the first signal carried in the time domain.

[0098] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the second extension length is: the difference between the second number and the first extension length; or, the minimum value of the first extension length and the second number; wherein the second number is the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-class time domain unit except for the first-class time domain subunit for transmitting the demodulation reference signal, or the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal on the first frequency or the second frequency, and both the first frequency and the second frequency are used to transmit the first signal.

[0099] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the value of the first extension length is a prime number. When the value of the first extension length is a composite number, the second extension length may also be determined, which is not limited.

[0100] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first indication information also carries at least one of the following: a first extension type, wherein the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain within a single time slot, or the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain within multiple time slots; a first transmission mode, wherein the first transmission mode indicates that the first signal is transmitted across a first type of time domain unit, or a single first type of time domain unit transmits the first signal; a third quantity, wherein the third quantity is the number of first type of time domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extension sequence; a fourth quantity, wherein the fourth quantity is the number of first type of frequency domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extension sequence; an index of the first extension sequence corresponding to the first extension length; the size of the comb teeth, wherein the size of the comb teeth indicates the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain direction; or, the offset value of the comb teeth, wherein the offset value of the comb teeth indicates the offset of the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain direction.

[0101] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. The method can be performed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a network device (such as an access network device (such as a base station, satellite) or a roadside device, etc.), a software module or a hardware module in a network device (such as a chip or a chip system), etc., a terminal device (such as a mobile phone or a vehicle-mounted device), a software module or a hardware module in a terminal device (such as a chip or a chip system, etc.), etc., and no specific limitation is made to this. The method includes: receiving a first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate a first number of repetitions, the first number of repetitions being the number of times the first signal is repeatedly transmitted; determining a first extension length based on the first number of repetitions, the first extension length being the length of the extended processing of the first signal.

[0102] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: receiving a second signal, the second signal being the first signal sequentially transmitted through N SF times the expansion processing and N rep The result of repeated transmission, NSF is the value of the first extension length, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; and the second signal is processed according to the first repetition number and the first extension length to obtain the first signal. In this embodiment, the first communication device is equivalent to a receiving end of the signal.

[0103] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: performing N operations on the first signal SF times the expansion processing to obtain the first signal after expansion, N SF is the value of the first extension length; N is performed on the first signal after extension rep Repeat times to obtain the second signal, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; and, sending the second signal. In this embodiment, the first communication device is equivalent to a signal sending end.

[0104] For example, N is performed on the first signal SF The expansion processing includes: performing N times expansion on the first signal in the time domain SF times expansion, the first signal is processed N times in the frequency domain. SF times expansion, or N times expansion of the first signal in the time domain and frequency domain SF times the expansion.

[0105] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, N is performed on the first signal. SF times the expansion processing to obtain the expanded first signal, including: using the first expansion length to expand the first signal on K1 first-type time domain units corresponding to the first frequency to obtain the signal on the first frequency, K1 is a positive integer; and / or using the first expansion length to expand the first signal on K2 first-type time domain units corresponding to the second frequency to obtain the signal on the second frequency, K2 is a positive integer; wherein the expanded first signal includes the signal on the first frequency and / or the signal on the second frequency.

[0106] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the unit of the first extension length is a first type of time domain subunit and / or a first type of sub-frequency domain unit; and / or the unit of the first repetition number is a second type of time domain subunit and / or a second type of sub-frequency domain unit.

[0107] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: sending second indication information, wherein the first extension length is associated with the first repetition number and the second indication information. In this way, the first communication device can indicate the first extension length in conjunction with the first repetition number and the second indication information.

[0108] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first extension length is determined according to a ratio of the first number of repetitions to a first parameter value, and the first parameter value is determined according to a value of the second indication information.

[0109] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, each of the at least one repetition number corresponds to at least one extended length, and the at least one repetition number includes the first repetition number. In other words, the repetition number and the extended length can have a one-to-one correspondence or a one-to-many correspondence.

[0110] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first extended length is indicated from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions through the second indication information.

[0111] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the second indication information includes an index of the first extended length, where the index of the first extended length is used to determine the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions.

[0112] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first extension length is one of the following: or, or, Among them, N SF Indicates the first extended length, ceil indicates rounding up, N rep represents the first repetition number, floor represents rounding down, k represents the value of the second indication information, and M represents the number of first-type time domain sub-units used to transmit the first signal in a first-type time domain unit.

[0113] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: receiving third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate an index of the first extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length.

[0114] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, N bits in the third indication information are used to indicate the index of the first extended sequence, the value of N is determined based on the first extension length, and N is a positive integer.

[0115] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the value of N is one of the following: N=ceil(log2(N SF )); or, N = floor(log2(N SF )); or, N = log2(N SF ); where N SF Indicates the first extended length, ceil indicates rounding up, and floor indicates rounding down.

[0116] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the third indication information includes: a number of the first extended sequence, where the number of the first extended sequence is used to determine an index of the first extended sequence from an index set, where the index set includes indexes of some or all extended sequences corresponding to the first extended length; or a sequence index value and / or a second parameter value, where the sequence index value and the second parameter value are used to determine the index of the first extended sequence.

[0117] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the index of the first extended sequence is: the sum of a sequence index value and a second parameter value; a result of dividing the sum of the sequence index value and the second parameter value by the first extended length; or a modulo the product of the sequence index value and the first extended length divided by the second parameter value.

[0118] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first extension length is related to a first quantity, where the first quantity is the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-class time domain unit excluding the first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the demodulation reference signal.

[0119] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first extension length corresponds to the second extension length, wherein the first extension length is used to perform extension processing on the first part of the first signal carried in the time domain, and the second extension length is used to perform extension processing on the second part of the first signal carried in the time domain.

[0120] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the second extension length is: the difference between the second number and the first extension length; or, the minimum value of the first extension length and the second number; wherein the second number is the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-class time domain unit except for the first-class time domain subunit for transmitting the demodulation reference signal, or the number of first-class time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal on the first frequency or the second frequency, and both the first frequency and the second frequency are used to transmit the first signal.

[0121] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the value of the first extension length is a prime number. When the value of the first extension length is a composite number, the second extension length may also be determined, which is not limited.

[0122] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first indication information also carries at least one of the following: a first extension type, wherein the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain within a single time slot, or the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain within multiple time slots; a first transmission mode, wherein the first transmission mode indicates that the first signal is transmitted across a first type of time domain unit, or a single first type of time domain unit transmits the first signal; a third quantity, wherein the third quantity is the number of first type of time domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extension sequence; a fourth quantity, wherein the fourth quantity is the number of first type of frequency domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extension sequence; an index of the first extension sequence corresponding to the first extension length; the size of the comb teeth, wherein the size of the comb teeth indicates the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain direction; or, the offset value of the comb teeth, wherein the offset value of the comb teeth indicates the offset of the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain direction.

[0123] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may be the first communication device in the first aspect above, or a software or hardware module configured in the first communication device. The communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the first aspect above or any optional implementation method. For example, the communication device includes a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit), and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module unit may be referred to as a communication module (or communication unit). Optionally, the transceiver module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be an input and output circuit, an input and output interface, or an antenna port of the communication chip. In another design, the transceiver module may be a transmitter and a receiver, or a transmitter and a receiver.

[0124] For example, the transceiver module is configured to send first indication information under the control of the processing module, where the first indication information is used to indicate a first extension length, which is the length of the extended processing of the first signal and is associated with a first repetition count.

[0125] The communication device in the fifth aspect can also implement any possible implementation method of the first aspect above, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0126] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may be the second communication device in the second aspect above, or a software or hardware module configured in the second communication device. The communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the second aspect above or any optional implementation method. For example, the communication device includes a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit), and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module unit may be referred to as a communication module (or communication unit). Optionally, the transceiver module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be an input and output circuit, an input and output interface, or an antenna port of the communication chip. In another design, the transceiver module may be a transmitter and a receiver, or a transmitter and a receiver.

[0127] For example, the transceiver module is used to receive first indication information, where the first indication information indicates a first extension length, and the first extension length is associated with a first number of repetitions; and the processing module is used to determine the first extension length.

[0128] The communication device in the sixth aspect can also implement any possible implementation of the second aspect above, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0129] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may be the first communication device in the third aspect above, or a software or hardware module configured in the first communication device. The communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the third aspect above or any optional implementation method. For example, the communication device includes a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit), and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module unit may be referred to as a communication module (or communication unit). Optionally, the transceiver module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be an input and output circuit, an input and output interface, or an antenna port of the communication chip. In another design, the transceiver module may be a transmitter and a receiver, or a transmitter and a receiver.

[0130] For example, the processing module is used to determine a first repetition number, the first repetition number is associated with a first extension length; the transceiver module is used to send first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the first repetition number, and the first repetition number is used to determine a first extension factor.

[0131] The communication device in the seventh aspect can also implement any possible implementation of the third aspect above, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0132] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may be the second communication device in the fourth aspect above, or a software or hardware module configured in the second communication device. The communication device includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the fourth aspect above or any optional implementation method. For example, the communication device includes a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit), and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module unit may be referred to as a communication module (or communication unit). Optionally, the transceiver module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be an input and output circuit, an input and output interface, or an antenna port of the communication chip. In another design, the transceiver module may be a transmitter and a receiver, or a transmitter and a receiver.

[0133] For example, the processing module is used to determine a first repetition number, the first repetition number is associated with a first extension length; the transceiver module is used to send first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the first repetition number, and the first repetition number is used to determine a first extension factor.

[0134] The communication device in the eighth aspect can also implement any possible implementation of the fourth aspect above, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0135] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to transmit signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being configured to implement the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 4, or to execute the method described in any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 4, through a logic circuit or by executing code instructions.

[0136] In the specific implementation process, the communication device can be a chip, and the processor can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, and various logic circuits, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation method of the processor.

[0137] In one implementation, the communication device may be a wireless communication device, i.e., a computer device that supports wireless communication functions. Specifically, the wireless communication device may be a terminal device such as a smartphone, or a network device such as a wireless access network device (e.g., a base station).

[0138] In another implementation, the communication device may be a component of a wireless communication device, such as an integrated circuit product such as a system chip or a communication chip. The system chip may also be referred to as a system on chip (SoC), or simply an SoC chip. The communication chip may include a baseband processing chip and a radio frequency processing chip. The baseband processing chip is sometimes also referred to as a modem or baseband chip. The radio frequency processing chip is sometimes also referred to as a radio frequency transceiver or radio frequency chip. In a physical implementation, some or all of the chips in the communication chip may be integrated within the SoC chip. For example, the baseband processing chip is integrated into the SoC chip, while the radio frequency processing chip is not integrated with the SoC chip. The interface circuit may be the radio frequency processing chip in the wireless communication device, and the processor may be the baseband processing chip in the wireless communication device. The interface circuit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0139] In another embodiment, the communication device may be a chip system, which may be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. The chip system may include, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, a network processor (NP), a DSP, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0140] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. An embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a processor; when the communication device is running, the processor executes the method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 4, or executes the method as described in any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 4. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a memory, the memory storing one or more computer programs, and the processor can execute the one or more computer programs to implement the method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 4, or execute the method as described in any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 4.

[0141] Optionally, the communication device further includes other components, such as an antenna, an input / output module, an interface (such as a communication interface), etc. These components may be hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0142] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system. The communication system includes a first communication device and a second communication device. For example, the first communication device implements the method described in the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, and the second communication device implements the method described in the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect. Alternatively, the first communication device implements the method described in the third aspect or any possible embodiment of the third aspect, and the second communication device implements the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible embodiment of the fourth aspect.

[0143] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system. The chip system includes a processor. Optionally, the chip system may further include an interface (such as a communication interface). The processor may be used to implement the method as described in any one of the first to fourth aspects, or to execute the method as described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects. Optionally, the chip system also includes a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs (also referred to as codes, or instructions). The processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory so that the device equipped with the chip system executes the method as described in any one of the first to fourth aspects, or to execute the method as described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects. The implementation method of the chip system can refer to the content of the chip system involved in the foregoing, which will not be listed here.

[0144] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program or instruction, which, when executed, implements the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 4, or executes the method described in any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 4.

[0145] In a fourteenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product that, when executed on a computer, implements the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 4, or executes the method described in any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 4.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the computer program product includes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any of the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation or the second aspect and any possible implementation.

[0147] In another possible implementation, the computer program product includes instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute any of the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation or the second aspect and any possible implementation.

[0148] Regarding the beneficial effects of any technical solution in the above-mentioned second to thirteenth aspects, reference can be made to the beneficial effects discussion of the corresponding technical solution in the first aspect, and the repeated parts will not be listed here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0149] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of repeated transmission;

[0150] Figures 2 to 10 are schematic diagrams of several expansion processes;

[0151] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0152] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system in a transparent transmission mode applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0153] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system in a regeneration mode applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0154] 14 to 16 are schematic diagrams of several communication systems applicable to embodiments of the present application;

[0155] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0156] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a second quantity provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0157] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of an index indicating a first extension length provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0158] Figures 20 and 21 are schematic diagrams of several bearer signals provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0159] FIG22 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0160] FIG23 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0161] Figures 24 to 26 are schematic diagrams of several communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0162] The embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0163] Below, some terms used in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0164] 1. Time domain unit

[0165] A time domain unit can also be referred to as a time unit and can be a slot, subslot, symbol, sub-frame, half-frame, frame, mini-subframe, partial slot, mini-slot, sensing slot, transmission occasion (TO), or a unit of time domain resources that may appear in future evolved communications, without limitation. A slot includes at least one symbol; for example, a slot includes 14 symbols or 12 symbols. Slots can have different slot types, and different slot types can include different numbers of symbols. For example, a minislot includes L symbols, where L is a number less than 7, such as 2, 3, or 4, while a regular slot includes 6 symbols, 7 symbols, 12 symbols, or 14 symbols. A symbol can be an abbreviation for a time domain symbol, such as an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. Symbols can also be named in conjunction with other multiple access schemes, without limitation.

[0166] The symbols within a time slot can be used for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission, etc., and there is no limitation on this. The time domain unit can be used as the granularity (or unit) of the time domain resource. A time domain unit includes one or more time domain sub-units, that is, the time domain sub-unit is a division unit or a component unit of the time domain unit. For example, the time domain unit is a time slot, and the time domain sub-unit can be a sub-time slot or a symbol. For different subcarrier spacings, the symbol length can be different, so the time slot length can also be different. For example, the length of a time slot corresponding to a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz is 0.5ms, and the length of a time slot corresponding to a subcarrier spacing of 60kHz is 0.125ms, etc.

[0167] In various embodiments of the present application, the first-type time domain unit and the second-type time domain unit may be the same type of time domain unit or different types of time domain units. For example, the first-type time domain unit is a time slot, and the second-type time domain unit is a symbol. Alternatively, the first-type time domain unit and the second-type time domain unit are both time slots. The first-type time domain unit includes one or more first-type time domain sub-units. Similarly, the second-type time domain unit includes one or more second-type time domain sub-units. For example, the first-type time domain unit and the second-type time domain unit are both time slots, and the first-type time domain sub-unit and the second-type time domain sub-unit are both symbols.

[0168] 2. Frequency domain unit

[0169] A frequency domain unit can be called a frequency unit. A frequency domain unit can be a resource block (RB), a resource block group (RBG), a sub-carrier, a subchannel, a sub-resource pool, a predefined subband, a precoding resource block group (PRG), a bandwidth part (BWP), a resource element (RE) (also called a resource unit or resource particle), a carrier, or a serving cell. Optionally, a subchannel can include one or more RBs. An RBG can be a collection of contiguous virtual resource blocks (VRBs).

[0170] A frequency unit can be used as a granularity (or unit) of a frequency domain resource (or frequency resource). A frequency domain unit includes one or more frequency domain subunits, i.e., a frequency domain subunit is a division unit or a component unit of a frequency domain unit. For example, a frequency domain unit is an RB, and a frequency domain subunit is a subcarrier.

[0171] The first type of frequency domain unit and the second type of frequency domain unit in each embodiment of the present application can be the same type of frequency domain unit, or can be different types of frequency domain units. For example, the first type of frequency domain unit is an RB, the second type of frequency domain unit is a subcarrier, or the first type of frequency domain unit and the second type of frequency domain unit are both RBs. The first type of frequency domain unit includes one or more first type of frequency domain sub-units. Similarly, the second type of frequency domain unit includes one or more second type of frequency domain sub-units. For example, the first type of frequency domain unit and the second type of frequency domain unit are both RBs, and the first type of frequency domain sub-unit and the second type of frequency domain sub-unit are both subcarriers.

[0172] 3. Signal

[0173] A signal is a symbol, data, or message transmitted via a medium (e.g., electromagnetic waves, light waves, or sound waves) that can be decoded and understood by the receiving end. Signals can be analog or digital. They can be data or messages. Data can be packets to be transmitted, modulated data, or frequency or time domain signals generated by mapping data to time-frequency resources. Signals can also be control information, such as physical layer control information or higher-layer control information, without limitation.

[0174] The signal is, for example, a reference signal (RS). A reference signal may also be called a pilot signal or a pilot, which is a known signal. For example, a reference signal may be a signal provided by a transmitting end to a receiving end for channel estimation, channel sounding or data demodulation. Reference signals include uplink reference signals and downlink reference signals. Uplink reference signals include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and sounding reference signals (SRS). DMRS may include, for example, DMRS for demodulation of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (which may be referred to as DMRS for PUCCH) and DMRS for demodulation of a physical uplink share channel (PUSCH) (which may be referred to as DMRS for PUCCH). Downlink reference signals include channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS), cell-specific reference signals (C-RS / CRS), and positioning reference signals (P-RS / PRS).

[0175] There are multiple reference signals. As the standard continues to evolve, the names of the reference signals may change, and more reference signals may appear. There is no specific limitation on this.

[0176] The first signal involved in each embodiment of the present application can be a symbol or a reference signal, etc., which is not limited to this. The first signal can be a certain signal or a group of signals, which is not specifically limited to this.

[0177] 4. Repeated transmission

[0178] In order to improve the transmission effect, a technology based on time domain repetition transmission is introduced. The technology based on time domain repetition can be simply understood as multiple time domain transmissions (or repeated transmissions) of the signal to be sent to increase the possibility of the receiving end successfully receiving the signal.

[0179] 5. Repetitions

[0180] The number of repetitions refers to the number of times a signal is repeatedly transmitted, or can be described as the number of times a signal is repeatedly transmitted, or can be understood as the total number of times a signal is transmitted in one transmission. Optionally, an English description can be: number of repetitions. Optionally, the number of repetitions refers to the number of repetitions of the signal in the time domain, the number of repetitions in the frequency domain, the number of repetitions in the code domain, or the number of repetitions in the spatial domain. Optionally, the spatial domain can be a spatial beam direction, a precoding matrix index, etc.

[0181] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the number of repetitions can be the total number of signal spreading and retransmissions, or the number of times the signal after expansion is repeatedly transmitted as a whole, or the total number of resources occupied by the signal in the entire time domain, or the total number of independent resources occupied by the signal in the entire time domain, or the total number of resources occupied by the signal in the entire frequency domain, or the independent total number of independent resources occupied by the signal in the entire time domain, or the total number of resources occupied by the signal in the time-frequency domain, or the total number of independent resources occupied by the signal in the time-frequency domain. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0182] For example, each signal occupies one time slot before extension. The signal is extended in the time domain by a length of 4, and the extended signal is repeatedly transmitted. The extended and repeated signals occupy a total of 16 time slots. If the number of repetitions is the total number of resources occupied by the signal in the entire time domain, then the number of repetitions can be the 16 time slots occupied by the signal. If the number of repetitions is the number of repeated transmissions of the extended signal as a whole, then the number of repetitions can be 16 / 4 = 4.

[0183] Alternatively, each signal occupies one subcarrier before extension processing, the signal is extended in the frequency domain by a length of 2, and the extended signal is repeatedly transmitted. The extended and repeated signals occupy a total of four subcarriers. If the number of repetitions is the total number of resources occupied by the signal in the entire frequency domain, then the number of repetitions can be the four subcarriers occupied by the signal. If the number of repetitions is the number of repeated transmissions of the extended signal as a whole, then the number of repeated transmissions can be 4 / 2 = 2.

[0184] Alternatively, each signal occupies one time-frequency resource before extension processing. The signal is extended in the frequency domain by a length of 4, and the extended signal is repeatedly transmitted. The extended and repeated signals occupy a total of 8 time-frequency resources. If the number of repetitions is the total number of resources occupied by the signal in the entire frequency domain, then the number of repetitions can be the 8 time-frequency resources occupied by the signal. If the number of repetitions is the number of repeated transmissions of the extended signal as a whole, then the number of repeated transmissions can be 8 / 4 = 2.

[0185] The number of repetitions can be applied to uplink transmission, for example, for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission, can also be applied to downlink transmission, and can also be applied to sidelink (SL) transmission (which can be referred to as sidelink communication link, side link, direct link, side link or auxiliary link), etc.

[0186] The first number of repetitions involved in each embodiment of the present application refers to the number of repetitions of the first signal, or can be understood as the number of times the first data is repeatedly transmitted. The value of the first number of repetitions is N. rep In fact, there is no restriction on the representation of the value of the first number of repetitions.

[0187] 6. Single second-type time domain unit transmission and multiple second-type time domain unit transmission (or cross-second-type time domain unit transmission)

[0188] Single second-type time domain unit transmission and multiple second-type time domain unit transmission represent ways of transmitting signals (ie, transmission methods).

[0189] Single-Type II time domain unit transmission refers to a signal occupying a single Type II time domain unit. Cross-Type II time domain unit transmission refers to a signal occupying multiple Type II time domain units. For example, if a Type II time domain unit is a time slot, single-Type II time domain unit transmission can also be called single-time slot transmission, and cross-Type II time domain unit transmission can be called cross-time slot transmission.

[0190] For example, taking a signal as a transport block (TB) and a second-type time-domain unit as a time slot, a TB can occupy a single time slot, also known as a single-time slot transmission TB. Alternatively, a TB can occupy multiple time slots (TB over multiple slots, TBoMS), also known as a cross-time slot or multi-time slot transmission TB.

[0191] Similarly, repeated transmission can also include repeated transmission of a single second-type time domain unit and repeated transmission across second-type time domain units. Repeated transmission of a single second-type time domain unit refers to repeated transmission of a single second-type time domain unit, and repeated transmission across second-type time domain units refers to repeated transmission of multiple second-type time domain units.

[0192] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of repeated transmission of TB. Figure 1 (1) takes the example of each TB occupying one time slot. As shown in Figure 1 (1), the TB is repeatedly transmitted 16 times in the time slot, specifically Rep#1 to Rep#16 as shown in Figure 1 (1), Rep#1 represents the first repeated transmission, and Rep#16 represents the sixteenth repeated transmission. Each repeated transmission of the TB occupies 1 time slot, such as the first repeated transmission occupies time slot 0, the second repeated transmission occupies time slot 1, the third repeated transmission occupies time slot 2, and so on. The 16 repeated transmissions of the TB occupy 16 time slots from time slot 0 to time slot 15.

[0193] Figure 1 (2) takes the example of each TB occupying four time slots. As shown in Figure 1 (2), the TB is repeatedly transmitted four times in the time slot, specifically Rep#1 to Rep#4 shown in Figure 1 (2). Rep#1 represents the first repeated transmission, Rep#4 represents the fourth repeated transmission, and each repeated transmission of the TB occupies four time slots. For example, the first repeated transmission occupies time slot 0 to time slot 3, the second repeated transmission occupies time slot 4 to time slot 7, the third repeated transmission occupies time slot 8 to time slot 11, and the fourth repeated transmission occupies time slot 12 to time slot 15. And so on. The repeated transmission occupies 16 time slots from time slot 0 to time slot 15.

[0194] The first repetition number involved in each embodiment of the present application refers to the repetition number corresponding to the first signal, that is, the number of times the first signal is repeatedly transmitted. The first repetition number can be expressed as N rep , or it can be described as the first repetition value N rep . N rep is a positive integer, and the embodiment of the present application is based on N rep Indicates the first repetition number. There is no restriction on the representation of the first repetition number. N rep The value of can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 or 32, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0195] The first repetition number is used to repeatedly transmit the first signal on the second type of time domain unit, so it can be regarded as the unit of the first repetition number is the second type of time domain subunit, that is, the unit for repeatedly transmitting the first signal is the second type of time domain subunit. For example, the second type of time domain unit is a time slot, and the second type of time domain subunit is a symbol, then the unit of the first repetition number can be a symbol. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the transmission mode for transmitting the first signal is referred to as the first transmission mode, and the first transmission mode can represent the transmission of the first signal across the first type of time domain unit (or referred to as multiple first type of time domain units), or the transmission of the first signal by a single first type of time domain unit.

[0196] 7. Spreading

[0197] Extension, also known as spreading, spread spectrum processing, or spread spectrum, refers to a method in which a specific sequence (for ease of description, this sequence is referred to as sequence #A) is used in the time and / or frequency domain to directly multiply one or a group of identical signals and spread them across more resources for transmission. This specific sequence is called an extension sequence, spreading sequence, or orthogonal cover codes (OCC). A spreading sequence may include one or more elements (also known as symbols). The length of the extension sequence is referred to as the extension length, extension factor, spreading factor, spreading length, or orthogonal code length (OCC-length).

[0198] For example, the signal to be sent is d, d can be the signal to be sent (can be a signal or a group of signals), and the signal is extended using the extended sequence #A. The extended signal b can be expressed as the following formula (1). i =w i d, i = 0,…, N SF -1 (1)

[0199] in, N S Indicates the extension length. For ease of description, wi is referred to as an element of sequence #A, that is, the length is N SF The sequence #A includes N SF Elements can also be replaced by other names, such as code units.

[0200] Refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of an expansion process. As shown in Figure 2, assume that the signal to be transmitted d occupies 12 resources, the length of the expansion sequence is 4, and the expansion sequence is [w0 w1 w2 w3]. After the signal to be transmitted d is expanded, the signals obtained on the 12 resources are: w0*d1,w0*d1,w0*d1,w1*d2,w1*d2,w1*d2,w2*d3,w2*d3,w2*d3,w3*d4,w3*d4,w3*d4. di represents the i-th element in the expansion sequence (i.e., w i-1) corresponding to the signal. It can be understood that the content carried on different resources may be the same or different, and this is not limited. As shown in Figure 2, for example, in a group of symbols corresponding to w0 (i.e., the first 3 symbols), the content carried on different symbols may be the same or different. For the sake of convenience of description, Figure 2 takes the same di as an example for illustration, and this is not limited. In addition, the content corresponding to different elements in the extended sequence may be the same or different. As shown in Figure 2, for example, the content carried on the symbols corresponding to w0 and w1 may be the same or different, and this is not limited. Optionally, the 12 resources may include: frequency domain resources, spatial domain resources, or time domain resources (such as OFDM symbols). The specific form of sequence #A is not limited.

[0201] In one possible design, the extended sequence (e.g., sequence #A) is a binary sequence. For example, if the extended sequence length is 2, the extended sequence can be any of the following: [+1 +1], [+1 -1]. For another example, if the extended sequence length is 4, the extended sequence can be any of the following: [+1 +1 +1 +1], [+1 +1 -1 -1], [+1 -1 +1 -1], [+1 -1 -1 +1]. For another example, assuming that the length of the extended sequence is 8, the extended sequence can be any of the following: [+1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1], [+1 -1 +1 -1 +1 -1 +1 -1], [+1 +1 -1 -1 +1 +1 -1 -1], [+1 -1 -1 +1 +1 -1 -1 +1], [+1 +1 +1 -1 -1 -1 +1 -1], [+1 -1 +1 -1 -1 +1 -1 +1], [+1 +1 -1 -1 -1 -1 +1 +1], or [+1 -1 -1 +1 -1 +1 +1 -1].

[0202] In another possible design, the extended sequence is a complex sequence. For example, if the extended sequence length is 2, the extended sequence can be any of the following: [+1 +j], [+1 -j]. For another example, if the extended sequence length is 4, the extended sequence can be any of the following: [+1 +1 +1 +1], [+1 -j +1 +j], [+1 -1 +1 -1], [+1 +j -1 -j]. For another example, assuming that the length of the extended sequence is 8, the extended sequence can be any of the following: [+1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1], [+1 -1 +1 -1 +1 -1 +1 -1 +1 -1], [+1 +1 -j -j -1 -1 +j +j], [+1 -1 -j +j -1 +1 +j -j], [+1 +1 -1 -1 +1 +1 -1 -1], [+1 -1 -1 +1 +1 -1 -1 +1], [+1 +1 +j +j -1 -1 -j -j], or [+1 -1 +j -j -1 +1 -j +j].

[0203] Alternatively, rows or columns in a DFT or IDFT matrix may be used as the spreading sequence.

[0204] Alternatively, for example, for a length of N SF The extended sequence has a total of at most N SF An extended sequence described as follows:

[0205] or,

[0206] where w n (k) represents the kth element in the kth sequence.

[0207] The time domain extension is further described below by taking the extension of OFDM symbols as an example. As an example, the signal of the time domain symbol at symbol n satisfies the following formula (2).

[0208] Where m = 0, 1, ..., N S· R-1, l=0,1,…,N SF -1.

[0209] Among them, s n (t) represents the signal of the time domain symbol at symbol n, w n (m) represents the mth element in the extended sequence numbered n, N Srepresents the length of the extended sequence, R represents the number of resources corresponding to an element in the extended length, represents the number of symbols corresponding to an element in formula (2), t represents time, Indicates that x is rounded down.

[0210] Optional, s n (t) is a time domain signal obtained after a signal (such as data and / or reference signal) is mapped to each subcarrier on symbol 1 and then undergoes inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT).

[0211] Optionally, in the above formula (2), when R=1, the spreading (or time domain spreading) may be referred to as direct spreading.

[0212] Optionally, in the above formula (2), when R>1, the expansion (or time domain expansion) can be called block-wise spreading.

[0213] Optionally, in the above formula (2), when s n When (t) is replaced by the frequency domain signal d(k), it can also be described in a frequency domain extension manner. As an example, the frequency domain signal d(k) satisfies formula (3).

[0214] Wherein, R represents the number of resources corresponding to one element in the extended length, and in formula (3), R represents the number of frequency domain resources corresponding to one element.

[0215] The extended sequence may also be called a time domain extended sequence, a frequency domain extended sequence, or a time-frequency extended sequence, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the name.

[0216] Extension processing can be divided into different extension types (or extension methods). The basis for the classification of extension types includes the resource type of the extension processing. Under this classification basis, extension types include time domain extension, frequency domain extension, and time-frequency extension.

[0217] Time domain expansion refers to the expansion of a signal in the time domain (e.g., first-type time domain units). The first-type time domain units used to carry signals can be distributed continuously or discontinuously, without limitation. For example, the first-type time domain units used to carry signals can be continuous symbols or time slots, or discontinuous symbols or time slots (e.g., symbols separated by a certain length).

[0218] Frequency domain expansion refers to the expansion processing of the signal in the frequency domain (such as the first type of frequency domain unit). The first type of frequency domain unit used to carry the signal can be continuously distributed or in the form of combing, which is not limited. Combing means that the first type of frequency domain unit used to carry the signal is discontinuously distributed. Optionally, under combing, the frequency domain unit used to carry the signal can be in every N comb The frequency domain interval N is performed by using one unit in each unit. comb The value of may be referred to as the comb size. Optionally, different devices on the same symbol may implement multiplexing by occupying different frequency domain offset values ​​(comb offset).

[0219] Time-frequency expansion refers to the expansion processing of signals in both the time domain and the frequency domain.

[0220] Extension types can also be classified based on the number of first-type time domain units processed at each time. Based on this classification, extension processing includes, for example, single-first-type time domain unit extension and cross-first-type time domain unit extension. Cross-first-type time domain unit extension can also be called multi-first-type time domain unit spreading. If the first-type time domain unit is a time slot, cross-first-type time domain unit extension can be called TBoMS extension.

[0221] See Table 1 below for examples of extension types.

[0222] Table 1

[0223] Of course, Table 1 above illustrates various types of spread spectrum processing, and there may be other types of spread spectrum processing, which are not specifically limited.

[0224] The following describes the types of extended processing with examples in conjunction with the schematic diagrams of extended processing shown in Figures 3 to 10. The other resources involved in Figures 3 to 10 are resources not used to carry signals. The horizontal axis in Figures 3 to 10 represents time (t) and the vertical axis represents frequency (f).

[0225] FIG3 illustrates time domain expansion. In FIG3 (1), symbol expansion (or symbol-level expansion) is taken as an example, that is, the first type of time domain unit is a symbol. The signals include A0, A1 and A2, and the expansion sequence is [+1, +1, -1, -1], that is, the signal is expanded 4 times on the symbol, so +A0, +A1, +A2, +A0, +A1, +A2, -A0, -A1, -A2, -A0, -A1 and A2 are sent in symbol 1 to symbol 10, symbol 12 and symbol 13 respectively. Optionally, any one of the signals A0, A1 and A2 can be, for example, a baseband signal in the time domain, for example, the signal s in formula (2) n(t).

[0226] In Figure 3 (2), time slot expansion (or time slot expansion) is taken as an example, that is, the first type of time domain unit is a time slot. The signal includes A0, and the expansion sequence is [+1, +1, -1, -1], that is, the signal is expanded 4 times in the time slot, so +A0, +A0, -A0 and -A0 are obtained in time slot 1 to time slot 4 respectively. In Figure 3 (2), optionally, the signal in each time slot can be further expanded or combed in the frequency domain. Optionally, in the example of Figure 3 (2), regardless of whether further expansion processing is performed in the frequency domain, the time domain expansion is performed on the entire time domain signal as a whole. That is, the signal in the entire time domain (such as each symbol) must be multiplied by the corresponding element of the expansion sequence.

[0227] FIG4 illustrates frequency domain expansion. FIG4 (1) takes frequency domain expansion and frequency domain uncombed separation as an example. As shown in FIG4 (1), the signal includes a0, a1, and a2, and the expansion sequence is [+1 -1 +1 -1], that is, the signal is expanded 4 times in the frequency domain to obtain signals +a0, -a0, +a0, -a0, +a1, -a1, +a1, -a1, +a2, -a2, +a2, and -a2. Optionally, the signals including a0, a1, and a2 can be signals in the frequency domain, such as d(k) in formula (3).

[0228] (2) in Figure 4 is an example of frequency domain expansion with combing in the frequency domain. (2) in Figure 4 is an example of frequency domain expansion with combing in the frequency domain and a comb size of 3 subcarriers. The signal includes a0, and the expansion sequence is [+1 -1 +1 -1], that is, the signal is expanded 4 times in the frequency domain, so +a0, -a0, +a0 and -a0 are obtained respectively, and the two adjacent elements are separated by 3 subcarriers in the frequency domain.

[0229] Figure 5 illustrates time-frequency extension, that is, the signal is extended in both the time domain and the frequency domain. Figure 5 is an example of a signal carried by symbols 1 to 10, symbol 12 and symbol 13, and Figure 5 illustrates symbol extension. As shown in Figure 5, the signal in one or all symbols (such as symbol 13) is extended in the frequency domain. For example, the signal in symbol 13 includes a0, a1 and a2, and the extension sequence is [+1 -1 +1 -1], that is, the signal is extended 4 times in the frequency domain. Therefore, symbol 13 carries +a0, -a0, +a0, -a0, +a1, -a1, +a1, -a1, +a2, -a2, +a2 and -a2 in sequence. Furthermore, the signal carried by symbol 13 can also be converted to the time domain, and the converted signal can be extended in the time domain. Optionally, the extension length corresponding to the time domain extension and the extension length corresponding to the frequency domain extension can be the same or different, and this is not limited. Optionally, time-frequency extension similar to that of symbol 13 may be performed on other symbols used to carry signals. Optionally, the frequency domain extension sequences on each symbol may be the same or different, without limitation. Optionally, the time domain extension sequences on each symbol may be the same or different, without limitation.

[0230] Figure 6 illustrates time domain expansion, that is, the signal is expanded in the time domain. Figure 6 takes the case where there is combing in the frequency domain and the size of the comb teeth is 3 subcarriers as an example. Figure 6 takes the case where the signal is carried on symbols 1 to 10, symbol 12 and symbol 13 as an example, and illustrates symbol expansion. As shown in Figure 6, the signal in symbol 13 includes a0, a2, a3 and a4, so symbol 13 carries a0, a2, a3 and a4 in sequence, and two adjacent elements are separated by 3 subcarriers in the frequency domain. Optionally, other symbols used to carry signals other than symbol 13 in Figure 6 can also be combed similar to symbol 13. Optionally, the frequency domain intervals of the combing on each symbol can be the same or different, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0231] Figure 7 illustrates time-frequency expansion, that is, the signal is expanded in both the time domain and the frequency domain. Figure 7 takes the case of combing in the frequency domain and the size of the comb teeth being 3 subcarriers as an example. Figure 7 takes the case of the signal being carried on symbols 1 to 10, symbol 12 and symbol 13 as an example, and Figure 7 illustrates symbol expansion in the time domain. As shown in Figure 7, the signal in a certain symbol (such as symbol 13) will be expanded in the frequency domain. For example, the signal in symbol 13 includes a0, and the expansion sequence is [+1 -1 +1 -1], that is, the signal is expanded 4 times in the frequency domain. Therefore, symbol 13 carries +a0, -a0, +a0 and -a0 in sequence, and the two adjacent elements are separated by 3 subcarriers in the frequency domain. Furthermore, other symbols used to carry signals can also be subjected to frequency domain expansion similar to symbol 13. Optionally, the frequency domain intervals of the combing on each symbol can be the same or different, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0232] Figure 8 illustrates time-frequency expansion, that is, the signal is expanded in both the time domain and the frequency domain. Figure 8 takes the example of no combing in the frequency domain. Figure 8 illustrates the example of a signal carried in time slots 1 to 4, and Figure 8 illustrates time slot expansion in the time domain. As shown in Figure 8, the signal in a certain time slot (such as time slot 4) will be expanded in the frequency domain. For example, taking the signal in time slot 4 including a0, a1 and a2, and the expansion sequence as [+1 -1 +1 -1] as an example, the signal is expanded 4 times in the frequency domain, so time slot 4 carries +a0, -a0, +a0, -a0, +a1, -a1, +a1, -a1, +a2, -a2, +a2 and -a2 in sequence. Furthermore, the signal carried in time slot 4 can also be converted to the time domain and expanded in the time domain. Optionally, time-frequency expansion similar to time slot 4 can also be performed on other time slots used to carry signals.

[0233] Figure 9 illustrates time domain expansion, for example, expansion processing of the signal in the time slot. Figure 9 takes combing in the frequency domain as an example. Figure 9 takes the signal carried in time slots 1 to 4 as an example, and Figure 9 illustrates time slot expansion. As shown in Figure 9, the signal in a time slot (such as time slot 4) will also be expanded in the frequency domain. For example, the signal in time slot 4 includes a0, and the expansion sequence is [+1 -1+1 -1], that is, the signal is expanded 4 times in the frequency domain. Therefore, time slot 4 carries +a0, -a0, +a0 and -a0 in sequence, and the two adjacent elements are separated by 2 subcarriers in the frequency domain. Furthermore, the signal carried on time slot 4 can also be converted to the time domain and expanded in the time domain. Optionally, other time slots used to carry signals can also be subjected to time-frequency expansion similar to time slot 4.

[0234] Figure 10 illustrates time domain expansion, which means that the signal is expanded in both the time domain (such as time slot) and the frequency domain. Figure 10 uses combing in the frequency domain as an example. Figure 10 uses the example of a signal carried in time slots 1 to 4, and Figure 10 illustrates time slot expansion. As shown in Figure 10, the signal in a certain time slot (such as time slot 4) will be expanded in the frequency domain. For example, the signal in time slot 4 includes A0, and AO specifically includes a0, a1, a2, and a3. The expansion sequence in the time domain and frequency domain is [+1 -1 +1 -1], that is, the signal is expanded 4 times in the frequency domain. Therefore, time slot 4 carries +a0, -a1, +a2, and -a3 in sequence, and two adjacent elements are separated by 3 subcarriers in the frequency domain. Furthermore, the signal carried in time slot 4 can also be converted to the time domain and expanded in the time domain. Optionally, other time slots used to carry signals can also be subjected to time-frequency expansion similar to time slot 4.

[0235] When performing extension processing on a signal, one extension sequence can be used to perform the extension processing on the signal. Accordingly, in this case, the signal corresponds to one extension length. Alternatively, when performing extension processing on a signal, multiple extension sequences can be used to perform the extension processing on the signal. Accordingly, in this case, the signal corresponds to multiple extension lengths.

[0236] When a signal corresponds to multiple extension lengths, these multiple extension lengths can all be used to perform extension processing on the signal in the time domain. This can be understood as the multiple extension lengths all corresponding to the time domain. Alternatively, these multiple extension lengths can all be used to perform extension processing on the signal in the frequency domain. This can be understood as the multiple extension lengths all corresponding to the frequency domain. Alternatively, some of these multiple extension lengths are used to perform extension processing on the signal in the time domain. This can be understood as another portion of these multiple extension lengths being used to perform extension processing in the frequency domain. In this case, some of these multiple extension lengths are extension lengths corresponding to the time domain, and another portion of these extension lengths are extension lengths corresponding to the frequency domain.

[0237] The extended length corresponding to the first signal involved in the embodiments of the present application includes one or more extended lengths. If the extended length corresponding to the first signal has only one extended length, then the extended length is the first extended length. In this case, the first extended length is used to perform extended processing on the first signal in the time domain, or to perform extended processing on the first signal in the frequency domain, or to perform extended processing on the first signal in both the time domain and the frequency domain.

[0238] Alternatively, if the extended length corresponding to the first signal includes multiple extended lengths, then some or all of the extended lengths in the multiple extended lengths can be the first extended length. In this case, the first extended length is used to perform extended processing on the first signal in the time domain. For example, the first extended length is used to perform extended processing on part or all of the first signal carried in the time domain. Part or all of the first signal can be carried in part of the first-type time domain sub-units in the first-type time domain unit. Alternatively, the first extended length performs extended processing on the first signal in the frequency domain. For example, the first extended length is used to perform extended processing on part or all of the first signal carried in the frequency domain. Part or all of the first signal can be carried in part of the first-type frequency domain sub-units in the first-type frequency domain unit. Alternatively, the first extended length performs extended processing on the first signal in both the time domain and the frequency domain. For example, the first extended length is used to perform extended processing on part or all of the first signal carried in the time domain, and to perform extended processing on part or all of the first signal carried in the frequency domain.

[0239] The first extension length in each embodiment of the present application can be expressed as N SF . N SF is a positive integer. In practice, there are multiple ways to represent the first extension length, which is not specifically limited. The second extension length involved in various embodiments of this application is an extension length other than the first extension length among the one or more extension lengths corresponding to the first signal. The functions of the first extension length and the second extension length are described below.

[0240] For example, the first extension length is used to perform extension processing on the first part of the first signal carried in the time domain. The second extension length is used to perform extension processing on the second part of the first signal carried in the time domain. The first part of the first signal can be carried on the first part in the first type of time domain unit. The second part of the first signal can be carried on the second part in the first type of time domain unit. Optionally, the first signal can include only the first part and the second part, or include more parts, which is not limited to this.

[0241] Alternatively, the first extension length is used to extend the first portion of the first signal carried in the frequency domain, and the second extension length is used to extend the second portion of the first signal carried in the frequency domain. The first portion of the first signal may be carried in the first portion in the first type of frequency domain unit. The second portion of the first signal may be carried in the second portion in the first type of time domain unit.

[0242] Alternatively, the first extension length is used to extend the first portion of the first signal carried in the time domain, and the second extension length is used to extend the second portion of the first signal carried in the frequency domain. The first portion of the first signal may be carried on part or all of the first type of time domain unit. The second portion of the first signal may be carried on part or all of the first type of frequency domain unit.

[0243] Alternatively, the first extension length is used to perform extension processing on the first part of the first signal carried in the time domain. The first extension length is also used to perform extension processing on the third part of the first signal carried in the frequency domain. And, the second extension length is used to perform extension processing on the second part of the first signal carried in the time domain. The second extension length is also used to perform extension processing on the fourth part of the first signal carried in the frequency domain. The first part of the first signal is, for example, carried on the first part in the first type of time domain unit. The second part of the first signal is carried on the second part in the first type of frequency domain unit. The third part of the first signal is, for example, carried on the second part in the first type of time domain unit. The fourth part of the first signal is carried on the second part in the first type of frequency domain unit.

[0244] If the first extended length is used to perform extended processing on the first signal on a first type of time domain unit, then the unit of the first extended length is the first type of time domain subunit. For example, the first type of time domain unit is a time slot and the first type of time domain subunit is a symbol, then the unit of the first extended length is a symbol. Alternatively, if the first extended length is used to perform extended processing on the first type of frequency domain unit, then the unit of the first extended length is the first type of frequency domain subunit. Alternatively, if the first extended length is used to perform extended processing on the first type of frequency domain unit and the first type of time domain unit, then the unit of the first extended length is the first type of frequency domain subunit and the first type of time domain subunit. Similarly, the units of the second extended length are similar to those of the first extended length and are not listed one by one here.

[0245] In each embodiment of the present application, the extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length is the first extended sequence. The first extended sequence can be one or more extended sequences, which is not specifically limited. Similarly, the extended sequence corresponding to the second extended length is the second extended sequence. The second extended sequence can also be one or more extended sequences, which is not specifically limited. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the type (or method) of extending the first signal is referred to as the first extension type, and the first extension type includes extending the first signal in the time domain and / or frequency domain. For example, the first extension type includes time domain extension, frequency domain extension, or time-frequency extension.

[0246] 8. Frequency hopping

[0247] Frequency hopping is a wireless communication technology that transmits data by rapidly switching between different frequencies. In frequency hopping, signals frequently hop between different frequencies, reducing interference, improving communication security, and achieving frequency diversity gain during signal transmission. The principle of frequency hopping is that a set of frequencies is pre-agreed upon between the transmitter and receiver. During communication, these frequencies are used sequentially in the agreed-upon order for data transmission. The transmitter and receiver hop to the same frequency during each time period to maintain synchronization. This frequency hopping pattern can be dynamically changed during communication, effectively resisting interference and eavesdropping. Simply put, frequency hopping involves transmitting signals on multiple, discrete frequencies.

[0248] Frequency hopping includes intra-time slot frequency hopping and inter-time slot frequency hopping. Intra-time slot frequency hopping means that the first type of time domain units corresponding to multiple frequencies are all located in one time slot. Inter-time slot frequency hopping means that the first type of time domain units corresponding to multiple frequencies are located in different time slots.

[0249] The first frequency and the second frequency involved in each embodiment of the present application refer to different frequencies in the case of frequency hopping transmission of the first signal, and the first type of time domain unit corresponding to the first frequency may be one or more first type of time domain units. Similarly, the first type of time domain unit corresponding to the second frequency may also be one or more first type of time domain units. In the case of frequency hopping transmission of the first signal, the first extension length refers to the extension length corresponding to a certain frequency, for example, it may be the extension length corresponding to the first frequency or the second frequency. In other words, the extension length corresponding to the first frequency and the extension length corresponding to the second frequency may be different or the same, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0250] In addition, the frequency hopping involved in the embodiments of the present application can be intra-time slot frequency hopping or inter-time slot frequency hopping, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0251] 9. PUSCH time domain resource allocation (TDRA) list

[0252] The time domain resource allocation list of PUSCH in the information element (such as TimeDomainResourceAllocationList) is used to configure the time domain relationship between PDCCH and PUSCH. The time domain resource allocation list of PUSCH contains one or more time domain resource allocations (such as PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation). The network indicates in the uplink grant (such as UL grant) which configured time domain allocation the terminal device should apply for the uplink grant. The number of entries in the time domain resource allocation list of PUSCH determines the bit width of the downlink control information (DCI) field. If the value in the DCI field is 0, it refers to the first element in the time domain resource allocation list of the PUSCH. If the value in the DCI field is 1, it refers to the second element in the time domain resource allocation list of the PUSCH, and so on.

[0253] The various terms mentioned above (such as the number of repetitions, extension length, and extension sequence, etc.) may have other names, or other terms may appear as the standard continues to evolve, and no specific restrictions are imposed on this.

[0254] In the various embodiments of the present application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "plural" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0255] In the embodiments of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, and implicit indication. When describing a certain indication information as indicating A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A. In the present application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or an index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information is associated with the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, it is also possible to indicate specific information by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-specified) order of arrangement of each piece of information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0256] In the embodiments of the present application, "sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination end of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also include indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source end of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also include indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal device, or can be carried out within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, a line or an interface.

[0257] As discussed above, the uplink coverage enhancement technology based on repetition needs to allocate more resources to a certain signal, which reduces the overall capacity of the communication system.

[0258] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication scheme, in which a first communication device determines a first extension length based on a first number of repetitions, and the first communication device sends first indication information to a second communication device, the first indication information being used to indicate the first extension length, thereby providing a method for indicating the first spread spectrum length. In this way, a device sending a signal (such as a first communication device or a second communication device) can extend and repeatedly transmit the signal based on the first extension length and the first number of repetitions. The extended processing supports multiple users, thereby relatively reducing the resources occupied by a single user and improving the overall capacity of the communication system. In addition, the first extension length is related to the first number of repetitions, so the first extension length can be determined by the first number of repetitions, or the first number of repetitions can be determined by the first extension length, without having to indicate the first extension length and the first number of repetitions separately, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0259] The solutions involved in the various embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication networks (or systems) including a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device can indicate a first extension length to the second communication device, where the first extension length is related to a first number of repetitions, so that the second communication device can send or receive signals using the first extension length and the first number of repetitions. Alternatively, the first communication device can send or receive signals using the first extension length and the first number of repetitions.

[0260] The communication solutions provided by the various embodiments of the present application are applicable to various types of communication networks, for example, fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication systems. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, sidelink (SL) systems, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. SL can also be called side communication link, side link, side link, direct link, side link or auxiliary link, etc. SL may include device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (or everything) communication (V2X) communication or sidelink on unlicensed spectrum (SL-U) communication link, etc. V2X communication may include: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-roadside infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication. The various embodiments of the present application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as intersatellite communication and satellite communication.

[0261] In one possible design, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and terminal devices. The satellite base station provides communication services to the terminal devices. The satellite base station can also communicate with other base stations. Satellites can serve as both base stations and terminal devices. Satellites can include drones, hot air balloons, low-orbit satellites, medium-orbit satellites, and high-orbit satellites. Satellites can also refer to non-ground base stations or non-ground devices.

[0262] A device in a communication system can send signals to or receive signals from another device. Signals can include information, signaling, or data. The term "device" can also be replaced by devices, entities, network entities, communication devices, communication modules, nodes, or communication nodes. Devices include terminal devices and network devices.

[0263] The terminal devices in the embodiments of the present application include various devices with wireless communication functions, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer to peer (P2P), M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. The terminal device may be user equipment (UE), terminal, fixed device, mobile station device or mobile device of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, subscriber unit, handheld device, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, cellular phone, smart phone, SIP phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA), computer, tablet computer, notebook computer, wireless modem, handheld device, laptop computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, smart book, vehicle, satellite, global positioning system (GPS) device, target tracking device, aircraft (such as drone, helicopter, or airplane), ship, remote control device, smart home device, industrial equipment, or a device built into the above devices (such as a communication module, modem or chip in the above devices), or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem.

[0264] It should be understood that in some scenarios, a terminal device can also be used to act as a base station. For example, a terminal device can act as a scheduling entity that provides sidelink signals between terminal devices in scenarios such as V2X, D2D, or P2P.

[0265] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device, i.e., the terminal device, can be the terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0266] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and may also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. Base station can broadly cover various names as follows, or replace the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmission point (TRP), transmission point, master station, auxiliary station, multi-standard wireless (motor slide retainer, MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem or chip used to be set in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the network equipment.

[0267] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0268] In some deployments, the network device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a device including a CU, or a DU, or a device including a CU and a DU, or a control plane CU node (central unit control plane (central unit-control plane, CU-CP)) and a user plane CU node (central unit user plane (central unit-user plane, CU-UP)) and a DU node.

[0269] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functionality. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, DU, CU-CP, CU-UP, or radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be separate or included in the same network element, such as the BBU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio unit, such as an RRU, AAU, or RRH.

[0270] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the radio access network may also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In the ORAN system, CU may also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP may also be called an open (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called an open (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0271] In the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device, or it can be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0272] The network equipment and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which the network equipment and terminal devices are located.

[0273] The following describes, with reference to the communication systems shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 16 , communication systems applicable to various embodiments of the present application.

[0274] Refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 11, the wireless communication system includes a radio access network 1100. The radio access network 1100 can be a next-generation (e.g., 6G or higher) radio access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) radio access network. One or more terminal devices (1120a-1120j, collectively referred to as 1120) can be connected to each other or to one or more network devices (1110a, 1110b, collectively referred to as 1110) in the radio access network 1100. Network elements in the wireless communication system are connected through interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces. Any terminal device in Figure 11 can be used as an example of a second communication device, and any network device in the one or more network devices in Figure 11 can be used as an example of a first communication device. Alternatively, one terminal device in Figure 11 can be used as an example of a first communication device, and another terminal device in Figure 11 can be used as an example of a second communication device.

[0275] FIG11 is only a schematic diagram. The wireless communication system may further include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG11 .

[0276] The following describes the satellite system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable. According to the communication mode of the satellite, the satellite system can be divided into a transparent mode and a regenerative mode. The transparent mode can also be called a transparent forwarding mode. In the transparent mode, the satellite can also be called a satellite base station, etc. The satellite is used for frequency conversion and forwarding signals, which are generated and sent by the satellite ground station. In the regenerative mode, the satellite can be equipped with (or coupled with) a base station or a DU in the base station. The satellite can parse and process the signals received from the ground, and send the processed signals to the terminal device to achieve signal regeneration.

[0277] Figure 12 illustrates a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system in a transparent transmission mode applicable to an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 12, a satellite and / or a satellite ground station can be used as an example of a first communication device, and one of the terminal devices can be used as an example of a second communication device.

[0278] Satellites can access the network using a non-3GPP radio protocol, or they can access the network via a 3GPP radio protocol. Communication connections are established between terminal devices and satellites, and between satellites and satellite ground stations, via non-3GPP radio protocol interfaces. Satellite ground stations can include access points. Satellite ground stations can communicate with CNs via NG interfaces (such as N2 or N3 interfaces), and CNs can communicate with data networks (DNs) via N6 interfaces. The link between a ground station and a satellite is called a feeder link, and the link between a satellite and a terminal device is called a service link.

[0279] Figure 13 illustrates a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system in a regeneration mode applicable to an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 13, a satellite and / or a satellite ground station can be used as an example of a first communication device, and one of the terminal devices can be used as an example of a second communication device.

[0280] As shown in Figure 13, a satellite is equipped with a base station, and a satellite ground station is equipped with a base station. Terminal devices can establish a communication connection with the satellite via the Uu interface, while the satellite and the satellite ground station can establish a communication connection via the Xn interface. The interfaces between the satellite ground station, CN, and DN are the same as those in Figure 12. The similarities can be referenced and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the satellite ground station can also be a satellite gateway, not including a base station.

[0281] The satellite ground stations in the satellite systems shown in Figures 12 or 13 can be used to connect satellites to the network. Satellite ground stations can also be called gateways, ground stations, or earth stations. In addition, the satellite systems shown in Figures 12 or 13 do not constitute a limitation on the communication systems to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied. In addition, Figures 12 or 13 do not limit the names of the various devices in the satellite system. For example, in different communication scenarios, satellite ground stations or satellites can also have other names. In addition, the satellites described in the embodiments of the present application can also be replaced by other non-ground network devices, such as high-altitude platform equipment or high-altitude aircraft, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0282] Figure 14 illustrates a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 14 is, for example, a schematic diagram of an SL communication scenario. In Figure 14, two terminal devices can communicate with each other, and one terminal device can configure an extended length, etc. for the other terminal device. One terminal device involved in Figure 14 can be used as an example of a first communication device, and the other terminal device can be used as an example of a second communication device.

[0283] Figure 15 illustrates a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 15 shows a network device and multiple terminal devices. The network device can configure an extended length for one of the multiple terminal devices, and the terminal device can communicate with other terminal devices through the extended length. Other terminal devices may be located within the coverage of the first communication device (such as the network device), or may be located outside the coverage of the first communication device (such as the network device), that is, not within the coverage of the first communication device (such as the network device), and this is not specifically limited. The network device in Figure 15 can be used as an example of a first communication device, and one of the multiple terminal devices can be used as an example of a second communication device.

[0284] Please refer to Figure 16, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 16 illustrates a roadside device and a terminal device. The roadside device can indicate an extension length to the terminal device. The roadside device involved in Figure 16 can be an example of a first communication device, and the terminal device involved in Figure 16 can be an example of a second communication device.

[0285] Figures 11 to 16 are examples of communication systems applicable to the embodiments of the present application, and do not actually limit the communication systems to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0286] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0287] In the drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of the present application, all steps represented by dotted lines are optional steps. The first communication device involved in the various embodiments of the present application is, for example, any network device involved in Figure 11, any terminal device involved in Figure 11, the satellite and / or satellite ground station involved in Figure 12, the satellite and / or satellite ground station involved in Figure 13, the terminal device involved in Figure 14, the network device involved in Figure 15, or the roadside device involved in Figure 16. The second communication device involved in the various embodiments of the present application is, for example, any terminal device involved in Figures 11 to 16. If the technical solutions provided in the various embodiments of the present application are applied to other communication systems, the name and / or function of the device may change, and there is no limitation on this.

[0288] Please refer to Figure 17, which shows a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The following describes the various steps involved in Figure 17.

[0289] S1701. A first communication device determines a first extension length according to a first number of repetitions.

[0290] The content of the first number of repetitions can refer to the content of the number of repetitions discussed above, and the repeated parts are not listed again. The content of the first extended length can also refer to the content of the extended length discussed above. The first number of repetitions and the first extended length can be used by the first communication device (such as a network device or a terminal device, etc.) to process the first signal and send it. Alternatively, the first number of repetitions and the first extended length can be used by the first communication device to obtain the first signal, or for other communication devices (such as a second communication device, specifically such as a terminal device or a network device) to process the first signal and send it, or for other communication devices (such as a second communication device) to obtain the first signal, etc., without specific limitation. The first extended length involved in the embodiment of the present application represents the length of the extended processing of the first signal. There can be multiple types of extended processing for the first information, such as time domain extension, frequency domain extension, or time-frequency extension, and specifically any of the extension types shown in Table 1 above, without limitation. The first communication device determines the first extended length based on the first number of repetitions, which can also be described or understood as the first extended length being associated with the first number of repetitions, or the first number of repetitions being related to the first extended length. The following first introduces the way in which the first communication device obtains the first number of repetitions.

[0291] The first communication device may be configured, preconfigured, or predefined with a first repetition number via signaling, for example, via a protocol, or the first communication device may pre-store the first repetition number, for example, by obtaining the first repetition number from another device and pre-store the first repetition number. Alternatively, the first communication device may be configured, pre-configured, or pre-defined with multiple repetition numbers via signaling. For example, the first communication device may be configured with multiple repetition numbers via a protocol. The first communication device may determine a repetition number from the multiple repetition numbers as the first repetition number.

[0292] The first communication device can randomly determine a repetition number from multiple repetition numbers as the first repetition number. Alternatively, the first communication device can determine the first repetition number from at least one repetition number based on the signal quality of the communication link. For example, the better the link signal quality, the smaller the first repetition number; conversely, the worse the link signal quality, the larger the first repetition number. This can minimize the excessive resource usage caused by repeated transmission while ensuring transmission efficiency. Alternatively, the first communication device can determine the first repetition number from at least one repetition number based on the amount of remaining resources of the first communication device or the second communication device. Optionally, the greater the amount of remaining resources, the larger the first repetition number, or the smaller the amount of remaining resources, the smaller the first repetition number. This can avoid situations where the resources of the communication system are insufficient to support repeated transmission. Of course, the first communication device can determine the first repetition number in a variety of ways, which are not specifically limited.

[0293] Optionally, the unit of any repetition number may be a second type of time domain unit, such as a time slot or a symbol. For example, any repetition number may be any repetition number configured, preconfigured, or predefined through signaling, such as the first repetition number or multiple repetition numbers. Optionally, the unit of any repetition number may be the same size as or different from the unit of the first extension length (i.e., the first type of time domain unit).

[0294] For example, the unit of the first extension length is symbol, and the unit of any repetition number is also symbol. For another example, the unit of the first extension length is symbol, and the unit of any repetition number is also time slot.

[0295] Optionally, if the unit of any repetition number is different in size from the unit of the first extended length, the first communication device may convert the unit of any repetition number so that the size of the unit corresponding to any repetition number is the same as the unit of the first extended length. Of course, there are many ways to convert, and this is not specifically limited.

[0296] For example, if the unit of any repetition number is a time slot and the unit of the first extension length is a symbol, the unit size of any repetition number can be converted into the unit size of the first extension length.

[0297] In one example, N rep =M1·N1 / M2, wherein M1 is the number of symbols that can be used to transmit the first signal in a time slot, N1 is any repetition number, the unit of which is time slot, and M1 is the number of symbols corresponding to one element in the first extended length.

[0298] For example, N1=1, M1=12, M2=3, then N rep =12*1 / 3=4, that is, the total number of resources available for repetition and spectrum spreading in one time slot is 4. In this case, the first extension length is 4, for example.

[0299] Or, N1=8, M1=12, M2=6, then N rep =12*8 / 6=24, that is, the total number of resources available for repetition and spreading in 8 time slots is 24.

[0300] Or, N1=16, M1=12, M2=12, then N rep =12*16 / 12=16, that is, the frequency spreading is performed in time slots, and the total number of resources available for repeated frequency spreading in 16 time slots is 16. In this case, the first extension length is, for example, 4.

[0301] The following describes how the first communication device determines the first extension length according to the first number of repetitions.

[0302] Method 1: The first communication device determines the first extension length from a first association relationship (or may be called a first correspondence relationship) according to the first repetition number.

[0303] The first association relationship may be obtained by the first communication device from other devices, or may be preconfigured or predefined. For example, it may be defined in a formula, table format, or textual provisions preconfigured by a protocol or defined by a protocol, and this application does not make any specific restrictions on this. The form of the first association relationship may be a table, an array, a formula, or other forms, and this is not specifically limited. The first association relationship represents at least one extended length corresponding to at least one repetition number. At least one repetition number includes a first repetition number, and at least one extended length includes a first extended length. In this way, the first communication device can determine the first extended length corresponding to the first repetition number from the first association relationship based on the first repetition number.

[0304] In one possible design, the first association includes at least one repetition number and an extension length corresponding to each of the at least one repetition number. In other words, one repetition number corresponds to one extension length. Thus, the first communication device may determine, from the first association, a first extension length corresponding to the first repetition number based on the first repetition number.

[0305] Please refer to Table 2 below, which is an example of the first association relationship provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0306] Table 2

[0307] As shown in Table 2 above, if the first repetition number is 32, the first communication device may determine that the first extension length is 32 based on the first association relationship shown in Table 2 above.

[0308] In one possible design, the first association relationship includes different values ​​of the first indication information, at least one repetition number, and an extended length corresponding to each repetition number in the at least one repetition number and the different values ​​of the first indication information. That is, a value of the first indication information and a repetition number are uniquely associated with an extended length, or it can be described as that the extended length is associated with the repetition number and the value of the first indication information. In this way, the first communication device can determine the first extended length corresponding to the first repetition number and a value of the first indication information from the first association relationship based on the first repetition number and a value of the first indication information. It can be understood that the first indication information is used to determine (or indicate) the first extended length.

[0309] Please refer to Table 3 below, which is an example of the first association relationship provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0310] Table 3

[0311] As shown in Table 3 above, if the value of the first indication information is 000 and the first number of repetitions is 32, then the first communication device may determine, based on the first association relationship shown in Table 3 above, that the first extension length is 32. Optionally, the value of the first indication information in Table 3 above is only an example. In Table 3, the value of the first indication information (first column) may also be a descending value ranging from 111, 110, etc. to 000.

[0312] In addition, as an example, optionally, the value of the first indication information can also be 4 bits, 3 bits or 2 bits, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0313] Mode 2: The first communication device determines the first extension length according to the first parameter value and the first repetition number. In Mode 2, the first repetition number and the first extension length may also satisfy the first association relationship described above, which is not limited.

[0314] Exemplarily, the first extension length is the ratio of the first number of repetitions to the first parameter value, or the rounded result of the ratio of the first number of repetitions to the first parameter value. The rounding operation may be rounding up or rounding down. The value of the first parameter may be determined independently by the first communication device, or may be preconfigured or predefined, or determined based on the first indication information, without limitation.

[0315] For example, the first parameter value a=2 k k is, for example, a value of the first indication information. For example, k is an integer, such as 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, which is not limited thereto. For example, k is specifically a decimal number of the first indication information.

[0316] For example, the first extension length satisfies the following formula (4) or (5):

[0317] Among them, ceil means rounding up, which can also be expressed as Floor means round down, which can also be expressed as N rep Indicates the first repetition number.

[0318] Optionally, the above formulas (4) and (5) can be expressed as follows: rep = M1·N1 / M2 (6)

[0319] Where M1 is the number of symbols that can be used to transmit the first signal in a time slot, N1 is any repetition number, the unit of which is time slot, and M1 is the number of symbols corresponding to one element in the extension process. Where M1, M2, and N1 are positive integers.

[0320] Alternatively, the first parameter value a=k / M. M may, for example, represent the number of first-type time-domain sub-units used to transmit the first signal in a first-type time-domain unit. For example, if the first-type time-domain unit is a time slot, then M may be the number of symbols used to transmit the first signal in a time slot. M is a positive integer, such as 1, 2, or 3. In this case, the first extension length is, for example, as shown in the following formula (7).

[0321] The first extension length in Method 1 may also be determined based on the first parameter value and the first number of repetitions. In other words, the relationship between the first extension length, the first parameter value, and the first number of repetitions in Method 1 may be the same as the relationship between the first extension length, the first parameter value, and the first number of repetitions in Method 2, and this is not limited to this.

[0322] Of course, the above-mentioned method 1 and method 2 are examples of methods for determining the first extension length. In fact, there can be many ways to determine the first extension length. For example, the first communication device can be pre-configured with a first number of repetitions and a first extension length. In this case, the first extension length can still be related to the first number of repetitions, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0323] The first extended length may be further associated with a first quantity. The first quantity may be the number of first-type time domain subunits used to transmit the first signal in a first-type time domain unit, excluding the first-type time domain subunits used to transmit the demodulation reference signal. The first quantity is associated with at least one of the position where the demodulation reference signal is transmitted, the number of first-type time domain subunits used to transmit the demodulation reference signal, or the number of first-type time domain subunits used to transmit the first signal. It may be described as the first extended length being further associated with the first quantity and at least one of the position where the demodulation reference signal is transmitted, the number of first-type time domain subunits used to transmit the demodulation reference signal, or the number of first-type time domain subunits used to transmit the first signal.

[0324] Optionally, the larger the first number is, the larger the first extension length may be, and the smaller the first number is, the smaller the first extension length may be. For another example, the first extension length is smaller than the first number.

[0325] When more first-type time-domain subunits are used to transmit a demodulation reference signal, the number of symbols Ma that can be used to transmit the first signal in the first-type time-domain unit decreases. Therefore, the number of symbols Ma that can be used to transmit the first signal may become a prime number. Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, a second extended length is introduced, which is equivalent to configuring an extended length pair to meet the processing requirements for the first signal. The first extended length and the second extended length can be regarded as an extended length pair for jointly performing extended processing on the first signal.

[0326] In one possible design, the first communication device may also determine a second extended length corresponding to the first extended length. Furthermore, the first communication device may also determine other extended lengths, a third extended length, and the like, without making any specific restrictions on the number of extended lengths corresponding to the first signal. The first extended length and the second extended length may refer to the first extended length and the second extended length discussed above, and any repetitions will not be repeated. Optionally, the first communication device may determine the second extended length only if it determines that the first extended length is a prime number. Of course, the second extended length may also be determined if the first extended length is not a prime number, and there is no specific restriction on this.

[0327] For example, the first communication device may be preconfigured or predefined with the second extended length. Alternatively, the first communication device may determine the second extended length by referring to the method for determining the first extended length, and the repetitive details are not further described. Alternatively, the first communication device may determine the second extended length based on the first extended length. The following describes the method for determining the second extended length based on the first extended length.

[0328] The first communication device may determine the second extension length based on the first extension length and the second quantity. In other words, the second extension length is related to the first extension length and the second quantity. The second quantity is the number of first-type time domain subunits used to transmit the first signal in a first-type time domain unit, excluding the first-type time domain subunits that transmit the demodulation reference signal. Alternatively, the second quantity is the number of first-type time domain subunits used to transmit the first signal on the first frequency or the second frequency, and both the first frequency and the second frequency are used to transmit the first signal. The contents of the first frequency and the second frequency can refer to the contents of the first frequency and the second frequency above, respectively, and will not be listed here unless repeated.

[0329] For example, the second extension length is the difference between the second number and the first extension length. Alternatively, the second extension length is the minimum of the first extension length and the second number. Alternatively, the first extension length is the rounded average of the second number and the first extension length.

[0330] Please refer to Figure 18, which is a schematic diagram of the second quantity provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 18 takes the first type of time domain unit as a time slot and the first type of time domain sub-unit as a symbol as an example. As shown in (1) in Figure 18, the first signal occupies 14 symbols from symbol 0 to symbol 13, and the two symbols of symbol 0 and symbol 11 also carry demodulation reference signals, so the second quantity is 14-2=12. If the first extension length is 4, the configured spreading factor can be a pair, then the second extension length can be, for example, 12-4=8. Or the second extension length is min{12,4}=4.

[0331] As shown in (2) in Figure 18, the first signal is transmitted by frequency hopping, and the first signal is transmitted on both the first frequency and the second frequency. The first signal occupies 7 symbols from symbol 0 to symbol 6 on the first frequency, and the symbol 0 also carries the demodulation reference signal, so the second number corresponding to the first frequency is 7-1=6. If the first extension length is 4, then the second extension length can be, for example, 6-4=2, or min{6,4}=4. The first signal occupies 7 symbols from symbol 7 to symbol 13 on the second frequency, and the two symbols 7 and symbol 11 also carry the demodulation reference signal, so the second number corresponding to the first frequency is 7-2=5. If the first extension length is 4, the configured spreading factor can be a pair, then the second extension length can be, for example, 5-4=1. Or the second extension length is min{5,4}=4.

[0332] For example, taking the first signal carried on the PUSCH, the first type of time domain unit being a time slot, and the first type of time domain sub-unit being a symbol as an example, the number of symbols that can be used to transmit the PUSCH is l d =14, the number of symbols used to transmit DMRS is 1, then the second number M a =13, so the first extension length N SF The second extension length may be one of {1, 2, 11, 6, 7, 5, 8, 4, 9, 3, 10, 13}. Optionally, the second extension length may be 13 minus the first extension length. The first extension length is used to extend the first portion of the time slot, and the second extension length is used to extend the second portion of the time slot.

[0333] For example, the number of symbols that can be used to transmit PUSCH is l d =14, the number of symbols used to transmit DMRS is 1, then the second number M a =12, so the first extension length N SF It can be one of {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12}. For example, the first extension length is 12. 12 is a composite number with many factors, so there is no need to match it with another extension length. Therefore, the first communication device does not need to determine the second extension length.

[0334] For example, the number of symbols that can be used to transmit PUSCH is l d =12, the number of symbols used to transmit DMRS is 4, then the second number M a =8, so the first extension length N SF It can be one of {1, 2, 4, 6, 8}. For example, the first extension length is 8. 8 is a composite number with many factors, so there is no need to match it with another extension length. Therefore, the first communication device does not need to determine the second extension length.

[0335] S1702: The first communication device sends first indication information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first indication information from the first communication device. The first indication information indicates a first extension length.

[0336] The first indication information is carried in an RRC message, a system message, a radio resource control parameter (which may be referred to as an RRC parameter for short), an RAR message or a DCI. The radio resource control parameter is used to indicate a radio resource control parameter shared by multiple communication devices (such as multiple terminal devices). A specific example of a system information block (SIB) is a system information block. For example, when the second communication device initially accesses the network or initially establishes a connection with the first communication device, the first indication information may be carried in the system information, a random access response message or a radio resource control parameter. The downlink control information may be downlink control information in any format, such as downlink control information in format 0 or format 1, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0337] The following describes an example of how the first indication information indicates the first extension length.

[0338] In a possible implementation, W bits in the first indication information directly carry the first extension length, where W is a positive integer.

[0339] W can be preconfigured or predefined in the first and second communication devices, or determined by negotiation between the first and second communication devices, or configured by the first communication device to the second communication device. For example, if the first extended length is 16 and W is 5, then the value of W bits is 10000, indicating that the first extended length is 16.

[0340] In this way, the second communication device receives the first indication information and can parse the W bits in the first indication information to determine the first extension length. The method of indicating the first extension length in this embodiment is relatively simple and direct.

[0341] In another possible implementation, the first indication information is used to determine the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions.

[0342] Exemplarily, the first number of repetitions is associated with at least one extended length. After determining the first number of repetitions, the second communication device may determine the first extended length based on the first indication information and the first number of repetitions. The first number of repetitions may be, for example, preconfigured or predefined in the second communication device, or the first communication device may indicate second indication information to the second communication device, where the second indication information indicates the first number of repetitions. The second indication information may be carried in an RRC message, a system message, an RRC parameter, an RAR message, or a DCI. The first indication information and the second indication information may be carried in the same message or in different messages, without specific limitation. For example, the first indication information may be carried in the DCI, and the second indication information may be carried in the RRC message.

[0343] For example, if the first communication device determines the first extended length based on the first method described above, and the first repetition count is associated only with the first extended length, then the first indication information may only indicate the first repetition count. In this manner, the second communication device may directly determine the first extended length based on the first repetition count and the first association. The first association may be preconfigured or predefined in the second communication device, for example, configured in the second communication device via a protocol, or may be indicated by the first communication device to the second communication device, without limitation.

[0344] Optionally, in addition to indicating the first number of repetitions, the second indication information may also indicate at least one of the following information C1 to C7, which are introduced below respectively.

[0345] C1. First extension type. The meaning of the first extension type can be referred to above. The first extension type may include time domain extension, frequency domain extension, or time-frequency extension.

[0346] C2. First transmission mode. The meaning of the first transmission mode can be referred to the content of the first transmission mode above, and the repeated parts are not listed here.

[0347] C3, a third quantity. The third quantity is the number of first-type time-domain subunits corresponding to each element (or symbol) in the first extended sequence (e.g., may be referred to as duration-for-time OCC). For example, the third quantity may be an example of R in formula (2) above. For example, the third quantity may be at least one of {sym1…sym13, slot1, slot2,…, slot8}, where sym1 represents one symbol, sym2 represents two symbols, slot1 represents one time slot, and slot2 represents two time slots.

[0348] C4, a fourth quantity. The fourth quantity is the number of first-type frequency-domain subunits corresponding to each element in the first extended sequence (e.g., duration-for-freqOCC). For example, the third quantity may be an example of R in formula (3) above. The fourth quantity may be, for example, at least one of {RE1…RE12, RB1, RB2,…, RB8}, where RE1 represents one subcarrier, RE12 represents 12 physical resource blocks (RBs), RB8 represents 8 RBs, and so on.

[0349] C5. Index of the first extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length (for example, referred to as OccIndex). The index of the first extended sequence is, for example, at least one of {1, 2, ...,}.

[0350] C6, comb size (comb size), for example, can be expressed as N comb The size of the comb teeth indicates the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain. The comb tooth size is, for example, at least one of {1, 2, ...,}. For example, if the comb tooth size is 3 REs, it means that the first signal is mapped at intervals of 3 REs in the frequency domain.

[0351] C7, offset value (or offset) of the comb teeth. The offset value of the comb teeth indicates the offset of the interval in which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain. The offset value of the comb teeth is {0, 2, ..., N comb For example, if the size of the comb teeth is 3 REs, the offset value of the comb teeth is any one of 0, 1, and 2.

[0352] Of course, the second indication information may also indicate other information, which is not specifically limited. Optionally, the content of the second indication information may be carried in the TDRA list. For example, the first number of repetitions indicated by the second indication information and at least one of the above-mentioned information C1 to C7 may be carried in the TDRA list, which is not specifically limited.

[0353] Optionally, the first indication information may indicate at least one item of information from C1 to C7, which is not specifically limited.

[0354] Alternatively, if the first communication device determines the first extended length based on the first method 1 described above, and the first repetition number is associated with multiple extended lengths, the first communication device may determine the value of the first indication information based on the first repetition number, with the value of the first indication information being used to indicate the first extended length. In this manner, the second communication device may determine the first extended length based on the first repetition number, the value of the first indication information, and the first association. For example, if the first association is as shown in Table 3 above, the value of the first indication information is 001, and the first repetition factor is 24, the second communication device may determine the first extended length to be 12 based on the first association shown in Table 3. For another example, if the first indication information indicates an index of the first extended length, the second communication device may determine the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first repetition number based on the index of the first extended length. For example, if the first repetition number is associated with three extended lengths (these three extended lengths are indexed as 1, 2, and 3, respectively), and the first indication information indicates that the index of the first extended length is 2, the second communication device may determine the first extended length based on the first repetition number and the index of the first extended length.

[0355] Alternatively, if the first communication device determines the first extended length based on the second method described above, the second communication device may determine the first parameter value based on the value of the first indication information, and determine the first extended length based on the first parameter value and the first number of repetitions. This is equivalent to the first indication information indicating the first extended length. For example, the second communication device may determine the first extended length by referring to any of the above formulas (4) to (7), without limitation.

[0356] Optionally, when the first extension length is related to the first quantity, the second communication device may determine the value range of the first extension length or the first extension length based on the first quantity.

[0357] Optionally, in addition to determining the first extended length, the second communication device may also determine a second extended length. Furthermore, the second communication device may determine another extended length, such as a third extended length. Optionally, the second communication device may determine the second extended length only after determining that the first extended length is a prime number. Of course, the second extended length may also be determined even if the first extended length is not a prime number. This is not specifically limited.

[0358] Exemplarily, the second communication device may be preconfigured or predefined with the second extended length. Alternatively, the second communication device may determine the second extended length by referring to the method for determining the first extended length, and the repetitive details are not repeated here. Alternatively, the second communication device may determine the second extended length based on the first extended length.

[0359] The second communication device can determine the second extended length based on the first extended length and the second quantity. In other words, the second extended length is related to the first extended length and the second quantity. The content of the second quantity can refer to the content of the second quantity in the previous text, and will not be listed again this time. The second quantity can be indicated to the second communication device by the first communication device, or it can be determined by negotiation between the first communication device and the second communication device, or it can be determined by the second communication device itself, and there is no specific limitation on this. The specific method for the second communication device to determine the second extended length based on the first extended length and the second quantity can refer to the content of the first communication device determining the second extended length in the previous text, and the repeated parts will not be listed again.

[0360] In one possible design, in addition to indicating the first extension length to the second communication device, the first communication device may also indicate a first extension sequence corresponding to the first extension length to the second communication device.

[0361] The first communication device may also send third indication information to the second communication device. Accordingly, the second communication device receives the third indication information from the first communication device. The order in which the first communication device sends the first indication information and the third indication information may be arbitrary. For example, the first communication device first sends the first indication information and then sends the third indication information, or the first communication device first sends the third indication information and then sends the first indication information, or the first communication device sends the first indication information and the third indication information synchronously. The third indication information is used to indicate the index of the first extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length, or can be described as the third indication information being used to indicate the first extended sequence. The index of the first extended sequence is, for example, {0, 1,…15}. The number of bits required for the third indication information to indicate the index of the first extended sequence is introduced below.

[0362] The N bits in the third indication information are used to indicate the index of the first extended sequence, where N is a positive integer. N can be a fixed value, or it can be flexible and variable, without limitation. N can be understood as the number of bits in the third indication information used to indicate the index of the first extended sequence. When N is flexible and variable, bit overhead can be reduced when indicating the index of the first extended sequence, and flexibility in indicating the index of the first extended sequence can also be increased.

[0363] Optionally, the maximum value of N is a first value, such as 5, ceil(log2(N SF )) or ceil(log2(N rep )). N SF Indicates the first extension length, N rep The length of the spreading sequence can be less than, equal to or greater than 2. N , there is no limitation on this.

[0364] For example, the value of N is related to the first extension length, or it can be described that the value of N can be determined based on the first extension length. The value of N can refer to the formula shown in the following formula (8), (9) or (10). N = ceil (log2 (N SF )) (8) N=floor(log2(N SF )) (9) N=log2(N SF ) (10)

[0365] Among them, N SF Indicates the first extended length. The contents of ceil and floor can refer to the contents of ceil and floor in the previous text respectively.

[0366] For example, if the first indication information indicates that the first extension length is 4, then according to any of the above formulas (8) to (10), 2 bits are used in the third indication information to indicate the index of the first extension sequence. Alternatively, if the first indication information indicates that the first extension length is 5, then according to the above formula (8), 3 bits in the third indication information are used to indicate the index of the first extension sequence.

[0367] The following describes how the third indication information indicates the index of the first extended sequence.

[0368] In one possible implementation, the third indication information includes the number of the first extended sequence. The number of the first extended sequence is used to determine the index of the first extended sequence from an index set. The index set includes the indices of some or all extended sequences corresponding to the first extended length. In this way, the third indication information can indicate the index corresponding to the extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length, which is beneficial for reducing interference between users of different code divisions and improving the communication quality of the communication system. Optionally, the index set can be configured by the network. Optionally, the third indication information can be indicated by RRC signaling or DCI signaling.

[0369] For example, under the first extension length, the corresponding extended sequence may be one or more extended sequences, and the indexes of all or part of the one or more extended sequences constitute an index set. The third indication information may indicate the number of the first extended sequence in the index set. This number may be a relative index of the first extended sequence in the index set, or a sequence number, etc., without specific limitation.

[0370] For example, the first communication device may be configured with an extended sequence list corresponding to a first extended length, where the index of the extended sequence in the extended sequence list is an index set, and the extended sequence list includes some or all extended sequences available for the first extended length. The third indication information may indicate at least one extended sequence in the extended sequence list (i.e., the first extended sequence).

[0371] For example, please refer to Figure 19, which is a schematic diagram of an index indicating the first extended length provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 19, the first extended length is 10, and the extended sequences corresponding to the first extended length include 10, and the indexes of these 10 extended sequences are: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The index set may include indices of 4 spread spectrum sequences, such as: {0, 2, 4, 6}, or {1, 3, 5, 7}. The third indication information may indicate that the first extended length is {0, 2, 4, 6}, that is, the index set includes {0, 2, 4, 6}. The third indication information indicates that the index of the first extended sequence is 3, which means that the first extended sequence is an extended sequence with an index of 4.

[0372] In another possible implementation, the third indication information indicates a sequence index and / or a second parameter value, and the sequence index and the second parameter value are used to determine the index of the first extended sequence. The sequence index can be the index of a certain extended sequence, or simply an index that can be used as a reference, and this is not limited to this. Of course, when the third indication information indicates only one of the sequence index and the second parameter value, the other of the sequence index and the second parameter value can be preconfigured or predefined in the second communication device, for example, preconfigured via a protocol, and this is not specifically limited to this. The reference index can be one or more, and the second parameter value can also be one or more, and this is not limited to this.

[0373] In the first possible design, the index of the first extended sequence is the sum of the sequence index and the second parameter value. In this case, the index of the first extended sequence can refer to the content of the following formula (11). a =i+Δ (11)

[0374] Among them, i a represents the index of the first extension length, i represents a reference index, and Δ represents an example of the second parameter value.

[0375] For example, if the first extension length is 8, the third indication information may use 2 bits to indicate the indices of the four spreading sequences. Specifically, if the second parameter value Δ is 2, the sequence indices indicated by the third indication information are 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Then, the second communication device may determine, based on the above formula (8), that the indices of the first spreading sequence are {2, 3, 4, 5}.

[0376] In a second possible design, the index of the first extended sequence is the remainder of the sum of the sequence index and the second parameter value divided by the first extended length. In this case, the index of the first extended sequence can refer to the content of the following formula (12). a =(i+Δ)mod N SF (12)

[0377] Among them, i a represents the index of the first extension length, i represents the reference index, Δ represents an example of the second parameter value, mod represents the remainder, N SF Indicates the first extension length.

[0378] For example, if the first extension length is 8, the third indication information may use 2 bits to indicate the indices of the four spreading sequences. Specifically, if the second parameter value Δ is 2, the sequence indices indicated by the third indication information are {0, 1, 2, 3}, respectively, and the indices of the first spreading sequence are {2, 4, 6, 0}.

[0379] In a third possible design, the index of the first extended sequence is the product of the sequence index and the first extended length divided by the second parameter value. For example, the index of the first extended sequence is the positive result of the product of the sequence index and the first extended length divided by the second parameter value. In this case, the index of the first extended sequence can refer to the content of the following formula (13).

[0380] Among them, i a represents the index of the first extension length, i represents the reference index, α represents an example of the second parameter value, N SF Indicates the first extended length. The content of floor can refer to the content of floor in the previous text.

[0381] For example, if the first extension length is 8, the third indication information may use 2 bits to indicate the indices of the four spreading sequences. Specifically, if the second parameter value α is 2, the sequence indices indicated by the third indication information are {0, 1, 2, 3}, respectively, and the indices of the first spreading sequence are {0, 2, 4, 6}.

[0382] In the above possible implementation manner, the third indication information can flexibly indicate the index of the first extended sequence, and can also relatively reduce the number of bits of the third indication information occupied by the index of the first extended sequence.

[0383] The above-mentioned first possible design to the third possible design can be applicable to the situation where the fixed N bits in the third indication information indicate the index of the first extended sequence, and can also be applicable to the situation where the flexible N bits in the third information indicate the index of the first extended sequence, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0384] The third indication information may also be carried in an RRC message, a system message, an RRC parameter, an RAR message, or a DCI. The third indication information and the second indication information may be carried in the same message or in different messages, without specific limitation. The third indication information and the first indication information may be carried in the same message, for example, both carried in the DCI, or in different messages, without specific limitation. The third indication information, the second indication information, and the first indication information may all be carried in the same message or in different messages, without specific limitation. For example, the first indication information and the third indication information may both be carried in the DCI, and the second indication information may be carried in the RRC.

[0385] Optionally, in addition to indicating the index of the first extended sequence, the third indication information may also indicate the index of the second extended sequence corresponding to the second extended length. The method of indicating the index of the second extended sequence may refer to the content of indicating the index of the first extended sequence, and the repeated parts are not listed again. In addition, the third indication information may also indicate the index of the frequency domain on the comb teeth. For example, U bits in the third indication information may be used to indicate the index of the frequency domain on the comb teeth, and U is, for example, ceil(log2(N comb )). N comb Indicates the size of the comb teeth.

[0386] After the first communication device indicates the first extension length to the second communication device, in a possible implementation manner, the first communication device performs N on the first signal. SF times the expansion process to obtain the expanded first signal, and perform N rep Repeat this process several times to obtain a second signal, and then send the second signal to the second communication device (or other communication device). That is, the first communication device can serve as the transmitter of the second signal. In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device sends the second signal to the second communication device as an example. Accordingly, the second communication device receives the second signal from the first communication device.

[0387] For example, when the transmission mode of the first signal is the transmission of a single first-type time domain unit, the first communication device may perform N SF times the expansion processing, and then the first signal after the expansion processing is N rep Repeating N times is equivalent to repeating the signal on a single first-type time domain unit. Alternatively, the first communication device may repeat N times on the signals (including the first signal) on multiple first-type time domain units. SF times the expansion processing, and then the overall N SF The signal after N-fold expansion is processed rep The repetition is equivalent to repeating the signals on multiple first-type time domain units.

[0388] Among them, the first signal is subjected to N SF The specific method (or type) of the multiple expansion processing can refer to the content of the type of expansion processing discussed above, and the repeated parts will not be repeated. In the case where the first signal is transmitted by frequency hopping transmission and the first extension length is used for time domain expansion, the second communication device can use the first extension length to perform expansion processing on the first signal on K1 first-type time domain units corresponding to the first frequency to obtain a signal on the first frequency, and / or the second communication device can use the first extension length to process the first signal on K2 first-type time domain units corresponding to the second frequency to obtain a signal on the second frequency, so that the first signal after expansion processing can be obtained, that is, the signal on the first frequency and / or the signal on the second frequency.

[0389] Please refer to Figure 20, which is a schematic diagram of a carrier signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 20 takes the expansion on the time slot, the first type of time domain unit and the second type of time domain unit as time slots, the first signal including A1, the first extension length and the first number of repetitions are both 4, and the first extension sequence is [+1 +1 -1 -1] as an example. As shown in Figure 20, the first communication device can perform a 4-fold expansion process on the first signal in the time domain to obtain an expanded signal (such as +A1, +A1, -A1 and -A1, respectively), and then repeatedly transmit the expanded signal, such as the first repeated transmission (i.e., rep#1), the second repeated transmission (i.e., rep#2), the third repeated transmission (i.e., rep#3) and the fourth repeated transmission (i.e., rep#4) shown in Figure 17. As shown in Figure 20, these sixteen time slots carry: +A1, +A1, -A1, -A1, +A1, +A1, -A1, -A1, +A1, +A1, -A1, -A1, +A1, +A1, -A1 and -A1 respectively.

[0390] In the case where the transmission mode of the first signal is the transmission of multiple first-type time domain units, the first communication device may perform N on a portion of the first signal on a single first-type time domain signal. SF times of expansion processing, and then N times of expansion processing are performed on the part of the first signal on the single first-type time domain unit after the expansion processing. rep Repeating the first signal N times is equivalent to repeating the signal on a single first-type time domain unit. Alternatively, the first communication device may repeat the first signal N times. SF times the expansion process, and then N SF The first signal after the multiplication processing is performed N times as a whole rep The repetition is equivalent to repeating the signals on multiple first-type time domain units.

[0391] Please refer to Figure 21, which is a schematic diagram of a bearer signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 21 takes time slot expansion as an example, with the first type of time domain unit and the second type of time domain unit both being time slots, the first signal being a TBoMS, specifically including A0 and A1, the first extension length and the first repetition number both being 2, and the first extension sequence being [+1 -1].

[0392] As shown in (1) of FIG21, the first communication device can perform a 2-fold expansion process on the signal on a single time slot (such as A1) in the time domain to obtain the expanded signal (such as +A0, -A0, respectively), and then repeatedly transmit the expanded signal, and the first communication device can perform a 2-fold expansion process on the signal on a single time slot (such as A1) in the time domain to obtain the expanded signal (such as +A1, -A1, respectively), and then repeatedly transmit the expanded signal, such as the first repeated transmission (i.e., rep#1) and the second repeated transmission (i.e., rep#2) of A0 as shown in (1) of FIG21, and the first repeated transmission (i.e., rep#1) and the second repeated transmission (i.e., rep#2) of A1. As shown in (1) of FIG21, these sixteen time slots carry: +A0, -A0, -, -, +A0, -A0, -, -, +A1, -A1, -, -, +A1, -A1, -, and -. “-” indicates that the time slot does not carry the first signal.

[0393] As shown in (2) of FIG21 , the first communication device can perform a 2-fold expansion process on the signals on multiple time slots (such as A1 and A2) in the time domain to obtain the expanded signals (such as +A0, +A1, -A0 and -A1, respectively), and then repeatedly transmit the expanded signals, such as the first repeated transmission (i.e., rep#1) and the second repeated transmission (i.e., rep#2) of +A0, +A1, -A0 and -A1 shown in (2) of FIG21 . As shown in (2) of FIG21 , these sixteen time slots respectively carry: +A0, +A1, -A0, -A1, -, -, +A0, +A1, -A0, -A1, -, -, -, -, and -. Where "-" indicates that the first signal is not carried.

[0394] Correspondingly, the second communication device can process the second signal received from the first communication device according to the first number of repetitions and the first extension length, thereby obtaining the first signal. For example, the second communication device can determine the signal transmitted once based on the first number of repetitions, and de-expand the signal transmitted once based on the first extension length, thereby obtaining the first signal.

[0395] In another possible implementation, the second communication device performs N operations on the first signal. SF times the expansion process to obtain the expanded first signal, and perform Nrep Repeat times to obtain the second signal, and send the second signal to the first communication device (or other communication devices, such as other terminal devices or network devices, etc.). That is, the second communication device can serve as the transmitter of the second signal. The embodiment of the present application takes the second communication device sending the second signal to the first communication device as an example. In this way, correspondingly, the first communication device receives the second signal from the second communication device. Among them, the second communication device processes the first signal, and the first communication device obtains the content of the first signal can refer to the first communication device processing the first signal and the second communication device obtaining the content of the first signal discussed above, respectively, and the repeated parts are not listed here.

[0396] The content of the first communication device determining the first extension length according to the first method can be used as a separate embodiment. Optionally, the remaining content in the embodiment discussed in Figure 17 can be used as an optional method in this embodiment. For the content of this embodiment, reference can be made to the content in the embodiment discussed in Figure 17, and no further enumeration is given here.

[0397] The first communication device determining the first extension length according to method 1 and sending the first indication information indicating the first extension length can be considered as a separate embodiment. Optionally, the remaining contents of the embodiment discussed in FIG17 can be used as optional methods in this embodiment. For the contents of this embodiment, reference can be made to the contents of the embodiment discussed in FIG17 and will not be listed here one by one.

[0398] The content related to the first extension length and the first quantity can be used as a separate embodiment. Optionally, the remaining content in the embodiment discussed in Figure 17 can be used as an optional method in this embodiment. For the content of this embodiment, reference can be made to the content in the embodiment discussed in Figure 17, and no further enumeration is given here.

[0399] The first extension length is related to the first quantity, and the content of sending the first indication information to indicate the first extension length can be used as a separate embodiment. Optionally, the remaining content in the embodiment discussed in Figure 17 can be used as an optional method in this embodiment. For the content of this embodiment, please refer to the content in the embodiment discussed in Figure 17, and will not be listed one by one here.

[0400] The communication method involved in FIG. 17 is introduced below in conjunction with the schematic diagram of the communication method shown in FIG. 22 , taking the first indication information being DCI and the second indication information being an RRC message as an example.

[0401] S2201. The first communication device determines a first extension length according to a first number of repetitions.

[0402] The content of the first repetition number, the content of the first extended length, and the content of the first extended length determined by the first communication device can be respectively referred to the content of the first repetition number, the content of the first extended length, and the content of the first extended length determined by the first communication device discussed in Figure 17 above, and the repeated parts will not be listed again.

[0403] S2202: The first communication device sends an RRC message to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the RRC message from the first communication device. The RRC message indicates a first repetition count.

[0404] The content of the first repetition number indicated by the RRC message can refer to the content of the second indication information indicating the first repetition number discussed in Figure 17 above, and the repeated parts are not listed again. Optionally, the RRC message can also indicate any one of the information C1 to C7 discussed in Figure 17 above.

[0405] S2203: The first communication device sends a DCI to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the DCI from the first communication device. The DCI indicates a first extension length.

[0406] Optionally, the DCI may further indicate an index of the first extended sequence. The content of the first extended sequence and the manner in which the DCI indicates the index of the first extended sequence may be referred to above in FIG. 17 , respectively, as for the content of the first extended sequence and the third indication information indicating the index of the first extended sequence. Repetitions are not listed here.

[0407] In this way, the second communication device can determine the first extended length based on the DCI and the first repetition number. The details of determining the first extended length based on the DCI and the first repetition number can be referred to the details of determining the first extended length based on the DCI and the first repetition number discussed in FIG. 17 above, and the repeated parts are not listed here.

[0408] In a possible implementation manner, the first communication device performs N operations on the first signal. SF times the expansion process to obtain the expanded first signal, and perform N rep Repeat N times to obtain a second signal, and send the second signal to the second communication device (or other communication device). Alternatively, the second communication device can perform N SF times the expansion process to obtain the expanded first signal, and perform N rep Repeat the process for times to obtain a second signal, and send the second signal to the first communication device (or other communication device). The content of extending and repeating the first signal can refer to the content discussed in FIG. 17 above.

[0409] In an embodiment of the present application, the first extended length can be determined based on the first number of repetitions. The first communication device can indicate the first number of repetitions through an RRC message, and can indicate the first extended length jointly through the first number of repetitions and DCI, without the need to indicate the first extended length separately, thereby reducing signaling overhead. Furthermore, by multiplexing existing RRC messages and DCI for indication, no dedicated signaling is required, thereby reducing the number of signaling interactions. Furthermore, while indicating the first number of repetitions through an RRC message, the extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions can also be flexibly indicated through DCI. When the first extended length is accurately indicated, the flexibility of indicating the first extended length can also be increased.

[0410] As discussed above, the uplink coverage enhancement technology based on repetition needs to allocate more resources to a certain signal, which reduces the overall capacity of the communication system.

[0411] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication scheme, in which a first communication device determines a first extension length based on a first number of repetitions, and the first communication device sends a first indication message to a second communication device, where the first indication message is used to indicate the first number of repetitions, providing a method for determining the first extension length. In this way, a device sending a signal (such as a first communication device or a second communication device) can extend and repeatedly transmit the signal based on the first extension length and the first number of repetitions. The extended processing supports multiple users, thereby relatively reducing the resources occupied by a single user and improving the overall capacity of the communication system. In addition, the first extension length is related to the first number of repetitions, so the first extension length can be determined by the first number of repetitions without having to separately indicate the first extension length and the first number of repetitions, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0412] Please refer to Figure 23, which is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The following describes the various steps involved in Figure 23.

[0413] S2301. The first communication device determines a first number of repetitions.

[0414] The content of the first repetition number and the content of the first repetition number determined by the first communication device can refer to the content of the first repetition number and the content of the first repetition number determined by the first communication device discussed in Figure 17 above, and the repeated parts will not be listed again.

[0415] S2302: The first communication device sends first indication information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first indication information from the first communication device. The first indication information indicates a first repetition count. The first repetition count is used to determine a first extended length, which can also be described as the first repetition count being associated with the first extended length, or the first extended length being associated with the first repetition count.

[0416] The content of the first indication information indicating the first number of repetitions can refer to the content of the first indication information indicating the first number of repetitions discussed in FIG. 17 above, and the repeated parts are not listed here. Optionally, the first indication information can also indicate at least one item of information C1 to C7 discussed in FIG. The implementation method of the first indication information can refer to the implementation method of the second indication information discussed in FIG. 17 above.

[0417] In one possible design, the first number of repetitions and the first extended length satisfy a first association relationship, and the first number of repetitions is only associated with the first extended length. The content of the first association relationship can refer to the content discussed in Figure 17 above. In this case, the first indication information indicates the first number of repetitions. The second communication device can obtain the first number of repetitions based on the first indication information. Furthermore, the second communication device can also determine the first extended length based on the first number of repetitions. In this design, the first communication device can configure the first number of repetitions and the first extended length for the second communication device through the first indication information. This helps save signaling overhead.

[0418] In another possible design, the first communication device sends second indication information to the second communication device. Accordingly, the second communication device receives the second indication information from the first communication device. The second communication device can determine the first extension length based on the second indication information and the first number of repetitions. Among them, the content of determining the first extension length can refer to the content of determining the first extension length based on the first indication information and the first number of repetitions discussed in Figure 17 above, and will not be listed here. The content and implementation method of the second indication information can refer to the content and implementation method of the first indication information involved in Figure 17 above, respectively. For example, the first indication information is an RRC message, and the second indication information is a DCI.

[0419] In a possible implementation manner, the first communication device performs N operations on the first signal. SF times the expansion process to obtain the expanded first signal, and perform N rep Repeat N times to obtain a second signal, and send the second signal to the second communication device (or other communication device). Alternatively, the second communication device can perform N SF times the expansion process to obtain the expanded first signal, and perform N rep Repeat the process for times to obtain a second signal, and send the second signal to the first communication device (or other communication device). The content of extending and repeating the first signal can refer to the content discussed in FIG. 17 above.

[0420] Optionally, the first communication device may further transmit third indication information to the second communication device. Accordingly, the second communication device receives the third indication information from the first communication device. The third indication information also indicates the index of the first extended sequence. The content of the third indication information, the content of the first extended sequence, and the content indicating the first extended sequence can be respectively referred to as the content of the third indication information, the content of the first extended sequence, and the content indicating the first extended sequence discussed above in FIG. 17 , and any repetitions are not listed here. Optionally, both the third indication information and the first indication information are carried in the DCI.

[0421] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and the terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the units and method steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0422] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device or the second communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiment. In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be any network device involved in Figure 11, the satellite and / or satellite ground station involved in Figure 12, the satellite and / or satellite ground station involved in Figure 13, the network device involved in Figure 15, the roadside device involved in Figure 16, or any terminal device involved in Figures 11 to 16, etc., and can also be a software module or hardware module (such as a chip) in these devices, etc.

[0423] As shown in Figure 24, the communication device 2400 includes a processing module 2410 and a transceiver module 2420. The communication device 2400 is used to implement the functions of the first communication device involved in Figure 17, Figure 22 or Figure 23, or to implement the functions of the second communication device involved in Figure 17, Figure 22 or Figure 23.

[0424] In the first embodiment, the communication device 2400 may be used to implement the functions of the first communication device mentioned in FIG. 17 or FIG. 22 .

[0425] For example, the processing module 2410 is used to determine a first extension length, and the transceiver module 2420 is used to send first indication information.

[0426] For another example, the processing module 2410 is used to determine the first extension length, and the transceiver module 2420 is used to send the RRC message and DCI.

[0427] In the second embodiment, the communication device 2400 may be used to implement the functions of the second communication device mentioned in FIG. 17 or FIG. 22 .

[0428] For example, the transceiver module 2420 is configured to receive first indication information under the control of the processing module 2410 .

[0429] For another example, the transceiver module 2420 is configured to receive RRC messages and DCI under the control of the processing module 2410 .

[0430] In the third embodiment, the communication device 2400 may be used to implement the functions of the first communication device mentioned in FIG. 23 .

[0431] For example, the processing module 2410 is used to determine a first number of repetitions, and the transceiver module 2420 is used to send first indication information.

[0432] In the fourth embodiment, the communication device 2400 may be used to implement the functions of the second communication device mentioned in FIG. 23 .

[0433] For example, the transceiver module 2420 is used to receive first indication information, etc. under the control of the processing module 2410.

[0434] A more detailed description of the above-mentioned processing module 2410 and the transceiver module 2420 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 17, Figure 22 or Figure 23, and will not be repeated here.

[0435] Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Communication device 2500 includes a processor 2510 and an interface circuit 2520. Processor 2510 and interface circuit 2520 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 2520 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 2500 may also include a memory 2530 for storing instructions executed by processor 2510, storing input data required by processor 2510 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after processor 2510 executes instructions.

[0436] When the communication device 2500 is used to implement the method shown in Figure 17, Figure 22 or Figure 23, the processor 2510 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing module 2410, and the interface circuit 2520 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver module 2420.

[0437] When the communication device is a chip used in a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal device chip receives information from other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device; or the terminal device chip sends information to other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0438] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The network device module receives information from other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device; or the network device module sends information to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device. The network device module here can be a baseband chip of the network device, or it can be a DU or other module. The DU here can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0439] It is understood that the processor involved in the various embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. In addition, the memory involved in the various embodiments of the present application may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM). The memory may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD).

[0440] An embodiment of the present application provides another example of a communication device, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being coupled, the at least one memory being used to store instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device executes the method in the above embodiment. Taking the communication device including a processor and a memory as an example, as shown in Figure 26, the communication device 2600 includes a processor 2610 and a memory 2620. The processor 2610 and the memory 2620 are coupled, and the memory 2620 stores instructions. When the instructions stored in the memory 2620 are executed by the processor 2610, the communication device 2600 executes the method executed by the network device in the above embodiment.

[0441] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising: a first communication device and a second communication device. For example, the first communication device can implement the functions of the first communication device discussed above in FIG. 17 or FIG. 22 , and the second communication device can implement the functions of the second communication device discussed above in FIG. 17 or FIG. 22 . Alternatively, the first communication device can implement the functions of the first communication device discussed above in FIG. 23 , and the second communication device can implement the functions of the second communication device discussed above in FIG. 23 .

[0442] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, comprising: a processor and an interface, wherein the processor is configured to call and execute instructions from the interface, and when the processor executes the instructions, the method described in any one of FIG. 17 , FIG. 22 , or FIG. 23 is implemented.

[0443] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, implements the method described in any one of Figures 17, 22, or 23 above.

[0444] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, implements the method described in any one of FIG. 17 , FIG. 22 or FIG. 23 .

[0445] The method steps in each embodiment of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0446] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0447] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0448] It should be understood that the various numbers used in the various embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: determining a first extension length according to a first repetition number, where the first repetition number is the number of times the first signal is repeatedly transmitted, and the first extension length is the length of an extension process performed on the first signal; First indication information is sent, where the first indication information is used to indicate the first extension length.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive a second signal, the second signal is the first signal after N SF times the expansion processing and N rep The result of repeated transmission, N SF is the value of the first extension length, N rep is the value of the first number of repetitions; The second signal is processed according to the first repetition number and the first extension length to obtain the first signal.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Perform N on the first signal SF times the expansion processing to obtain the first signal after expansion, N SF is the value of the first extension length; Perform N on the expanded first signal rep Repeat times to obtain the second signal, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; and, sends the second signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Perform N on the first signal SF The method further comprises: performing an expansion process to obtain an expanded first signal, including: performing extension processing on the first signal using the first extension length on K1 first-type time domain units corresponding to the first frequency to obtain a signal at the first frequency, where K1 is a positive integer; and / or performing, on K2 first-type time domain units corresponding to a second frequency, an extension process on the first signal using the first extension length to obtain a signal at the second frequency, where K2 is a positive integer; The expanded first signal includes a signal at the first frequency and / or a signal at the second frequency.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The unit of the first extension length is a first-type time-domain subunit and / or a first-type frequency-domain subunit; and / or, The unit of the first repetition number is a second type of time domain sub-unit and / or a second type of frequency domain sub-unit.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second indication information is sent, wherein the second indication information indicates the first number of repetitions, and the first extension length is associated with the first number of repetitions and the first indication information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The determining of the first extension length according to the first number of repetitions includes: The first extension length is determined according to a ratio of the first number of repetitions to a first parameter value, where the first parameter value is determined according to a value of the first indication information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that a=2 k , a is the first parameter value, k is the value of the first indication information; or, a=k / M, where a is the first parameter value, k is the value of the first indication information, and M represents the number of first-type time domain sub-units in a first-type time domain unit for transmitting the first signal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that Each repetition number of at least one repetition number corresponds to at least one extension length, the at least one repetition number including the first repetition number.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first indication information indicates the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first indication information includes an index of the first extended length, where the index of the first extended length is used to determine the first extended length from at least one extended length corresponding to the first number of repetitions.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The first extension length is one of the following: or, or, Among them, N SF Indicates the first extension length, ceil indicates rounding up, N rep represents the first repetition number, floor represents rounding down, k represents the value of the first indication information, and M represents the number of first-type time domain sub-units used to transmit the first signal in a first-type time domain unit.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate an index of a first extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The N bits in the third indication information are used to indicate the index of the first extended sequence, the value of N is determined based on the first extended length, and N is a positive integer.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The value of N is one of the following: N=ceil(log2(N SF )); or, N = floor(log2(N SF )); or, N = log2(N SF ); Among them, N SF Indicates the first extension length, ceil indicates rounding up, and floor indicates rounding down.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The third indication information includes: The number of the first extended sequence, where the number of the first extended sequence is used to determine the index of the first extended sequence from an index set, where the index set includes indices of some or all extended sequences corresponding to the first extended length; or A sequence index value and / or a second parameter value, wherein the sequence index value and the second parameter value are used to determine an index of the first extended sequence.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The index of the first extended sequence is: The sum of the sequence index value and the second parameter value; A result of dividing the sum of the sequence index value and the second parameter value by the first extension length; or The modulo result of dividing the product of the sequence index value and the first extension length by the second parameter value.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that The first extension length is related to a first quantity, where the first quantity is the number of first-type time domain subunits for transmitting the first signal in a first-type time domain unit except for the first-type time domain subunits for transmitting the demodulation reference signal.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that The first extension length corresponds to a second extension length, wherein the first extension length is used to perform extension processing on the first part of the first signal carried in the time domain, and the second extension length is used to perform extension processing on the second part of the first signal carried in the time domain.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The second extension length is: the difference between the second number and the first extended length; or a minimum of the first extension length and the second number; The second number is the number of first-class time domain sub-units used to transmit the first signal in a first-class time domain unit except the first-class time domain sub-unit for transmitting the demodulation reference signal, or the number of first-class time domain sub-units used to transmit the first signal on the first frequency or the second frequency, and both the first frequency and the second frequency are used to transmit the first signal.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The value of the first extension length is a prime number.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that The first repetition number is carried in the second indication information, and the second indication information further carries at least one of the following: a first extension type, wherein the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain within a single time slot, or the first extension type indicates that the first signal is extended in the frequency domain and / or time domain within multiple time slots; a first transmission mode, where the first transmission mode indicates transmitting the first signal across first-type time domain units or transmitting the first signal through a single first-type time domain unit; a third number, where the third number is the number of first-type time-domain sub-units corresponding to each element in the first extended sequence; a fourth number, where the fourth number is the number of first-type frequency-domain subunits corresponding to each element in the first extended sequence; an index of a first extended sequence corresponding to the first extended length; The size of the comb teeth indicates the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain; or The offset value of the comb teeth indicates the offset of the interval at which the first signal is mapped in the frequency domain.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in a radio resource control message, a system message, a radio resource control parameter, a random access response message or downlink control information, and the radio resource control parameter is used to indicate a radio resource control parameter shared by multiple communication devices.

24. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information indicates a first extension length, the first extension length is associated with a first repetition number, the first repetition number is a first repetition number of a first signal, and the first extension length is a length of extension processing of the first signal; The first extension length is determined.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive a second signal, the second signal is the first signal after N SF times the expansion processing and N rep The result of repeated transmission, N SF is the value of the first extension length, N rep is the value of the first number of repetitions; The second signal is processed according to the first repetition number and the first extension length to obtain the first signal.

26. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The method further comprises: Perform N on the first signal SF times the expansion processing to obtain the first signal after expansion, N SF is the value of the first extension length; Perform N on the expanded first signal rep Repeat times to obtain the second signal, N rep is the value of the first repetition number; and, sends the second signal.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23; A module for executing the method according to any one of claims 24 to 26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 23 or the method as described in any one of claims 24 to 26 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

29. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that When the instruction is executed by the communication device, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 26.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 26 is implemented.

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