Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, and the communication method relates to a solution for using an enhanced PUR in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). A terminal can report a PUR skipping indication, and upon receiving the indication, a base station releases a corresponding PUR and can reallocate the PUR to another terminal for use. The present application further relates to a base station issuing a PUR configuration, and splitting and sending the configuration. A part of the configuration is updated by means of broadcast, so that multiple terminals can efficiently share PUR resources, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the PUR utilization rate. The corresponding communication apparatus provided by the present application can implement the above-described method.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on March 25, 2024, with application number 202410349610.6 and application name “A Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communication technologies, and more specifically, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0004] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) are a hot development in the communications field. They refer to grids or network segments that utilize radio frequency resources from high-altitude platforms such as satellites, aircraft, and drones. Because high-altitude platforms provide greater coverage, latency to terminals increases accordingly. To ensure a good user experience, the use of enhanced pre-configured uplink resources (PURs) within NTN technology is a promising option. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus that use enhanced PUR technology to improve resource utilization for data uplink services of devices in non-terrestrial network scenarios.

[0006] In a first aspect, a resource configuration method is provided, which may include:

[0007] receiving a first message, where the first message is used to indicate a first uplink resource PUR configuration;

[0008] The first PUR is used to send uplink data;

[0009] A second message is sent, where the second message indicates to skip the first PUR occasion.

[0010] Based on the above solution, a terminal in an NTN scenario can release a PUR occasion that it no longer needs and notify the base station. In this way, the base station can reallocate the released resources to other terminals, thereby improving overall resource utilization.

[0011] With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before sending the uplink data, an available PUR is determined based on the first PUR configuration.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before sending the second message, it is determined that the first PUR configuration is not to be used, and the second message includes an instruction to release the first PUR configuration.

[0013] With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before sending the second message, it is determined that the first PUR opportunity in the first PUR configuration is not used.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first message further includes an indication of whether skipping of PUR opportunities is supported.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second message indicates skipping a first PUR occasion, wherein the first PUR occasion is a specified number of N second PUR occasions, where N is an integer greater than or equal to one; or

[0016] The first PUR opportunity is all PUR opportunities after the specified third PUR opportunity, wherein the third PUR opportunity is the last PUR opportunity for sending uplink data based on the available PUR or the next opportunity of the last PUR opportunity, and the third PUR opportunity is included in all the PUR opportunities, or the third PUR opportunity is not included in all the PUR opportunities.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second message is sent together with the uplink data; or, the second message is sent together with a third message, wherein the third message is downlink feedback information.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the second message includes radio resource control RRC (radio resource controller) signaling (such as user assistance information UAI (UE assistance information)), uplink control information UCI (uplink control information), media control element MAC CE (Media Access Control control element), random access channel RACH (random access channel) using a dedicated preamble Preamble, or adding LCID to Msg3 of RACH.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the sending together includes sending in the same transport block TB (transport block).

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining not to use the first PUR occasion in the first PUR configuration includes not meeting the PUR triggering condition, insufficient service time of the current serving cell, or not requiring at least one of multiple PUR occasions.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes, before receiving the first message,

[0022] receiving a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the cell supports PUR;

[0023] A fifth message is sent, where the fifth message is used to indicate a PUR requirement, where the PUR requirement includes at least one of the following information: number, period, TBS information, remaining service time of the current cell, and the like.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, sending the second message is based on determining that a PUR is not required.

[0025] In a second aspect, a resource configuration method is provided, which may include:

[0026] Sending a first message, where the first message is used to indicate a first uplink resource PUR configuration;

[0027] receiving uplink data configured based on the first PUR;

[0028] A second message is received, where the second message indicates to skip the first PUR occasion.

[0029] Based on the above solution, a base station in an NTN scenario can receive a message reported by a terminal to learn about a PUR occasion that the terminal no longer needs, and can reallocate the released resources to other terminals, thereby improving overall resource utilization.

[0030] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second message indicates skipping the first PUR occasion, where the first PUR occasion is a specified number of N second PUR occasions, where N is an integer greater than or equal to one; or

[0031] The first PUR opportunities are all PUR opportunities after a designated third PUR opportunity, wherein the third PUR is included in all the PUR opportunities, or the third PUR is not included in all the PUR opportunities.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes, before sending the first message, sending a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the cell supports PUR.

[0033] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes, after sending the fourth message, receiving a fifth message, wherein the fifth message is used to indicate the PUR requirement, and the PUR requirement includes at least one of the information such as the number, period, TBS information, and the remaining service time of the current cell.

[0034] In a third aspect, a resource configuration method is provided, which may include:

[0035] receiving a first message, where the first message is used to indicate a first uplink resource PUR configuration;

[0036] receiving a second message, where the second message is used to indicate a second PUR configuration, and the second PUR configuration includes the first offset information;

[0037] Determining, based on the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration, that there is an available PUR;

[0038] Uplink data is sent based on the available PUR.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the second PUR configuration further includes at least one of enabling information, RNTI, and a PUR occasion starting position.

[0040] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes, before receiving the first message,

[0041] receiving a fourth message, the fourth message indicating that the cell supports PUR;

[0042] A fifth message is sent, where the fifth message is used to indicate a PUR requirement, where the PUR requirement includes at least one of the following information: number, period, TBS information, remaining service time of the current cell, and the like.

[0043] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the sending of uplink data based on the available PUR is through a control plane (CP) optimization solution or a user plane (User plane) optimization solution.

[0044] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes receiving a sixth message, where the sixth message is used to indicate second offset information, and the second offset information is used to replace the first offset information.

[0045] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the second message and the sixth message are broadcast.

[0046] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first offset information and the second offset information are applied in the time domain or the frequency domain.

[0047] In a fourth aspect, a resource configuration method is provided, which may include:

[0048] Sending a first message, where the first message is used to indicate a first uplink resource PUR configuration;

[0049] Sending a second message, where the second message is used to indicate a second PUR configuration, and the second PUR configuration includes the first offset information;

[0050] Receive uplink data based on the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration.

[0051] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the second message includes at least one of enabling information, RNTI, and PUR occasion starting position.

[0052] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the method further includes, before sending the first message,

[0053] Sending a fourth message, where the fourth message indicates that the cell supports PUR;

[0054] A fifth message is received, where the fifth message is used to indicate a PUR requirement, where the PUR requirement includes at least one of the following information: number, period, TBS information, remaining service time of the current cell, and the like.

[0055] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the receiving of uplink data based on the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration is through a control plane (CP) optimization solution or a user plane (User plane) optimization solution.

[0056] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the method further includes sending a sixth message, where the sixth message is used to indicate the second offset information.

[0057] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the second message and the sixth message are broadcast.

[0058] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the first offset information and the second offset information are applied in the time domain or the frequency domain.

[0059] In a fifth aspect, a resource configuration communication device is provided, the device comprising:

[0060] A processor is used to execute a computer program stored in a memory so that the communication device executes the methods that may be implemented in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the methods that may be implemented in the first to fourth aspects above can be executed.

[0062] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the methods that may be implemented in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0063] In an eighth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes: a processor for calling and running a computer program or instruction from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip system can implement the methods that may be implemented in the first to fourth aspects above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of a protocol stack used in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0066] FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of another network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a non-terrestrial network applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG5 shows a schematic flow chart of PUR applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0069] FIG6 shows a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] FIG7 shows another schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] FIG8 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0072] FIG9 shows a schematic block diagram of another communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] FIG10 shows a schematic diagram of a chip system 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, next-generation communication system (for example, fifth-generation (5G) communication system), a fusion system of multiple access systems, or an evolution system, three major application scenarios of 5G mobile communication system: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and enhanced machine type communication (eMTC), or new communication systems that will appear in the future. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth-generation mobile communication system. This application is not limited to this.

[0076] The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), device-to-device (D2D) network, machine-to-machine (M2M) network, Internet of Things (IoT) network or other networks. Among them, the IoT network can include, for example, the Internet of Vehicles. Among them, the communication mode in the Internet of Vehicles system is collectively referred to as vehicle to other devices (vehicle to X, V2X, X can represent anything), for example, the V2X can include: vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0077] The network device in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a (radio) access network device (radio access network, (R)AN). The (R)AN is capable of managing wireless resources, providing access services for user equipment, and completing the forwarding of user equipment data between the user equipment and the core network. The (R)AN can also be understood as a base station in the network, which is a device deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for mobile stations (MS).

[0078] Exemplarily, the access network device in the embodiment of the present application may be any communication device with wireless transceiver functions for communicating with user equipment. The access network equipment includes but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved NodeB (HeNB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be 5G, such as gNB in ​​NR system, or transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in 5G system, or it can also be a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc. It can be understood that all or part of the functions of the access network device in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0079] As shown in Figure 1 , a communication system to which the present invention is applied includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in the figure, collectively referred to as RAN node 110) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120i in the figure, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 may be separate physical devices, or they may be a single physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0080] The RAN 100 may be a cellular system related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 100 may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, or a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0081] In the present invention, the RAN 100 is an NTN system, and the RAN 100 can be in transparent transmission mode or regeneration mode, an earth fixed cell or an earth moving cell.

[0082] The terminal 120 may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, a terminal in a 5G network or a terminal in a future evolution network, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal. In the following specific description, the term terminal or UE will be used to refer to the same type of device or apparatus.

[0083] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for wearable devices that use wearable technology to intelligently design and develop wearable devices for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. In a broad sense, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve full or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0084] The RAN node 110, which may also sometimes be referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity or access node, etc., constitutes a part of the communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative. For example, the network element 120h in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminals 120i that access the RAN 100 through the network element 120h, the network element 120h is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120h plays the role of a terminal. The RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120i can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0085] In one network architecture, access network equipment may include centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or RAN equipment comprising both CU and DU nodes, as shown in Figure 2. The RAN equipment comprising both CU and DU nodes separates the protocol layers of the gNB in ​​the NR system, centrally controlling some protocol layer functions within the CU and distributing some or all of the remaining protocol layer functions within the DU, which is then centrally controlled by the CU. The centralized unit (CU) can also be divided into the control plane (CU-CP) and the user plane (CU-UP), as shown in Figure 2 (a). The CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, primarily including RRC and the control plane's corresponding PDCP, namely PDCP-C. PDCP-C is primarily responsible for encryption, decryption, integrity protection, and data transmission of control plane data. The CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, primarily including SDAP and the user plane's corresponding PDCP, namely PDCP-U. SDAP is primarily responsible for processing core network data and mapping flows to bearers. PDCP-U is primarily responsible for encryption, decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, and data transmission of the data plane. The CU-CP and CU-UP are connected via the E1 interface. The CU-CP represents the gNB's connection to the core network via the NG interface. It connects to the DU via the F1 interface control plane, namely F1-C. The CU-UP connects to the DU via the F1 interface user plane, namely F1-U. Alternatively, the PDCP-C can also reside in the CU-UP. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2 (b), the CU can connect to multiple DUs. RAN equipment is responsible for radio resource management, quality of service (QoS) management, data compression, and encryption on the air interface side. AN equipment provides access services to terminal devices, forwarding control signals and user data between the terminal device and the core network.

[0086] As shown in Figure 3, it is a schematic diagram of the open radio access network (ORAN) architecture applied in the present invention. O-RAN aims to realize an intelligent and open access network. The main feature of the O-RAN architecture is the separation of software and hardware, which realizes the virtualization of network functions and the standardization of hardware. In addition, O-RAN also introduces artificial intelligence (AI). Compared with the architecture of Figure 2, in the ORAN system, CU can also be called open CU (O-CU), DU can also be called open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), and RU can also be called open RU (O-RU). In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0087] In an embodiment of the present application, the device for implementing the network communication function can be a network device, or a device with some functions of a base station, or a device that can support the network device to implement this function, such as a chip system, a functional module, and such a device can be installed in the network device.

[0088] Figure 4 shows an example of an NTN network that provides non-terrestrial NR access to UEs via an NTN payload and an NTN gateway. The gNB consists of an NTN gateway and an NTN payload, which are interconnected by a feeder link. In the network architecture, the AMF / UPF and NTN gateway are interconnected, while the NTN payload is connected to the UE via a service link. It forwards radio protocols received from the UE (via the service link) to the NTN gateway (via the feeder link), and vice versa, sends service data received from the NTN gateway (via the feeder link) to the UE (via the service link). An NTN gateway can serve multiple NTN payloads, and an NTN payload can be served by multiple NTN gateways. Service links, also known as service links, currently support three types of service links. 1. Geofixed: provided by beams that continuously cover the same geographical area at all times (for example, in the case of geosynchronous satellites); 2. Quasi-geofixed: provided by beam(s) that cover one geographical area for a limited time and a different geographical area at another time (for example, in the case of steerable beams produced by NGSO satellites); 3. Geomobile: provided by beams whose coverage area slides over the surface of the Earth (for example, in the case of fixed or non-steerable beams produced by NGSO satellites).

[0089] Regarding PUR technologies, to simplify and accelerate the uplink transmission process for user equipment (UE), LTE (Long Term Evolution) systems use PUR as a radio resource management mechanism. PUR involves the network pre-allocating a fixed or periodic set of uplink physical resource blocks (PRBs) to the UE. These resource blocks are known at specific time and frequency domain locations. This eliminates the need for the UE to wait for scheduling instructions from the base station (eNodeB, gNB, or other network equipment that may provide similar wireless services) for each transmission. Figure 5 shows a general PUR flow chart.

[0090] 1. When the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state and the cell has enabled the PUR function, the UE can send a PUR Configuration Request message to the base station to indicate that it wishes to configure PUR resources. In this request, the UE can provide detailed information about the required resources, such as the number of occurrences, periodicity, time offset, transport block size (TBS), RRC confirmation requirements, etc. In addition, the UE can also use this message to indicate that it wishes to release the configured PUR resources.

[0091] 2. When the base station decides to switch the UE to the RRC_IDLE state, based on the previous UE PUR configuration request, subscription information, and / or local policy, the base station may choose to provide PUR resources for the UE or release existing PUR resources. These PUR configuration details or PUR release instructions are also included in the RRCConnectionRelease message and delivered to the UE.

[0092] The PUR configuration is automatically released at the UE and base station when the UE connects to another cell, the cell no longer enables the PUR feature, or the PUR resource has not been used for a configured number of consecutive times. Furthermore, the specific implementation of the base station determines how the UE and PUR configuration are associated based on the configured PUR resource.

[0093] FIG6 is a flow chart showing an interactive process of a non-terrestrial network communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes:

[0094] S601: A base station sends a broadcast message to indicate to terminals within coverage that the current serving cell supports PUR.

[0095] A base station may include multiple cells. When a terminal is within the coverage of a base station, the terminal can receive the broadcast information. When the terminal resides in a cell of the base station, the terminal can know that the current serving cell supports PUR.

[0096] S602: The terminal in the connected state sends a message to the base station to indicate the UE's PUR requirements, including the number, period, TBS information, etc.

[0097] In the message sent by the terminal, if it is currently in the NTN moving cell scenario, the message may also include the remaining service time information of the current cell, which can be used to assist the base station in determining how many PUR occasions (PUR occasion) or ImplicitReleaseAfter parameter values ​​are allocated to the terminal. Among them, the PUR occasion corresponds to a moment. After the terminal obtains the available PUR, it can determine the corresponding position of the PUR occasion, that is, the corresponding specific moment. The terminal can transmit data at these corresponding moments.

[0098] S603: The base station decides to release the terminal to the idle state.

[0099] S604: The base station configures a PUR for the terminal in an RRC release message (RRCRelease).

[0100] In the release message, the base station may indicate whether the base station supports or allows the PUR occasion skip function, and may also indicate whether the terminal reports the PUR occasion skip.

[0101] As another way, different from the configuration in S604 in the RRCRelease message, the base station can also complete the above indication through an additional S604a step by sending other messages. For example, through an SIB message, the terminal receives the SIB message, and a new indication is added to the SIB message to indicate whether the base station supports or allows the execution of the PUR occasion skip function; or through a DCI message, after the terminal receives the DCI message, it knows that the PUR occasion skip can be reported.

[0102] Optionally, when the terminal determines not to use the PUR configuration, it may send S604a, or use the message in the following step S606 to notify the base station, instructing to release the allocated PUR configuration.

[0103] S605: The terminal determines whether there is an available PUR.

[0104] When the terminal has available PUR resources and has uplink service requirements, the signaling process is triggered to prepare to send uplink data.

[0105] When the terminal uses the control plane (CP) optimization solution, the RRCEarlyDataRequest message is used to initiate an uplink data process.

[0106] When the terminal uses the user plane (UP) optimization solution, an uplink data process is initiated using an RRCConnectionResumeRequest message.

[0107] S606: The terminal sends uplink data and a PUR skipping indication.

[0108] When the terminal determines that subsequent PURs are no longer needed, this may include situations such as no need for uplink data transmission within a certain period of time, that is, from the terminal's perspective, the PUR triggering conditions are no longer met; or when the terminal is in a moving cell scenario, the service time of the current serving cell is insufficient, that is, the subsequent PURs are actually no longer available; or when the terminal's service characteristics change, such as the uplink data volume decreases or the transport block (TB) size increases, then the terminal no longer needs multiple PUR occasions for data transmission, and there are also situations where subsequent PURs are no longer needed.

[0109] After determining that subsequent PURs are not needed, to avoid waste, the terminal can send a PUR skip indication to the base station, releasing the PUR previously allocated to the terminal. Optionally, the PUR skip indication can be sent together with uplink data or downlink feedback information, or it can be sent separately. "Sent together" here can mean using the same protocol data unit (PDU), such as a TB, or included in the same message.

[0110] Specific indication methods may include using user assistance information (UE assistance information, UAI), radio resource control (RRC) signaling, uplink control information (UCI) or media access control element (MAC CE). The base station may indicate whether to enable PUR skipping and which PUR skipping indication method to use in the S604 release message.

[0111] In contrast, if a separate transmission scenario is adopted, the specific indication method can be reported through the random access channel (RACH), for example, using a dedicated preamble (Preamble) in the 4-step RACH; or Msg3 plus a dedicated MAC CE, which is equipped with a dedicated logical channel ID (LCID). Such an indication can enable the base station to know that the PUR occasion associated with the terminal is released.

[0112] In particular, there is also the following special scenario, that is, the terminal does not send uplink data, for example, there is no uplink service data to be sent. At this time, the terminal determines not to use the first PUR configuration, then in S606, the terminal directly sends a PUR skip indication to indicate the release of the first PUR configuration without including uplink data.

[0113] Optionally, in S606, including the above-mentioned special scenario, the PUR skip indication needs to be sent separately.

[0114] The information indicated in the PUR skip indication may include:

[0115] Case 1: Skip the subsequent specified part PUR occasion, where the part can be continuous or discontinuous;

[0116] Case 2: Skip all subsequent PUR occasions. At this time, the terminal will also release the PUR configuration (pur-config).

[0117] In terms of content setting, it can be in the form of a bitmap to indicate whether the subsequent PUR occasion of the current PUR occasion needs to be occupied; or use the start and length indicator value (SLIV) format, that is, use the PUR occasion start time and skip time to indicate a specified PUR occasion that needs to be skipped.

[0118] In one possible case, when using a specific indication method, more parameters can be modified, such as absent multiplexing in the message for modification. The newly added parameters are the parameters to be replaced, and the parameters not involved still use the previous configuration. In this way, signaling overhead can be saved while modifying the parameters.

[0119] S607: The base station releases the PUR occasion previously allocated to the terminal according to the received PUR skipping instruction.

[0120] By actively reporting the PUR skipping mode of the terminal, the situation where the PUR occasion is vacant can be avoided, and the base station can allocate the released PUR occasion to other terminals for use, thereby more effectively utilizing resources.

[0121] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of another non-terrestrial network communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the method includes:

[0122] S701-S703 are the same as S601-S603 and will not be described in detail.

[0123] S704: After combining the PUR request information reported by other terminals, the base station configures part of the PUR configuration for the terminal in the RRCRelease message, which is referred to as the first PUR configuration.

[0124] Here, the first configuration is also sent to the terminal in the release message. The first configuration includes, for example, the length of the time alignment timer (TAT) and the RSRP-ChangeThreshold information element.

[0125] S705: The base station sends another partial PUR configuration through broadcasting, which is called the second PUR configuration.

[0126] The second PUR configuration includes PUR enabling information, a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), and a PUR occasion starting position. The offset1 information can be used to provide real-time PUR occasion position information.

[0127] S706: The terminal may comprehensively determine the available PURs and the corresponding PUR occasion positions by combining the first PUR configuration in S704 and the second PUR configuration received in S705.

[0128] Specifically, the following method can be used to determine the hyperframe (HSFN) / frame (SFN) / subframe location of the PUR occasion. First, use the offset to determine the HSFN: HSFN = (HSFN Ref +offset)mod 1024---------(1)

[0129] The HSFN determined after the number of HSFN cycles rounded down to (offset / 1024) is the HSFN where the PUR occasion is located. Furthermore, the above HSFN is determined by formula (1).

[0130] For example, offset = 1025, HSFN Ref = 6 (the superframe in which the last subframe in which the terminal receives the message carrying the PUR configuration is located). Substituting this into formula (1), we get HSFN = (1025 + 6) mod 1024 = 7. That is, the first PUR opportunity of the terminal is in the superframe with HSFN = 7 after one HSFN cycle (1024 superframes).

[0131] For another example, offset = 2, HSFN Ref = 6 (the superframe in which the last subframe in which the terminal receives the message carrying the PUR configuration is located), then the first PUR opportunity of the terminal is in the superframe with HSFN = 8.

[0132] Then, by combining the offset1 obtained in S705, based on the existing start frame (startSFN) and start subframe (startSubframe), the frame and subframe where the PUR occasion is located, that is, the corresponding PUR occasion position, can be obtained.

[0133] The SFN and subframe are obtained by adding offset1 to the starting SFN (startSFN) and the starting subframe (startSubframe).

[0134] S707: The terminal sends uplink data.

[0135] Depending on the system configuration, you can choose the CP solution or the UP optimization solution during transmission.

[0136] Optionally, the RRCRelease message sent by the base station in S704 carries a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) instead of a shared PUR-RNTI. In this case, using C-RNTI scrambling can enable the base station to complete terminal-level identification and know which terminal the uplink data sent on the PUR occasion belongs to.

[0137] S708. Optionally, the base station decides to update offset1, provides a new offset2, and sends a second configuration via broadcast. The second configuration includes the new offset2, replacing the original offset1.

[0138] The base station determines the update criteria, including if the terminal's uplink data or indication information indicates that the terminal has used the PUR occasion based on offset 1. In this case, the base station needs to send an updated offset 2. Depending on the number of connected terminals, more update messages may be sent, such as offset 3, offset 4, etc. The essence of this is to ensure that the base station knows which uplink data sent on which PUR belongs to which terminal and avoid conflicts between terminals.

[0139] In this case, other terminals will use the new offset2 value when determining the available PUR. However, terminals that have already used the available PUR determined based on offset1 will still use offset1 to avoid resource conflicts.

[0140] Furthermore, optionally, if the terminal reports the remaining time of its PUR occasion in S707, then after this time has passed, the base station can put the PUR occasion allocated to the terminal into the resource pool. When the offset needs to be updated next time, the offset corresponding to this PUR occasion can be broadcast for subsequent terminal use.

[0141] It is also worth noting that the time domain resource reuse method in this method can also be extended to the frequency domain. For example, terminal 1 determines the frequency domain resources to be used based on the first PUR configuration and / or the second PUR configuration, and uses the frequency domain resources for uplink data transmission. After receiving the uplink data from terminal 1, the base station updates the broadcast second PUR configuration so that the frequency domain resources determined by other terminals based on the first PUR configuration and / or the second PUR configuration are staggered (or remain orthogonal) with the frequency domain resources used by terminal 1.

[0142] By sending the PUR configuration separately and broadcasting and updating the PUR configuration according to actual usage, the PUR can be reused more efficiently among multiple terminals with a smaller signaling overhead, thereby improving the utilization rate.

[0143] It should be noted that the base station is used above to describe the interaction with the terminal. However, the network devices with corresponding capabilities mentioned at the beginning of this article can all be base stations in this description.

[0144] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described above in conjunction with Figures 6 and 7. The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 8-10. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, reference can be made to the method embodiment above, and some of the contents will not be repeated here.

[0145] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 800 includes a transceiver unit 810, which can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 810 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0146] Optionally, the device 800 may further include a processing unit 820, which may be configured to perform data processing.

[0147] Optionally, the device 800 also includes a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 820 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device implements the actions of different terminal devices in the aforementioned method embodiments, for example, the actions of the first network device or the terminal device.

[0148] The device 800 can be used to execute the actions performed by the first network device or terminal device in each of the above method embodiments. In this case, the device 800 can be the first network device or terminal device, or a component of the first network device or terminal device. The transceiver unit 810 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations of the first network device or terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 820 is used to execute the processing-related operations of the first network device or terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0149] It should also be understood that the device 800 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 800 can be specifically the first network device or terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the first network device or terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, they will not be described here.

[0150] The apparatus 800 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the first network device or terminal device in the above-mentioned method, or the apparatus 800 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the first network device or terminal device in the above-mentioned method. The function can be implemented by hardware, or the corresponding software can be implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the sending and receiving operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0151] In addition, the transceiver unit 810 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing unit may be a processing circuit.

[0152] It should be noted that the apparatus in FIG8 may be a network element or device in the aforementioned embodiment, or may be a chip or chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. This is not limited here.

[0153] As shown in Figure 9, an embodiment of the present application provides another communication device 900. The device 900 includes a processor 910, which is coupled to a memory 920. The memory 920 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 910 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 920, or read the data stored in the memory 920, to perform the methods in the above method embodiments.

[0154] Optionally, there are one or more processors 910 .

[0155] Optionally, there are one or more memories 920 .

[0156] Optionally, the memory 920 is integrated with the processor 910 or provided separately.

[0157] Optionally, as shown in Figure 9, the apparatus 900 further includes a transceiver 930, which is configured to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 910 is configured to control the transceiver 930 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0158] As a solution, the apparatus 900 is used to implement the operations performed by the first network device or the terminal device in each of the above method embodiments.

[0159] For example, the processor 910 is configured to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory 920 to implement the relevant operations of the first network device in each of the above method embodiments, for example, the first network device in any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 9, or the method of the first network device in any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 9.

[0160] It should be understood that the processor mentioned 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, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0161] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0162] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0163] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to comprise, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0164] As shown in FIG10 , an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system 1000 . The chip system 1000 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 1010 and an input / output interface 1020 .

[0165] Logic circuit 1010 may be a processing circuit in chip system 1000. Logic circuit 1010 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit, so that chip system 1000 can implement the methods and functions of various embodiments of the present application. Input / output interface 1020 may be an input / output circuit in chip system 1000, outputting information processed by chip system 1000 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into chip system 1000 for processing.

[0166] As a solution, the chip system 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the first network device or the terminal device in the above various method embodiments.

[0167] For example, the logic circuit 1010 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first network device in the above method embodiments, such as the processing-related operations performed by the first network device in any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 9; the input / output interface 1020 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first network device in the above method embodiments, such as the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first network device in any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 9.

[0168] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the first network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0169] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by the first network device or the terminal device in each embodiment of the above method.

[0170] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the first network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0171] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0172] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0173] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it 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 instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function according to the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). For example, the aforementioned available medium includes, but is not limited to, various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0174] The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A resource configuration method, characterized in that: receiving a first message, the first message being used to indicate a first pre-configured uplink resource (PUR) configuration; A second message is sent, where the second message indicates to skip the first PUR opportunity, where the first PUR opportunity is obtained based on the first PUR configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message also includes an indication of whether skipping of the first PUR opportunity is supported.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The second message indicates skipping of the first PUR opportunity, wherein the first PUR opportunity is a specified number of N second PUR opportunities, where N is an integer greater than or equal to one; or The first PUR opportunity is all PUR opportunities after the specified third PUR opportunity, wherein the third PUR opportunity is the last PUR opportunity for sending uplink data based on the available PUR or the next opportunity of the last PUR opportunity, and the third PUR opportunity is included in all the PUR opportunities, or the third PUR opportunity is not included in all the PUR opportunities.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The second message and the third message are sent together, wherein the third message is downlink feedback information or uplink data; or the second message may also be sent alone.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The second message includes radio resource control RRC (radio resource controller) signaling, uplink control information UCI (uplink control information) media control element MAC CE (Media Access Control control element) or random access channel RACH (random access channel) using a dedicated preamble.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that The sending together includes sending in the same transport block TB (transport block).

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining not to use the first PUR opportunity in the first PUR configuration includes that a PUR triggering condition is not satisfied, the service time of the current serving cell is insufficient, or at least one of the multiple PUR opportunities is not needed.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further includes, before receiving the first message, receiving a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the cell supports PUR; A fifth message is sent, where the fifth message is used to indicate a PUR requirement, where the PUR requirement includes at least one of the following information: number, period, TBS information, remaining service time of the current cell, and the like.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The sending of the second message is based on a scenario where it is determined that the PUR is not required.

10. A resource allocation method, characterized in that: Sending a first message, where the first message is used to indicate a first uplink resource PUR configuration; receiving uplink data configured based on the first PUR; A second message is received, the second message indicating to skip the first PUR opportunity.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The second message indicates skipping of the first PUR opportunity, wherein the first PUR opportunity is a specified number of N second PUR opportunities, where N is an integer greater than or equal to one; or The first PUR opportunities are all PUR opportunities after a designated third PUR opportunity, wherein the third PUR is included in all the PUR opportunities, or the third PUR is not included in all the PUR opportunities.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further includes, before sending the first message, sending a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the cell supports PUR.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further includes, after sending the fourth message, receiving a fifth message, where the fifth message is used to indicate a PUR requirement, and the PUR requirement includes at least one of information such as number, period, TBS information, and remaining service time of the current cell.

14. A resource allocation method, characterized in that: receiving a first message, where the first message is used to indicate a first uplink resource PUR configuration; receiving a second message, where the second message is used to indicate a second PUR configuration, and the second PUR configuration includes the first offset information; The first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration are used to send uplink data.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The second PUR configuration further includes at least one of enabling information, RNTI, and a PUR occasion starting position.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further includes, before receiving the first message, receiving a fourth message, the fourth message indicating that the cell supports PUR; A fifth message is sent, where the fifth message is used to indicate a PUR requirement, where the PUR requirement includes at least one of the following information: number, period, TBS information, remaining service time of the current cell, and the like.

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The uplink data is sent through a control plane (CP) optimization solution or a user plane (User plane) optimization solution.

18. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The method further includes receiving a sixth message, where the sixth message is used to indicate second offset information, and the second offset information is used to replace the first offset information.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that The second message and the sixth message are broadcast.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The first offset information and the second offset information are applied in the time domain or the frequency domain.

21. A resource allocation method, characterized in that: Sending a first message, where the first message is used to indicate a first uplink resource PUR configuration; Sending a second message, where the second message is used to indicate a second PUR configuration, and the second PUR configuration includes the first offset information; Receive uplink data based on the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The second message includes at least one of enabling information, RNTI, and a PUR occasion starting position.

23. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The method further includes, before sending the first message, Sending a fourth message, where the fourth message indicates that the cell supports PUR; A fifth message is received, where the fifth message is used to indicate a PUR requirement, where the PUR requirement includes at least one of the following information: number, period, TBS information, remaining service time of the current cell, and the like.

24. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The receiving of uplink data based on the first PUR configuration and the second PUR configuration is performed through a control plane (CP) optimization solution or a user plane (User plane) optimization solution.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein The method further includes sending a sixth message, where the sixth message is used to indicate second offset information.

26. The method according to claims 21-25, characterized in that The second message and the sixth message are broadcast.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that The first offset information and the second offset information are applied in the time domain or the frequency domain.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory, so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, 10 to 13, 14 to 20, or 21 to 27.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A computer program or instruction is stored thereon, wherein when the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1-9, 10-13, 14-20 or 21-27 is executed.

30. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1-9, 10-13, 14-20 or 21-27 to be performed.

31. A chip system, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to call and execute a computer program or instruction from a memory so that a communication device equipped with the chip system implements a method as described in any one of claims 1-9, 10-13, 14-20 or 21-27.

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