Communication method and apparatus thereof

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and an apparatus thereof. A terminal device receives an RRC release message, the RRC release message indicating a first resource, the first resource being used for sending early data, and the early data being a portion of data or all data among uplink service data to be transmitted after the terminal device completes a random access process; and the terminal device, after switching to an idle state and when needing to access a network device, sends the early data on the first resource. Before entering the idle state, the terminal device can obtain from the RRC release message the resource for transmitting the early data. Thus, when needing to access the network device, the terminal device can send the early data on the obtained resource as soon as possible without transmitting message 1 and receiving message 2, so that the transmission delay of the early data can be reduced. Moreover, different resources can be indicated for different terminal devices by means of the RRC release message, so that the problem of conflict among a plurality of terminal devices sending early data on the same resource can be avoided.

Description

A communication method and device thereof

[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 202410178339.4 and application name “A communication method and device thereof”, 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 apparatus thereof. Background Art

[0004] In wireless communication systems, terminal devices establish communication connections with network devices through random access. Currently, the most commonly used random access method is the four-step random access channel (RACH), which includes the following four steps: Step 1: The terminal device sends Message 1 to the network device, which includes a random access preamble. Step 2: The network device responds to the terminal device with Message 2 based on the received random access preamble. Message 2 includes resources allocated to the terminal device for sending Message 3. Step 3: The terminal device sends Message 3 on the resources included in Message 2. Message 3 may optionally include uplink service data. Step 4: After determining that the terminal device's random access has been successful, the network device responds with Message 4 to the terminal device, indicating that the random access process has been completed.

[0005] It can be seen that the uplink service data is first sent to the network device in message 3. There is a delay in the transmission of uplink service data. How to reduce the transmission delay of uplink service data during the random access process needs to be considered. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus thereof for reducing the transmission delay of uplink service data.

[0007] On the first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by other devices including the functions of a terminal device, or by a chip system (which can also be replaced by a chip) or other functional modules, which can realize the functions of the terminal device, and the chip system or functional module is, for example, set in the terminal device. Take the method being executed by a terminal device as an example for introduction: a radio resource control RRC release message is received, the RRC release message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate a first resource, the first resource is used to send early data in a random access process, the early data is part or all of the uplink service data to be transmitted by the terminal device after completing the random access process; the terminal device sends the early data on the first resource, wherein the early data is sent when the terminal device has a need to access a network device after converting from a connected state to an idle state according to the RRC release message.

[0008] In this embodiment, the RRC release message can enable the terminal device to transition from a connected state to an idle state. By indicating the first resource for sending early data in the RRC release message, the terminal device can obtain the resource for sending early data (early data is part or all of the uplink service data) from the RRC release message as early as possible before entering the idle state. When the terminal device needs to access a network device in the idle state, it can send early data on the resource obtained earlier, thereby eliminating the need to send a random access preamble to determine the resource for sending early data (i.e., eliminating the need to send message 1 and receive message 2). This can reduce the transmission delay of early data. In addition, the RRC release message is UE-granular. Different resources can be indicated for different terminal devices through the RRC release message, thereby avoiding the conflict problem of multiple terminal devices sending early data on the same resource.

[0009] In one possible implementation, it is determined that a first condition is met and the early data is sent on the first resource; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the first resource is different from or not completely the same as the second resource, and the second resource is used by the terminal device to send a random access preamble code; a second indication is received, and the second indication is used to instruct the terminal device to use the first resource indicated in the RRC release message to send early data; the signal quality between the terminal device and the network device is greater than or equal to a first signal quality threshold; the terminal device has performed a global navigation satellite system GNSS measurement within a preset time period after entering the idle state; the time the terminal device enters the idle state does not exceed the time threshold.

[0010] In this implementation, by setting the first condition to determine whether the early data can be sent on the first resource, it is possible to avoid the second network device failing to receive the early data.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the first indication is used to indicate a first resource, specifically any one of the following: the first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between the first resource and a second resource, the second resource being used by the terminal device to send a random access preamble code; the first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between the first resource and a third resource, the third resource being used by the terminal device to receive or send a reference signal or a synchronization signal; the first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between a starting position of a time domain resource in the first resource and a reference system frame or a reference system subframe.

[0012] In this implementation, there is a certain offset between the first resource and the second resource / the third resource, which can avoid conflicts between the first resource and the second resource / the third resource.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the terminal device also sends a first identifier on the first resource, where the first identifier is used to identify the terminal device. The first identifier is an identifier determined for the terminal device during the process of the terminal device randomly accessing the network device.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first identifier is obtained based on any one of the following methods: selected from multiple identifiers broadcast by the network side; generated based on the identifier of the hardware in the terminal device; generated based on the identifier configured by the network side for the terminal device before the terminal device receives the RRC release message; generated based on a second resource, the second resource being used to send a random access preamble code; generated based on the first resource.

[0015] In a possible implementation, a third indication is received, where the third indication is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the network device; and data other than the early data in the uplink service data is sent to the network device.

[0016] In one possible implementation, if a third indication is not received within a preset time window, a random access preamble is sent, wherein the third indication is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the network device; a fourth indication is received, wherein the fourth indication is used to indicate a fourth resource, wherein the fourth resource is determined based on the random access preamble; and the early data is sent on the fourth resource.

[0017] In this implementation, if the second network device cannot be successfully accessed on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message, another method is used to access the second network device, so that the uplink service data can be sent out as soon as possible.

[0018] On the second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device, or by other devices including the functions of a network device, or by a chip system (which can also be replaced by a chip) or other functional modules, and the chip system or functional module can realize the functions of the first network device, and the chip system or functional module is, for example, set in the network device. Take the method being executed by a network device as an example for introduction: a radio resource control RRC release message is generated, and the RRC release message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first resource, and the first resource is used to send early data in a random access process, and the early data is part of or all of the uplink service data to be transmitted by the terminal device after completing the random access process; and the RRC release message is sent.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the network device also receives the early data on the first resource, where the early data is sent when the terminal device needs to access the network device after converting from a connected state to an idle state according to the RRC release message.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the network device further sends a second indication, where the second indication is used to instruct the terminal device to use the first resource indicated in the RRC release message to send early data.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the first indication is used to indicate a first resource, specifically any one of the following: the first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between the first resource and a second resource, the second resource being used by the terminal device to send a random access preamble code; the first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between the first resource and a third resource, the third resource being used by the terminal device to receive or send a reference signal or a synchronization signal; the first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between a starting position of a time domain resource in the first resource and a reference system frame or a reference system subframe.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the network device also receives a first identifier on the first resource, where the first identifier is used to identify the terminal device. The first identifier is an identifier determined for the terminal device during the process of the terminal device randomly accessing the network device.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner, the network device further broadcasts multiple identifiers, and the first identifier belongs to the multiple identifiers.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the network device further sends a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the network device; and receives data other than the early data in the uplink service data.

[0025] The effects of the second aspect and various possible implementation methods can refer to the effects of the first aspect and various possible implementation methods, and will not be described in detail.

[0026] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the terminal device described in the first aspect. The communication device has the functions of the terminal device. The communication device may be, for example, a functional module in the terminal device, such as a baseband device or a chip system. Alternatively, the communication device may be the network device described in the second aspect. The communication device has the functions of the network device. The communication device may be, for example, a functional module in the network device, such as a baseband device or a chip system.

[0027] In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can implement a sending function and a receiving function. When the transceiver unit implements the sending function, it can be called a sending unit (sometimes also referred to as a sending module). When the transceiver unit implements the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also referred to as a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called a transceiver unit, and the functional module can implement a sending function and a receiving function; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional modules.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module), and the processing unit is used to couple with the storage unit and execute the program or instructions in the storage unit, enabling the communication device to perform the functions of the terminal device described in the first aspect above, or to perform the functions of the network device described in the second aspect above.

[0029] When the communication device is the terminal device described in the first aspect, at least one of the following possible implementations is included:

[0030] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used to receive a radio resource control RRC release message, the RRC release message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate a first resource, the first resource is used to send early data in a random access process, the early data is part or all of the uplink service data to be transmitted by the communication device after completing the random access process; the transceiver unit is also used to send the early data on the first resource, wherein the early data is sent when the communication device has a need to access a network device after converting from a connected state to an idle state according to the RRC release message.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used to determine whether a first condition is met and to send the early data on the first resource; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the first resource is different from or not completely the same as the second resource, and the second resource is used by the communication device to send a random access preamble code; a second indication is received, and the second indication is used to instruct the communication device to use the first resource indicated in the RRC release message to send early data; the signal quality between the communication device and the network device is greater than or equal to a first signal quality threshold; the communication device has performed a global navigation satellite system GNSS measurement within a preset time period after entering the idle state; the time the communication device enters the idle state does not exceed the time threshold.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a first identifier on the first resource, where the first identifier is used to identify the communication device, and the first identifier is an identifier determined during the process of the communication device randomly accessing the network device.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to receive a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate that the communication device has successfully accessed the network device; the transceiver unit is further used to send data other than the early data in the uplink service data to the network device.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to send a random access preamble code if a third indication is not received within a preset time window, and the third indication is used to indicate that the communication device has successfully accessed the network device; receive a fourth indication, and the fourth indication is used to indicate a fourth resource, and the fourth resource is determined based on the random access preamble code; and send the early data on the fourth resource.

[0035] When the communication device is the network device described in the second aspect, at least one of the following possible implementations is included:

[0036] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used to generate an RRC release message, the RRC release message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate a first resource, the first resource is used to send early data in the random access process, the early data is part or all of the uplink service data to be transmitted by the terminal device after completing the random access process; the transceiver unit is used to send the RRC release message.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to receive the early data on the first resource, and the early data is sent when the terminal device needs to access the communication device after converting from the connected state to the idle state according to the RRC release message.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to send a second indication, where the second indication is used to instruct the terminal device to use the first resource indicated in the RRC release message to send early data.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used to receive a first identifier on the first resource, where the first identifier is used to identify the terminal device, and the first identifier is an identifier determined during the process of the terminal device's random access to the communication device.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to broadcast multiple identifiers, and the first identifier belongs to the multiple identifiers.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a third indication, where the third indication is configured to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the communication apparatus; and receive data other than the early data in the uplink service data.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising an interface circuit and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the interface circuit. When the processor reads the computer program or instruction, the communication device executes the method performed by the terminal device in the first aspect, or executes the method performed by the network device in the second aspect. Exemplarily, the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices other than the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices other than the communication device. The processor implements the method performed by the terminal device in the first aspect, or the method performed by the network device in the second aspect, through a logic circuit or by executing code instructions.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and, optionally, a memory; the processor and the memory are coupled; the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; the processor is used to execute part or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when the part or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, it is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the first aspect above, or to implement the functions of the network device in the second aspect above.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the apparatus may further include a transceiver configured to transmit a signal processed by the processor or receive a signal input to the processor. The transceiver may perform the transmitting action or receiving action performed by the terminal device in the first aspect or the network device in the second aspect.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the processing unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the processor, the storage unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the memory, and the transceiver unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the transceiver.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to execute the method performed by the terminal device described in the first aspect, and the network device is configured to execute the method performed by the network device described in the second aspect. For example, the terminal device and the network device may be implemented using the communication apparatus described in the third aspect.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is used to store computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, enables the method in the first aspect or the second aspect to be implemented.

[0050] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the method in the first or second aspect to be implemented.

[0051] The effects of the third to eighth aspects and various possible implementation methods can refer to the effects of the first aspect and various possible implementation methods, and will not be described in detail. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] FIG1a is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0053] FIG1b is a schematic diagram of a satellite network communication system architecture provided by this application;

[0054] FIG2 is a flow chart of a 4-step RACH method provided by the present application;

[0055] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0056] FIG4 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0057] FIG5 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to various wireless communication systems, and can be applied to, but not limited to, the fourth generation (4G) mobile communication technology system (also known as the long term evolution (LTE) system), the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication technology system (also known as the new radio (NR) system), or can also be applied to future communication systems, etc., without specific limitations. The technical solution of the present application can be applied to a terrestrial network (TN) or a non-terrestrial network (NTN), such as a satellite network. In addition, the technical solution of the present application can be applied to device-to-device (D2D) scenarios, such as NR-D2D scenarios, etc., or can be applied to V2X scenarios, such as NR-V2X scenarios, etc. The technical solution of the present application can also be applied to fields such as intelligent driving, assisted driving, or intelligent connected vehicles, or factory manufacturing scenarios.

[0059] Figure 1a shows a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to the present application. As shown in Figure 1a, the communication system 1000 includes a terminal device 101 and a network device 102. The terminal device 101 accesses the network device 102 in a random access manner.

[0060] Figure 1b is a schematic diagram of a possible satellite network communication system architecture. Terminal devices located on the ground access network devices deployed on the satellite through random access. The terminal devices and network devices communicate through the air interface. The network devices are connected to the core network deployed on the ground through the ground station, and the core network communicates with the data network (DN). The ground station is responsible for forwarding signaling and service data between the satellite network devices and the core network. The network devices and the ground station communicate through the NG interface. The network devices communicate with each other through the Xn interface. For example, there is a wireless link between satellites to complete the signaling exchange and user data transmission between network devices.

[0061] A terminal device (UE), also known as user equipment (UE), is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water (such as ships); or in the air (such as airplanes, balloons, and satellites). The terminal device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, etc.

[0062] A network device, a device capable of providing a random access function for a terminal device or a chip that can be set in the device, the device including but not limited to: an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission and reception point (TRP or transmission point, TP), etc., and can also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G system, one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0063] The core network includes at least one or more of the following network elements:

[0064] The access management network element (also known as the mobility management network element) is a control plane network element provided by the operator network, responsible for access control and mobility management of terminal devices accessing the operator network, such as mobile state management, allocation of user temporary identity, authentication and user functions. In the 5G communication system, the access management network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, the access management network element can still be an AMF network element, or it can have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0065] The session management network element is primarily responsible for session management in mobile networks, such as session establishment, modification, and release. Specific functions include allocating IP addresses to users and selecting user plane network elements that provide message forwarding functions. In 5G communication systems, this session management network element may be a session management function (SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the session management network element may still be an SMF network element, or it may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0066] The user plane network element is responsible for forwarding and receiving user data in the terminal device. It can receive user data from the data network and transmit it to the terminal device through the access network device; the user plane network element can also receive user data from the terminal device through the access network device and forward it to the data network. The transmission resources and scheduling functions that provide services to the terminal device in the user plane network element are managed and controlled by the SMF network element. In the 5G communication system, the user plane network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element. In future communication systems, the user plane network element can still be a UPF network element, or it can have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0067] A data network (DN) can deploy a variety of services, providing data and / or voice services to terminal devices. For example, a DN is the private network of a smart factory. Sensors installed in the workshop can be terminal devices. The DN contains sensors and a control server, which provides services to the sensors. Sensors can communicate with the control server, receive instructions from the control server, and transmit collected sensor data to the control server according to the instructions. Another example is a DN that is a company's internal office network. Employees' mobile phones or computers can be terminal devices, allowing them to access information and data resources on the company's internal office network.

[0068] , can deploy a variety of services, and can provide data and / or voice services to terminal devices. For example, DN is the private network of a smart factory. The sensors installed in the workshop of the smart factory can be terminal devices. Sensors and control servers are deployed in DN, and the control server can provide services for the sensors. The sensor can communicate with the control server, obtain instructions from the control server, and transmit the collected sensor data to the control server according to the instructions. For another example, DN is the internal office network of a company. The mobile phones or computers of the company's employees can be terminal devices. The employees' mobile phones or computers can access information, data resources, etc. on the company's internal office network. In a wireless communication system, the terminal device randomly accesses the network device to establish a communication connection between the terminal device and the network device. The network device allocates corresponding resources to the terminal device for service transmission. Scenarios for random access of terminal devices include but are not limited to the following scenarios:

[0069] Scenario 1: The initial radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device is established, that is, the terminal device switches from the idle state to the connected state and initiates random access.

[0070] Scenario 2: Terminal device RRC connection reestablishment, that is, when the wireless connection fails and the terminal device needs to re-establish the RRC connection, it will initiate random access.

[0071] Scenario 3: The terminal device performs cell handover and initiates random access in the target cell.

[0072] Scenario 4: A network device has downlink data to transmit to a terminal device, but detects that the terminal device is out of sync on the uplink. The network device then controls the terminal device to initiate a random access. The network device maintains an uplink timer. If the uplink timer expires without receiving a response signal from the terminal device, the network device deems the terminal device out of sync on the uplink.

[0073] Scenario 5: A terminal device is in a connected state and has uplink data to transmit to a network device, but it discovers that it is out of synchronization on the uplink. The terminal device initiates random access. The terminal device maintains an uplink timer. If the uplink timer expires and the terminal device does not receive a timing advance adjustment command from the network device, the terminal device considers the uplink out of synchronization.

[0074] As shown in Figure 2, the four-step random access (4-step RACH) process is introduced, which includes the following steps:

[0075] Step 0: Before random access, the network device configures the available preamble code set and resources for sending message 1 for the terminal device.

[0076] The configuration process can be implemented through broadcast messages.

[0077] Step 1: The terminal device sends message 1 on the resources configured in step 0, and accordingly, the network device receives message 1; wherein, message 1 includes a random access preamble (random access preamble), and the random access preamble is any preamble in the preamble set configured in step 0.

[0078] Step 2: The network device broadcasts message 2, and accordingly, the terminal device receives message 2; wherein, message 2 includes downlink control information (DCI) and random access response RAR.

[0079] DCI is used to demodulate RAR, which includes the identifier of the preamble, resources for sending message 3, etc. The identifier of the preamble and resources for sending message 3 are determined by the network device based on the random access preamble demodulated from message 1.

[0080] If multiple terminal devices send message 1, the RAR of message 2 will include multiple preamble code identifiers.

[0081] Step 3: The terminal device sends message 3, and correspondingly, the network device receives message 3; wherein message 3 includes random access data.

[0082] The terminal device receives Message 2 broadcast by the network device and demodulates the RAR according to the DCI. If the identifier of the preamble code sent by the terminal device is parsed in the RAR, the terminal device can send Message 3 to the network device on the resources configured by the RAR. The Message 3 includes random access data, which includes the terminal device identifier (UE-ID). Optionally, the random access data may also include early data transmission (EDT).

[0083] Step 4: The network device sends message 4, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives message 4.

[0084] If multiple terminal devices send Message 3 on the same resource, interference will occur. The network device demodulates Message 3 sent by one of the terminal devices and broadcasts Message 4, which includes the demodulated terminal device's identifier. This Message 4 is used to indicate the terminal device that has completed the random access process. All terminal devices that sent Message 3 will wait for Message 4. The terminal device parses the received Message 4 and matches the terminal device identifier in Message 4 with its own identifier sent in Message 3. The terminal device that successfully matches the terminal device identifier in Message 4 has successfully accessed the random access process.

[0085] From the above random access process, it can be seen that the uplink service data of the terminal device is first sent to the network device in message 3. Before sending message 3, the terminal device needs to send a preamble sequence and receive RAR, which causes a delay in the transmission of the uplink service data.

[0086] Based on this, the present application proposes a communication method in which the terminal device omits message 1 and random access response RAR and directly sends uplink service data to the network device, which can transmit the uplink service data as quickly as possible and reduce the transmission delay of the uplink service data.

[0087] In order to better describe the embodiments of the present application, the following describes the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the steps indicated by dotted lines in the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of the present application are all optional steps.

[0088] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0089] First, it should be noted that the first network device that sends the RRC release message to the terminal device in step 300 and the second network device that receives the early data in step 301 can be the same or different. If the first network device and the second network device are different, the first network device and the second network device can communicate with each other to transmit the parameters to be used in this application, such as the first resource.

[0090] Step 300: The first network device sends an RRC release message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC release message, where the RRC release message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first resource.

[0091] The first resource is used to send early data in the random access process, and the early data is part or all of the uplink service data to be transmitted by the terminal device after completing the random access process.

[0092] The first resource includes, but is not limited to, time domain resources and frequency domain resources. The time domain resource can be a periodic resource or an aperiodic resource. If the time domain resource is a periodic resource, the terminal device can use the first resource to determine the number of periods, i.e., the maximum number of times the terminal device can repeatedly send early data. If the time domain resource is a periodic resource, for example, the time domain resource can specifically include the time domain position occupied by each period and the position of the resource used to send early data in a period within the period.

[0093] The following introduces various examples of using the first indication to indicate the first resource. The numbers 1-5 of the following examples are only for the convenience of description and do not indicate the priority and importance of the examples.

[0094] Example 1: The first indication includes the time domain position information and / or frequency domain position information of the first resource. The time domain position information of the first resource includes at least two of the following: the time domain starting position information of the first resource, the time domain ending position information of the first resource, and the time domain length information of the first resource. For example, the starting position information is the Ath system frame / subframe / time slot; for example, the ending position information is the Bth system frame / subframe / time slot; for example, the time domain length is the Cth system frame / subframe / time slot, etc., where A, B and C are positive integers. For example, the first indication directly indicates the period for sending early data, and the first indication can configure resources for the terminal device similar to the NPRACH resources.

[0095] Example 2: The first indication is used for the positional relationship between the first resource and the second resource, and the second resource is used to send a random access preamble code.

[0096] The first resource and the second resource have a certain positional relationship. The network device can broadcast the second resource for sending the random access preamble to the terminal device, and accordingly, the terminal device learns the second resource for sending the random access preamble. For example, in the IoT scenario, the second resource is carried by the information element NPRACH-ParametersList-NB-r13 in SIB2-NB. The information element NPRACH-ParametersList-NB-r13 includes up to three NPRACH-Parameters-NB-r13 parameters, and each NPRACH-Parameters-NB-r13 parameter carries one NPRACH resource.

[0097] When indicating the first resource, the network device may specifically indicate the positional association relationship between the first resource and the second resource. For example, the first indication is used to indicate the offset of the first resource compared to the second resource, and the offset includes but is not limited to the offset of the time domain resource and / or the offset of the frequency domain resource. For example, the offset is the offset of the time domain starting position of the first resource compared to the time domain starting position or ending position of the NPRACH resource. For example, the offset is the offset of the subcarrier starting position of the first resource compared to the subcarrier starting position or ending position of the NPRACH resource. The time domain ending position and the subcarrier ending position can be obtained by calculation. The first resource and the second resource have a certain offset, which can avoid conflict between the first resource and the second resource.

[0098] Example 3: The first indication is used for the positional relationship between the first resource and a third resource, and the third resource is used by the terminal device to send or receive a reference signal or a synchronization signal.

[0099] For example, the reference signal is a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS), or a tracking reference signal (TRS). For example, the synchronization signal is a downlink synchronization signal, or a primary synchronization signal (PSS), or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). For example, the first indication is used to indicate an offset of the first resource compared to the third resource, and the offset includes but is not limited to an offset of a time domain resource and / or an offset of a frequency domain resource.

[0100] Example 4: The first indication is used for a relationship between a time starting point of the first resource and a reference system frame or a reference system subframe.

[0101] For example, the first indication is used to indicate the offset of the time starting point of the first resource relative to the reference system frame or reference system subframe. For example, starting from system frame M or subframe H, the offset is D subframes, i.e., the time starting point of the first resource. In addition, the first resource can be configured in a periodic manner.

[0102] Example 5: The first indication is used to indicate the identifier of the first resource.

[0103] For example, the network side (e.g., the first network device or the second network device) indicates the first resource through a combination of a system broadcast message and an RRC release message. The system broadcast message indicates multiple resources and an identifier corresponding to each resource, and the RRC release message indicates the identifier of the first resource. The first resource is part or all of the multiple resources. For example, the identifiers of the multiple resources indicated by the system broadcast message are 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the identifiers of the first resource are 1 and 3.

[0104] Step 301: The terminal device sends the early data on the first resource, and the second network device receives the early data on the first resource. The early data is sent when the terminal device needs to access the second network device after switching from the connected state to the idle state according to the RRC release message.

[0105] Exemplarily, the message used to carry early data may be message 3 in the above-mentioned four-step random access process. Step 301 may specifically be: the terminal device sends message 3 on the first resource, and the message 3 carries the early data. Correspondingly, the second network device receives message 3 on the first resource. To put it another way about the first resource, the first resource can be used by the terminal device to directly send message 3 to the network device, and the message 3 carries the early data, while directly omitting the execution of message 1 and message 2 in the above-mentioned four-step random access process. It can also be understood that directly sending message 3 (Msg3) means that before sending message 3, the terminal device does not need to send message 1 carrying the random access preamble, nor does it need to receive message 2 carrying the random access response RAR. This can simplify the process steps of random access, so that early data can be transmitted to the network side as early as possible, reducing the transmission delay of early data. "Sending early data" in the embodiment of the present application can be replaced with "directly sending message 3, and message 3 carrying early data".

[0106] In this embodiment, the RRC release message can enable the terminal device to transition from a connected state to an idle state. By indicating the first resource for sending early data in the RRC release message, the terminal device can obtain the resource for sending early data from the RRC release message as early as possible before entering the idle state. When the terminal device needs to access a network device in the idle state, it can send early data on the resource obtained earlier, thereby eliminating the need to send a random access preamble to determine the resource for sending early data (i.e., eliminating the need to send message 1 and receive message 2). This can reduce the transmission delay of early data. In addition, the RRC release message is UE-granular. Different resources can be indicated for different terminal devices through the RRC release message, thereby avoiding conflicts in multiple terminal devices sending early data on the same resource.

[0107] The network side (for example, the first network device or other network devices that have established a connection with the terminal device) can configure multiple coverage enhancement (CE) levels to the terminal device, and the first indication in step 300 is specifically used to indicate the first resources corresponding to each of the multiple CE levels. The first resources corresponding to different CE levels can be exactly the same, or completely different, or partially the same and partially different. For example, the positions of frequency domain resources in the first resources corresponding to different CE levels can be exactly the same, or completely different, or partially the same and partially different. For example, the positions of time domain resources in the first resources corresponding to different CE levels can be exactly the same, or completely different, or partially the same and partially different. If the first resource includes periodic time domain resources, the number of periods corresponding to different CE levels (i.e., the maximum number of repeated transmissions of early data) can be the same or different, and the positions of periods corresponding to different CE levels can be the same or different. The terminal device can determine its corresponding first CE level based on the channel quality between the terminal device and the second network device, and the first CE level belongs to the multiple CE levels. The terminal device can send early data on the first resource corresponding to the first CE level.

[0108] In the scenario where multiple CE levels are configured on the network side terminal device, as applied to Example 1, the first indication specifically includes the time domain location information and frequency domain location information of the first resource corresponding to each of the multiple CE levels. As applied to Example 2, the first indication specifically indicates the location relationship between the first resource corresponding to each of the multiple CE levels and the second resource; as applied to Example 3, the first indication specifically indicates the location relationship between the first resource corresponding to each of the multiple CE levels and the third resource; as applied to Example 4, the first indication specifically indicates the relationship between the time starting point of the first resource corresponding to each of the multiple CE levels and the reference system frame or reference system subframe; as applied to Example 5, the first indication specifically indicates the identifier of the first resource corresponding to each of the multiple CE levels.

[0109] The size of the early data sent on the first resource may be unrestricted or restricted. For example, the data volume of the early data may be restricted to not exceed a first data volume threshold. The first data volume threshold may be specified by the protocol or configured on the network side. Taking the protocol specification as an example, the first data volume threshold may be configured with reference to the data volume threshold of the EDT allowed to be carried in message 3 of the 4-step random access introduced in Figure 2. Taking the network side configuration as an example, the first network device or other network devices that have established a connection with the terminal device may indicate the first data volume threshold to the terminal device. The smaller the early data, the lower the bit rate, the better the decoding performance, and the higher the transmission reliability.

[0110] When the terminal device has uplink service data to be transmitted in the idle state, the terminal can transmit the uplink service data in the following ways: Way 1: The terminal device initiates the 4-step random access shown in Figure 2 to the network device, and after the random access is successful, sends the uplink service data to be transmitted to the network device. Way 2: The terminal device initiates the 4-step random access shown in Figure 2 to the network device, and carries early data (i.e., part or all of the service data to be transmitted) in message 3. Way 3: The terminal device uses the method shown in Figure 3 to send early data on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message.

[0111] A first condition allowing early data to be sent on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message can be pre-set in the terminal device. If the terminal device determines that the first condition is met, early data can be sent on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message (i.e., method 3). If the terminal device determines that the first condition is not met, early data cannot be sent on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message, but the terminal device can also continue to use method 1 or method 2 introduced above to send the service data to be transmitted.

[0112] In this application, "sending early data on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message" can be replaced by: directly sending message 3, with early data carried in message 3, or replaced by: sending message 3 on the first resource indicated by the RRC release resource, with early data carried in message 3.

[0113] The first condition includes one or more of the following: The numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. of the following conditions are only for convenience of description and do not indicate the priority and importance of the conditions.

[0114] Condition 1: Determine that the first resource is different from or not completely the same as the second resource, and the second resource is used by the terminal device to send a random access preamble code.

[0115] When the first resource and the second resource are the same, it can be assumed that the first resource is covered by the second resource, that is, the first resource cannot be used to send early data.

[0116] Condition 2: A second indication is received, the second indication being used to instruct the terminal device to send early data on the first resource indicated in the RRC release message. In other words, the second indication is used to instruct the terminal device to send message 3 on the first resource indicated in the RRC release message.

[0117] The second indication may be carried in a broadcast message. For example, the second network device broadcasts a cell-level broadcast message, indicating in the broadcast message whether the terminal device in the current cell sends early data on the resources indicated by the RRC release message. If the terminal device receives a broadcast message in the serving cell to send early data on the resources indicated by the RRC release message, the terminal device may send the early data on the resources indicated by the RRC release message.

[0118] The second indication may be carried in an RRC release message, and the first network device may balance the load, carry the second indication in the RRC release message sent to some terminal devices, and not carry the second indication in the RRC release message sent to other terminal devices.

[0119] In addition, the network device can also configure the terminal device whether to allow early data to be sent on the resources indicated by the RRC release message. When the terminal device is allowed to send early data on the resources indicated by the RRC release message, the terminal device can determine whether to send early data on the resources indicated by the RRC release message or use other methods to send uplink service data according to its own needs.

[0120] Condition 3: The signal quality between the terminal device and the network device is greater than or equal to a first signal quality threshold.

[0121] The network side (for example, a first network device or other network device that has established a connection with the terminal device) can configure a first signal quality threshold for the terminal device, or the protocol specifies a first signal quality threshold, and the first signal quality threshold is used to determine whether early data can be sent on the resources indicated by the RRC release message. When the signal quality between the terminal device and the network device is greater than or equal to the first signal quality threshold, the terminal device can send early data on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message. The signal quality is reflected, for example, by reference signal receiving power (RSRP).

[0122] Condition 4: The terminal device has performed global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements within a preset time period after entering the idle state.

[0123] The RRC release message sent by the first network device to the terminal device will indicate uplink synchronization, and the terminal device will be converted from the RRC connection state to the RRC_IDLE state. If the terminal device has not performed GNSS measurement for a long time, there will be problems with uplink synchronization, which may cause the second network device to fail to receive early data on the first resource.

[0124] The preset duration may be the effective duration of the timing advance indicated in the RRC release message.

[0125] Condition 5: The duration that the terminal device enters the idle state does not exceed the duration threshold.

[0126] The RRC release message sent by the first network device to the terminal device will indicate uplink synchronization. The terminal device converts from the RRC connection state to the RRC_IDLE state. After a long time, the uplink synchronization will fail, which may cause the second network device to fail to receive early data on the first resource.

[0127] The duration threshold is the effective duration of the timing advance indicated in the RRC release message.

[0128] In one example, the first network device indicates a timing advance in an RRC release message, and the terminal device starts a timer when entering the IDLTE state, and the timer duration corresponds to the valid duration of the timing advance. If the terminal device does not perform GNSS measurement within the valid duration, it is not allowed to send early data on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message; and / or, if the terminal device enters the IDLE state for a relatively short time and the timer has not expired, the terminal device can send early data on the first resource indicated by the RRC release message.

[0129] Condition 6: The first indication is carried in the RRC release message.

[0130] If the resources for sending early data are configured to the terminal device only through system broadcast messages, multiple terminal devices may send early data on the same resource, which will cause conflicts. The terminal device hopes that the network side can specify the resources for sending early data through RRC messages to avoid conflicts with other terminal devices. If the terminal device has never accessed the network and will not receive an RRC release message, this condition 6 also limits the terminal device to have accessed the network, and the last RRC release message configured the resources on which the terminal device can send early data (or message 3 carrying early data).

[0131] During the random access process, the terminal device needs to report its identifier. In one possible implementation, the terminal device may also send a first identifier on the first resource. The first identifier is used to identify the terminal device. The first identifier is an identifier determined for the terminal device during the random access process of the terminal device to the network device. After the network device sends an RRC release message to the terminal device, it deletes the terminal device's context. The identifier of the terminal device stored in the network device is deleted. When the terminal device accesses the same network device again, it needs to re-report its own identifier. If the terminal device accesses a certain network device for the first time and the network device has never stored the terminal device's context, the terminal device also needs to report its own identifier. The network device assigns a new identifier to the terminal device based on the identifier reported by the terminal device and stores the new identifier in the context of the terminal device. In other words, during each random access process, the terminal device reports its own identifier for the current random access process. The terminal device identifiers reported in different random access processes may be the same or different.

[0132] In the four-step random access process shown in Figure 2, the terminal device identifier carried by the terminal device in message 3 is generated based on the random access preamble sent to the network device in message 1. In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device does not need to send a random access preamble, and the first identifier is no longer generated based on the random access preamble. The following introduces multiple possible ways for the terminal device to determine the first identifier to be sent on the first resource. The numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. in the following ways are only for convenience of description and do not indicate the priority or importance of the ways.

[0133] Mode 1: The first network device or the second network device broadcasts multiple identifiers, and the terminal device selects one from the multiple identifiers broadcast by the network side.

[0134] The multiple identifiers broadcast by the first network device or the second network device can be implemented in the form of an identifier list. When selecting an identifier, the terminal device can select it randomly.

[0135] Mode 2: Generated based on the identification of the hardware in the terminal device, for example, the hardware is a subscriber identity module (SIM) card.

[0136] Mode 3: Generated based on an identifier configured by the network for the terminal device. The configuration here refers to the configuration performed before the terminal device receives the RRC release message, that is, the last configuration by the network for the terminal device. The network here includes the access network and / or the core network.

[0137] Mode 4: Generated based on a second resource, the second resource is used to send a random access preamble. The network side can broadcast multiple resources for sending random access preambles, and the second resource can also be part or all of the multiple resources.

[0138] Mode 5: Generated based on the first resource indicated in step 301.

[0139] In one possible implementation, after step 301, the second network device may indicate to the terminal device that it has received the early data. For example, the second network device sends a third indication, and the terminal device receives the third indication in response. The third indication may be used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the second network device, or the third indication may be used to indicate that the second network device has received the early data. Furthermore, the terminal device may send data other than the early data in the uplink service data to the network device.

[0140] For example, the third indication may include a first identifier sent by the terminal device on the first resource, and the second network device indicates that the terminal device has successfully accessed the second network device or the second network device has received early data from the terminal device by feeding back the first identifier to the terminal device. If multiple terminal devices send early data on the same resource (such as the first resource), interference will occur between the multiple terminal devices, and the network device can only successfully demodulate the early data sent by one of the terminal devices. The network device can send a third indication to the terminal device that has successfully demodulated.

[0141] In one example, the third indication is sent in the form of a broadcast, and all terminal devices that send early data and the terminal device identifier on the first resource will wait for an indication of whether the access is successful. The terminal device parses the received indication of whether the access is successful, and matches the identifier in the indication with the identifier sent by itself on the first resource. If the match is successful, the indication is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the second network device.

[0142] The terminal device monitors the third indication within a preset time window. If the third indication is not received within the preset time window, it sends a random access preamble. Accordingly, the second network device receives the random access preamble. The second network device determines the fourth resource based on the random access preamble and sends a fourth indication to the terminal device. The fourth indication is used to indicate the fourth resource. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the fourth indication and sends the early data on the fourth resource. If an indication is received that the early data is received successfully or that the terminal device has successfully accessed the network device, then the data other than the early data in the uplink service data may be sent to the network device. If an indication that the early data is received successfully or that the terminal device has successfully accessed the network device is not received, this application does not limit the subsequent process.

[0143] If a maximum number of repetitions of early data is configured for a terminal device (generally understood to be greater than or equal to 2), that is, the terminal device periodically sends early data, and in each period, there is a time window to monitor for the third indication. If the terminal device does not monitor the third indication within a certain preset time window, it will resend early data in the next period until the maximum number is reached or the third indication is monitored within a certain period's preset time window. Before determining that the maximum number has not been reached, the terminal device can access the network device using the four-step random access method.

[0144] In one possible implementation, the third indication is carried in message 4. The terminal device can monitor message 4 within a preset time window. If the terminal device receives message 4 within the preset time window and message 4 includes the first identifier sent by the terminal device on the first resource, it can be considered that the terminal device has successfully accessed the second network device.

[0145] If the terminal device fails to detect message 4 within the preset time window, or the detected message 4 does not include the first identifier sent by the terminal device on the first resource, it can be considered that the terminal device has not successfully received the second network device, and the terminal device can use a 4-step random access method to access the second network device, that is, the terminal device can send a random access preamble code to the network device.

[0146] The number of repetitions of sending early data is too large, resulting in a large change in the timing advance. The network side can configure the segmentation duration for the terminal device. If the duration corresponding to the number of repeated transmissions of early data exceeds the segmentation duration, then segmentation is required when sending the early data. The segmentation duration can be cell-granular. The purpose of segmentation is to enable the terminal device to adjust the timing advance during the repeated transmission of early data. For the configuration of the segmentation position, you can configure an offset relative to the random access preamble segmentation position, or the default segmentation position can be the same as the random access preamble segmentation position, or the same as the cell-level data transmission segmentation duration.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the first network device may indicate to the terminal device the carrier mode for sending early data, where the carrier mode is either a single subcarrier mode or a multi-subcarrier mode. For example, the first network device indicates the carrier mode using a value of one or more bits. For example, when one bit is 0, it indicates a single subcarrier mode, and when one bit is 1, it indicates a multi-subcarrier mode. For another example, the first network device indicates to the terminal device a second signal quality threshold, where the second signal quality threshold is used to determine the carrier mode for sending early data. When the signal quality between the terminal device and the network device is greater than or equal to the second signal quality threshold, the terminal device sends the early data using a multi-subcarrier mode; when the signal quality between the terminal device and the network device is less than or equal to the second signal quality threshold, the terminal device sends the early data using a single subcarrier mode. Further, optionally, for the multi-subcarrier mode, the first network device may also indicate to the terminal device the number of subcarriers. Alternatively, the first network device may indicate to the terminal device the number of subcarriers, where the number of subcarriers may implicitly indicate whether the carrier mode for sending early data is a single subcarrier mode or a multi-subcarrier mode. Accordingly, the terminal device sends the early data using the corresponding carrier mode / number of carriers.

[0148] The second signal quality threshold for determining the carrier mode for sending early data and the first signal quality threshold for determining whether early data can be sent on the first resource may be the same or different.

[0149] In the scenario where multiple CE levels are configured on the network side for the terminal device, the carrier modes / numbers of carriers corresponding to the multiple CE levels are the same or different. The first network device may indicate the carrier mode / number of carriers for sending early data to the terminal device without distinguishing the CE levels, and then the carrier modes / numbers of carriers corresponding to the multiple CE levels are the same. Alternatively, the first network device may also indicate the carrier modes / numbers of carriers corresponding to different CE levels to the terminal device for different CE levels. For example, the first network device indicates the second signal quality threshold corresponding to multiple CE levels to the terminal device, and then the terminal device uses the carrier mode / number of carriers corresponding to the first CE level to send early data. The higher the CE level, the higher the requirement for the link budget, and the more it is necessary to use a single subcarrier method to send early data to ensure transmission reliability. In the NB-IOT scenario, the multi-subcarrier method can be called a multi-tone method.

[0150] Optionally, the network side (for example, the first network device or other terminal devices that have established a connection with the terminal device) can also indicate the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to the terminal device. In a scenario where multiple CE levels are configured on the network side, the network side can indicate the MCS for sending early data to the terminal device without distinguishing between CE levels, and the MCS corresponding to multiple CE levels are the same. Alternatively, the network side can also configure different MCSs corresponding to different CE levels for different CE levels, and the terminal device uses the MCS corresponding to the first CE level to modulate and encode the early data.

[0151] In step 300, the first network device indicates to the terminal device a first resource for sending early data via an RRC release message, thereby preventing too many terminal devices from using the same resource to send early data. In addition to indicating the first resource via an RRC release message, another method for determining the first resource for sending early data is described below.

[0152] The first network device or the second network device broadcasts multiple resources for sending early data through a broadcast message, and the terminal device can determine a part of the resources from the multiple resources as the first resources to send the early data. In one example, the terminal device determines a part of the resources from the multiple resources as the first resources to send the early data based on the identifier of the terminal device. For example, the terminal devices are divided into K (K is a positive integer) groups, wherein the remainders of the identifiers of the terminal devices belonging to the same group divided by K are the same or in the same range. Taking the group with the same remainder as an example, the terminal devices with terminal device ID mode K=0 are the first group, the terminal devices with terminal device ID mode K=1 are the second group, the terminal devices with terminal device ID mode K=2 are the third group, ..., the terminal devices with terminal device ID mode K=i are the i+1th group, and i is a positive integer. For example, the resources for sending early data in one broadcast cycle in the broadcast message include N (N is a positive integer), then the resources for the first group of terminal devices to send early data are: K*L; the resources for the second group of terminal devices to send early data are: K*L+1; the resources for the third group of terminal devices to send early data are: K*L+2, ..., the resources for the i+1th group of terminal devices to send early data are: K*L+i, where L=0, 1, 2, ..., N / K-1. For example, the indexes of multiple resources are 0 to 8, then N=9, assuming K=3, then L=0, 1, 2, the first resources of the first group of terminal devices are 0, 3, 6; the first resources of the second group of terminal devices are 1, 4, 7; the first resources of the third group of terminal devices are 2, 5, 8. By identifying the terminal device, a portion of resources is determined from multiple resources as the first resources for sending early data. Compared with indicating a portion of multiple resources as the first resources for sending early data through an RRC release message, signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0153] In a scenario where multiple CE levels are configured for a terminal device, the number of resources included in a cycle is for a certain CE level.

[0154] Methods for determining the identifier of a terminal device for determining a portion of resources from multiple resources include but are not limited to the following: selected from multiple identifiers broadcast by a second network device; generated based on an identifier of hardware in the terminal device. For example, the hardware is a subscriber identity module (SIM) card; generated based on an identifier configured for the terminal device by the network side, where the configuration here refers to the configuration performed before the terminal device receives the RRC release message, that is, the last configuration of the terminal device by the network side. The network here includes an access network and / or a core network; generated based on a second resource, where the second resource is used to send a random access preamble.

[0155] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal devices and network devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present 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 manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0156] Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device and the network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal device as shown in Figures 1a and 1b, or a network device as shown in Figures 1a and 1b, or a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal device or a network device.

[0157] As shown in FIG. 4 , the communication device 400 includes a processing unit 410 and a transceiver unit 420 .

[0158] For example, the communication device 400 is used to implement the functions of the network device or terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3. The transceiver unit 420 can perform the receiving and sending actions performed by the network device or terminal device in the method embodiment. The processing unit 410 can perform other actions, except for the sending and receiving actions, among the actions performed by the network device or terminal device in the method embodiment.

[0159] Exemplarily, when the communication device 400 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, the transceiver unit 420 is used to send an RRC release message and receive early data. The processing unit 410 is used to generate an RRC release message and parse the early data.

[0160] Exemplarily, when the communication apparatus 400 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 : the transceiver unit 420 is used to receive the RRC release message and send the early data. The processing unit 410 is used to parse the RRC release message and generate the early data.

[0161] A more detailed description of the processing unit 410 and the transceiver unit 420 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant description of the method embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4, and is not repeated here. The processing unit 410 can be implemented by a processor, and the transceiver unit 420 can be implemented by a transceiver.

[0162] As shown in Figure 5, communication device 500 includes a processor 510 and an interface circuit 520. Processor 510 and interface circuit 520 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 520 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 500 may also include a memory 530 for storing instructions executed by processor 510, or storing input data required by processor 510 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after processor 510 executes instructions. Sometimes, interface circuit 520 can also be understood as part of processor 510, in which case communication device 500 includes processor 510.

[0163] When the communication device 500 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 3 , the processor 510 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 410 , and the interface circuit 520 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 420 .

[0164] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the terminal device chip receives information from the network device, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal device chip by these modules. When the terminal device chip sends information to the network device, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the network device by these modules.

[0165] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The network device chip receives information from the terminal device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the network device chip by these modules. The network device chip sends information to the terminal device, which can be understood as the information being sent to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal device by these modules. 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.

[0166] In the present application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be that A sends it directly to B, or that A sends it to B indirectly through other entities. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be that entity B directly receives the information sent by entity A, or that entity B indirectly receives the information sent by entity A through other entities. Entities A and B here can be network devices or terminal devices, or modules within a network device or modules within a terminal device. The sending and receiving of information can be information interaction between a network device and a terminal device, or information interaction between two network devices, such as information interaction between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between different modules within a device, such as information interaction between a terminal device chip and other modules of the terminal device, or information interaction between a network device chip and other modules in the network device.

[0167] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0168] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the above-mentioned communication method. In other words, the computer program includes instructions for implementing the above-mentioned communication.

[0169] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including: computer program code, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the communication method provided above.

[0170] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes: a network device and a terminal device that execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0171] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) (also known as a read-only optical disc) 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. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0172] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a first control plane network element, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can 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 can 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 can be any available medium accessible 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 can 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.

[0173] 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.

[0174] In the 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 can 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 or 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 "one or more of them" and other similar expressions refer 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, or one or more of a, b, or c, means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c. Each of a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0175] The ordinal numbers "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of multiple objects. Moreover, such names do not indicate differences in the content, sender / receiver, transmission order, size, application scenario, priority, or importance of the two pieces of information. In addition, the numbering of the steps in the various embodiments introduced in this application is only for distinguishing different steps and is not used to define the order of the steps.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to terminal equipment, including: Receiving a radio resource control (RRC) release message, where the RRC release message includes a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate a first resource, where the first resource is used to send early data in a random access process, where the early data is part or all of uplink service data to be transmitted by the terminal device after completing the random access process; The early data is sent on the first resource, wherein the early data is sent when the terminal device needs to access a network device after converting from a connected state to an idle state according to the RRC release message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Sending the early data on the first resource includes: Determining that a first condition is met, and sending the early data on the first resource; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: The first resource is different from or not identical to the second resource, and the second resource is used by the terminal device to send a random access preamble; receiving a second indication, where the second indication is used to instruct the terminal device to use the first resource indicated in the RRC release message to send early data; The signal quality between the terminal device and the network device is greater than or equal to a first signal quality threshold; The terminal device has performed a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurement within a preset time period after entering the idle state; The duration that the terminal device enters the idle state does not exceed the duration threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first indication is used to indicate a first resource, and is specifically any one of the following: The first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between the first resource and a second resource, and the second resource is used by the terminal device to send a random access preamble code; The first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between the first resource and a third resource, and the third resource is used by the terminal device to receive or send a reference signal or a synchronization signal; The first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between a starting position of a time domain resource in the first resource and a reference system frame or a reference system subframe.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein Also includes: A first identifier is sent on the first resource, where the first identifier is used to identify the terminal device. The first identifier is an identifier determined for the terminal device during the process of the terminal device randomly accessing the network device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The first identifier is obtained based on any of the following methods: Selected from multiple identifiers broadcast by the network side; Generated based on the identification of the hardware in the terminal device; Generated based on an identifier configured by the network side for the terminal device before the terminal device receives the RRC release message; generated based on a second resource, where the second resource is used to send a random access preamble; Generated based on the first resource.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: Also includes: receiving a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the network device; Sending data other than the early data in the uplink service data to the network device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: Also includes: If no third indication is received within the preset time window, sending a random access preamble code, wherein the third indication is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the network device; receiving a fourth indication, where the fourth indication is used to indicate a fourth resource, where the fourth resource is determined based on the random access preamble; The early data is sent on the fourth resource.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: Applicable to network equipment, including: Generate a radio resource control RRC release message, the RRC release message including a first indication, the first indication being used to indicate a first resource, the first resource being used to send early data in a random access process, the early data being part or all of uplink service data to be transmitted by the terminal device after completing the random access process; Send the RRC release message.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein Also includes: The early data is received on the first resource, where the early data is sent when the terminal device needs to access a network device after converting from a connected state to an idle state according to the RRC release message.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that Also includes: Send a second indication, where the second indication is used to instruct the terminal device to use the first resource indicated in the RRC release message to send early data.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that The first indication is used to indicate a first resource, and is specifically any one of the following: The first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between the first resource and a second resource, and the second resource is used by the terminal device to send a random access preamble code; The first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between the first resource and a third resource, and the third resource is used by the terminal device to receive or send a reference signal or a synchronization signal; The first indication is used to indicate a positional relationship between a starting position of a time domain resource in the first resource and a reference system frame or a reference system subframe.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that Also includes: A first identifier is received on the first resource, where the first identifier is used to identify the terminal device. The first identifier is an identifier determined for the terminal device during the process of the terminal device randomly accessing the network device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Also includes: A plurality of identifiers are broadcasted, wherein the first identifier belongs to the plurality of identifiers.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein: Also includes: Sending a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the network device; Receive data other than the early data in the uplink service data.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising a processor coupled to a memory; The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; The processor is configured to execute part or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when the part or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: including processor and memory; The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; The processor is configured to execute part or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when the part or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises 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 according to any one of claims 1 to 14 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

19. 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 14 is implemented.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises: computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

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