Communication method, communication apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method comprises: determining physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration information, the PRACH configuration information comprising a first offset, the first offset being used for determining a random access channel occasion (RO); and sending the PRACH configuration information. The method enables a network side to configure, for a plurality of cells, random access channel occasions (RO) that do not conflict with one another, thereby improving access performance.

Description

Communication method, communication device and computer readable storage medium

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410472548.X, filed on April 18, 2024, and entitled "Communication method, communication device and computer readable storage medium", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method, a communication device and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] Compared with a ground communication system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) has characteristics of wider coverage, higher path loss, larger time delay, faster speed, and lower cost. Unlike the ground communication system, which can cover a single base station service range with a maximum of 8 SSB (FR1) or 64 SSB (FR2) beams, the satellite communication system needs to use hundreds or even thousands of SSB beams. Since the number of beams required for the entire coverage reaches hundreds, the number of beams covered by a single satellite and multiple cells can be increased to improve the coverage area. However, in the case of a single satellite and multiple cells, since the physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration resource is limited, the network side cannot configure multiple cells with non-colliding random access channel occasions (ROs). SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a communication device and a computer readable storage medium, which can enable the network side to configure multiple cells with non-colliding access occasions ROs, thereby improving access performance. The embodiments of the present application provide the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device (such as a base station), a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to a network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device. The method comprises:

[0006] determining physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration information, the PRACH configuration information comprising a first offset, the first offset being used to determine an access occasion RO; and transmitting the PRACH configuration information.

[0007] In the method, the network device increases a first offset in the PRACH configuration information (for example, a frame offset y as described below), so that different cells can correspond to different RO resources, so that the RO resources corresponding to the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of different cells in a single-satellite multi-cell scenario can be time-division staggered to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the PRACH configuration information is transmitted by a master indication block (MIB) message or a system information block (SIB) message.

[0009] In some cases, the PRACH configuration information is transmitted by an MIB (or SIB) system message without the need to design a special signaling transmission, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0010] In a possible implementation, when the PRACH configuration information includes a PRACH configuration index, the PRACH configuration information is transmitted by transmitting the PRACH configuration index.

[0011] In the method, when the PRACH configuration information includes a PRACH configuration index, the network device can notify the terminal of the PRACH configuration information corresponding to the PRACH configuration index by transmitting the PRACH configuration index, so that the terminal can determine the PRACH configuration information corresponding to the PRACH configuration index according to the PRACH configuration information corresponding to different PRACH configuration indexes stored in advance, thereby determining the first offset in the PRACH configuration information. This way of transmitting the PRACH configuration index without transmitting the entire PRACH configuration information can save the network resource overhead.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the PRACH configuration index is transmitted by a master indication block (MIB) message or a system information block (SIB) message.

[0013] In some cases, the PRACH configuration index is transmitted by an MIB (or SIB) system message without the need to design a special signaling transmission, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0014] In a possible implementation, after the PRACH configuration information is transmitted, the method further includes receiving a PRACH request according to an access occasion (RO).

[0015] After the network device sends the PRACH configuration information, the terminal side can determine the RO according to the PRACH configuration information, and send the PRACH request at a specific location according to the RO, so that the network device can receive the PRACH request at the specific location according to the RO.

[0016] In a possible implementation, after the PRACH configuration index is sent, the method further includes: receiving the PRACH request according to the access occasion RO.

[0017] After the network device sends the PRACH configuration information, the terminal side can determine the RO according to the PRACH configuration index, and send the PRACH request at a specific location according to the RO, so that the network device can receive the PRACH request at the specific location according to the RO.

[0018] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal device, and can be executed by the terminal device, a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving PRACH configuration information, the PRACH configuration information including a first offset, the first offset being used to determine an access occasion RO; and determining the access occasion RO according to the first offset.

[0019] In the above method, since the network device adds the first offset in the PRACH configuration information, the SSBs of different cells can correspond to different RO resources; correspondingly, the terminal devices under different cells also correspond to different RO resources; thus, after a terminal device under a certain cell receives the PRACH configuration information, the terminal device can determine the access occasion RO according to the first offset; the RO can be time-multiplexed with the RO resources corresponding to the terminal devices under other cells, so as to avoid RO resource conflicts.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the PRACH configuration information is received by: receiving the PRACH configuration information through a master information block (MIB) message, or receiving the PRACH configuration information through a system information block (SIB) message.

[0021] In some cases, the PRACH configuration information is received through the MIB (or SIB) system message, without the need to design a special signaling to receive, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0022] In a possible implementation, in the case where the PRACH configuration information includes a PRACH configuration index, the PRACH configuration information is received by: receiving the PRACH configuration index.

[0023] In the above method, in the case that the PRACH configuration information includes the PRACH configuration index, the network device can inform the terminal side of the PRACH configuration information corresponding to the PRACH configuration index by sending the PRACH configuration index, so that the terminal side can determine the PRACH configuration information corresponding to the PRACH configuration index according to the PRACH configuration information corresponding to different PRACH configuration indexes stored in advance, thereby determining the first offset in the PRACH configuration information; in this way, the network side sends the PRACH configuration index instead of the entire PRACH configuration information, and accordingly, the terminal side does not need to receive the entire PRACH configuration information, which can save the network resource overhead.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the receiving the PRACH configuration index includes: receiving the PRACH configuration index through a master information block (MIB) message, or receiving the PRACH configuration index through a system information block (SIB) message.

[0025] In some cases, the PRACH configuration index is received through the MIB (or SIB) system message, without the need to design a special signaling transmission, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0026] In a possible implementation, after determining the access occasion (RO) according to the first offset, the method further includes:

[0027] The PRACH request is sent according to the access occasion (RO).

[0028] After the network device sends the PRACH configuration information, the terminal side can determine the RO according to the PRACH configuration index, and send the PRACH request at a specific position according to the RO, so that the network device receives the PRACH request at the specific position according to the RO.

[0029] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a network device. The method can be executed by the network device, or by a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the network device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the network device. The method includes: determining PRACH configuration information and first indication information, the PRACH configuration information including a first offset, and the first indication information being used to indicate an offset value of the first offset, the offset value of the first offset being used to determine a target offset, or the offset value of the first offset being used to determine the target offset after a weighted sum of the first offset is calculated; and sending the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information.

[0030] In the method, the network device can flexibly indicate the offset value of the first offset through the first indication information, so that the RO resources corresponding to the SSBs of different cells in a single-star multi-cell scenario can be time-divisionally staggered to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information are transmitted in at least one of a master information block (MIB) message or a system information block (SIB) message.

[0032] In some cases, the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information are transmitted in at least one of an MIB (or SIB) system message, without the need to design a special signaling transmission, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal device. The method can be executed by the terminal device, a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving PRACH configuration information and first indication information, the PRACH configuration information including a first offset, and the first indication information being used to indicate an offset value of the first offset, the offset value of the first offset being used to determine a target offset, or the offset value of the first offset being used to determine the target offset after a weighted sum of the first offset is calculated; and determining an access occasion (RO) according to the first offset and the first indication information.

[0034] In the method, since the network device can flexibly indicate the offset value of the first offset through the first indication information, the terminal device can determine the access occasion (RO) that belongs to itself according to the first indication information and the first offset, so that the RO resources corresponding to the terminal devices of different cells can be time-divisionally staggered to avoid RO resource conflicts.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information are received in at least one of a master information block (MIB) message or a system information block (SIB) message.

[0036] In some cases, the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information are received in at least one of an MIB (or SIB) system message, without the need to design a special signaling reception, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0037] In a possible implementation, after the access occasion (RO) is determined according to the first offset and the first indication information, the method further includes: transmitting a PRACH request according to the access occasion (RO).

[0038] After the terminal device determines the access occasion RO according to the first offset and the first indication information, the terminal device can send the PRACH request according to the RO at a specific location, so that the network device receives the PRACH request at the specific location according to the RO.

[0039] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a network device. The method can be executed by the network device, or by a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the network device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the network device. The method includes: determining second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that a system frame in which an access occasion RO is located is a first system frame; sending a first message in the first system frame, the first message being a synchronization signal block (SSB) message, and the first message including the second indication information; or sending the first message in the first system frame and sending a second message in a second system frame, the first message being an SSB message, and the second message including the second indication information.

[0040] In the above method, the network device can indicate, through the second indication information, that the system frame in which the RO is located is the first system frame, so that the terminal device can determine the system frame in which the RO is located according to the system frame in which the SSB is located, without receiving other indication information, and thus the RO resources corresponding to the SSBs of different cells in a single-star multi-cell scenario can be time-divisionally staggered to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the first message includes a master information block (MIB) message, and in the case where the first message includes the second indication information, the MIB message includes the second indication information.

[0042] In some cases, the network device can send the second indication information to the terminal device in the MIB message, without designing a special signaling transmission, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the second message is a system information block (SIB) message.

[0044] In some cases, the network device can send the second indication information to the terminal device in the SIB message, without designing a special signaling transmission, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0045] In a possible implementation, after the second indication information is sent, the method further includes: receiving a PRACH request according to the access occasion RO.

[0046] After the network device sends the second indication information, the terminal side can determine the RO according to the second indication information, and send the PRACH request at a specific location according to the RO, so that the network device receives the PRACH request at the specific location according to the RO.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal device. The method can be executed by the terminal device, a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving a first message in a first system frame, the first message being a synchronization signal block (SSB) message, the first message including second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that an access occasion (RO) is located in the first system frame; or receiving the first message in the first system frame and receiving a second message in a second system frame, the first message being an SSB message, the second message including the second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the RO is located in the first system frame; and determining the RO according to the second indication information.

[0048] In the above method, the terminal device can determine, through the second indication information, that the RO is located in the first system frame, so that the terminal device can determine the system frame in which the RO is located according to the system frame in which the first message is located, without receiving other indication information, so that the RO resources corresponding to SSBs of different cells in a single-star multi-cell scenario can be time-divisionally staggered to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the first message includes a master information block (MIB) message, and in the case where the first message includes the second indication information, the MIB message includes the second indication information.

[0050] In some cases, the terminal device can receive the first message to obtain the second indication information, without designing a special signaling reception, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the second message is a system information block (SIB) message.

[0052] In some cases, the terminal device can receive the SIB message to obtain the second indication information, without designing a special signaling reception, thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0053] In a possible implementation, after the RO is determined according to the second indication information, the method further includes: sending a PRACH request according to the RO.

[0054] After the terminal device receives the second indication information, the terminal device can determine the RO according to the second indication information, and send the PRACH request at a specific location according to the RO, so that the network device receives the PRACH request at the specific location according to the RO.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal device. The method can be executed by the terminal device, or by a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The method comprises: receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) in a first system frame; and determining the first system frame as an access occasion (RO).

[0056] In the above method, the protocol can predefine the system frame in which the RO is located as the system frame in which the SSB is located. Therefore, after the terminal device receives the SSB in the first system frame, the terminal device can determine the first system frame as the RO, without receiving a special signaling indication from the network side. This not only saves the signaling resource overhead, but also enables the RO resources corresponding to the SSBs of different cells in a single-star multi-cell scenario to be time-divisionally staggered, so as to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the method further comprises: sending a PRACH request according to the access occasion (RO).

[0058] After the terminal device receives the SSB in the first system frame, the terminal device can determine the RO according to the first system frame, and send the PRACH request at a specific location according to the RO, so that the network device receives the PRACH request at the specific location according to the RO.

[0059] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be a network device (for example, a base station), or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device. The communication apparatus comprises a processor and optionally a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions stored in the memory, the communication apparatus performs the method performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0060] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus, which can be a terminal device or a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied in a terminal device for execution, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of a terminal device, is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor and optionally a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions stored in the memory, the communication apparatus performs the method performed by the terminal device in the method embodiments.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer program codes, which, when executed, cause the method performed by the network device in the aspects to be performed.

[0062] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer program codes, which, when executed, cause the method performed by the terminal device in the aspects to be performed.

[0063] In a twelfth aspect, a chip system is provided. The chip system includes a processor configured to implement the functions of the network device in the methods in the aspects. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store program instructions and / or data. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0064] In a thirteenth aspect, a chip system is provided. The chip system includes a processor configured to implement the functions of the terminal device in the methods in the aspects. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store program instructions and / or data. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0065] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium includes computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, implement the method performed by the network device in the aspects.

[0066] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium includes computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, implement the method performed by the terminal device in the aspects.

[0067] In a sixteenth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes at least one of the communication apparatuses in the eighth aspect or the ninth aspect.

[0068] Any one of the communication apparatuses or computer storage media or computer program products or chips or communication systems provided in the foregoing can be used to execute the methods provided in the first aspect to the seventh aspect, and thus can achieve the beneficial effects provided in the corresponding methods, which will not be described here again. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0069] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a possible NTN architecture in a transmissive mode of two satellites according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a possible NTN architecture in a regenerative mode of one satellite according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a satellite scanning beam coverage according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of another satellite scanning beam coverage according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a RO configuration according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an SSB and RO mapping relationship according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a network structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a gNB allocating ROs for different cells according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an interaction of a communication method 800 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a multi-cell RO configuration according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an interaction of a network device and a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an interaction of a communication method 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an interaction of a communication method 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an interaction of a communication method 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG. 14 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1400 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0085] FIG. 15 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1500 provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0086] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0087] In the description of the present application, "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of the items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a and b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the same items or similar items with basically the same function and role are distinguished by using "first", "second" and the like in the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second" and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second" and the like do not necessarily mean different.

[0088] It should be understood that in the present application, "in the case of", "if", "when", "if" and the like can be used instead. In addition, " / " appearing in the text means "or".

[0089] It should be noted that in the present application, "exemplarily" or "such as" and the like are used to represent examples, examples or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "such as" in the present application should not be interpreted as a more preferred embodiment than other embodiments or design schemes. The use of "exemplarily" or "such as" and the like in the present application is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific way.

[0090] In order to facilitate understanding of the present application, some technical terms related to the present application are explained below.

[0091] (1) Beam

[0092] According to the description of 38.108 protocol, beam refers to the main lobe of the radiation pattern of antenna array.

[0093] (2) Coverage

[0094] Coverage refers to the projection range of the beam on the ground. The base station side adjusts the weight of the antenna, so that the beam sent by the base station can be directed in different directions, and has different coverage ranges. The beam coverage range refers to the coverage range of the beam on the ground. As the satellite moves and the weight is adjusted, the coverage range will change.

[0095] (3) Non-terrestrial communication network NTN

[0096] NTN refers to a network that uses radio frequency resources on a satellite platform, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or a high-altitude communication platform (HAPS) for communication services; wherein the satellite platform includes but is not limited to the geostationary orbit (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), and low earth orbit (LEO). Compared with the ground cellular network, the NTN network has the characteristics of wider coverage, higher path loss, larger delay, faster speed, and lower cost. As a supplement and extension of the ground network, the NTN network can achieve the purpose of seamless coverage in a wide area, which cannot be achieved by wired telephone networks and ground mobile communication networks, thereby effectively solving the problem of Internet access in areas where communication infrastructure is scarce. For example, when a large number of satellites are arranged in LEO, through reasonable constellation construction, seamless coverage of the ground can be achieved, and the round-trip transmission delay between the satellite and the ground terminal can also be greatly reduced to tens of milliseconds compared with GEO satellites. With the use of high-frequency bands, multi-point beams, and frequency reuse technologies, the communication capability of the satellite has been significantly improved, and the unit wideband cost has been reduced, so as to meet the demand of high information rate services. Compared with the ground 5G network and submarine optical cable communication infrastructure, NTN also has a significant cost advantage.

[0097] Generally, the working mode of the satellite can be divided into transparent mode and regenerative mode, which will be introduced respectively.

[0098] (a) Transparent mode.

[0099] FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of two possible NTN architectures in a trans- mode; the trans-mode is applied to a trans-forwarding scenario; both of the NTN architectures shown in FIG. 1A are applicable to the trans-mode; in both of the NTN architectures, the main role of the satellite is frequency conversion and forwarding, i.e., it is equivalent to an analog radio frequency repeater; the satellite replicates the new radio (NR) Uu interface signals from the feeder link (between the gateway of the NTN and the satellite) to the service link (between the satellite and the terminal) and vice versa. The satellite radio interface transmission on the feeder link is the NR-Uu interface signal, i.e., the satellite does not terminate the NR-Uu interface signal, but replicates the signal. The NTN gateway supports all necessary functions for forwarding the NR-Uu interface signal. Different transmission satellites can be connected to the same ground base station.

[0100] For example, for uplink, the terminal sends an uplink signal (carrying uplink data of the terminal) through the Uu interface, the satellite receives the uplink signal and forwards the uplink signal to the gateway (for example, the satellite performs frequency conversion on the signal), and the gateway forwards the uplink signal to the base station. After the base station receives the uplink signal, it performs relevant processing to obtain data that the terminal needs to send to the core network, and can send the data to the core network through the interface (for example, the NG interface) between the base station and the core network. The core network can send the data to the data network through the N6 interface. For downlink, the data network can send downlink data to the core network through the N6 interface, and the core network sends the downlink data to the base station through the interface between the base station and the core network. After the base station receives the downlink data, it performs relevant processing to generate a downlink signal (carrying downlink data) and can send the downlink signal to the gateway through the Uu interface, and the gateway sends the downlink signal to the satellite. The satellite forwards the downlink signal to the terminal (the satellite can perform frequency conversion on the signal).

[0101] It should be noted that in the description of the present application, the name of the interface is an example and not a limitation. With the development of technology, other interfaces with the same or similar functions can appear, and these new interfaces are also applicable to the present application. The present application does not limit the interface for transmitting data between devices.

[0102] (b) regenerative mode

[0103] Fig. 1B shows a possible NTN architecture diagram in the regenerative mode, in which the satellite contains a 5G base station (next generation node, gNB) device or digital processing unit (DU). In this architecture, the satellite acts as a base station, which regenerates the signals received from the ground, i.e., transmits NR-Uu wireless interface signals between the terminal and the satellite in the service link, and transmits satellite wireless interface signals between the NTN gateway and the satellite in the feeder link. The satellite radio interface (SRI) is a transmission link between the NTN gateway and the satellite. The NG interface signals are transmitted to the NTN gateway through the interface, and then forwarded by the NTN gateway to the core network on the ground. The core network communicates with the data network through the N6 interface.

[0104] In the regenerative mode, the satellite has part or all of the functions of a base station, for example, it can perform processing at the physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, etc. of the signals received from the ground. The gateway can forward signaling and data between the satellite and the core network.

[0105] The above division of the NTN architecture is an example and is not limiting, and the NTN architecture applicable to the present application is not limited thereto. For example, each satellite can serve multiple terminals, each satellite can communicate with multiple gateways, and each gateway can also communicate with multiple satellites. In addition, the DU function can also be deployed on the satellite, and the CU function can be deployed on the ground network device.

[0106] (4) SSB beam characteristics of a satellite communication system

[0107] Compared with a ground communication system, a satellite communication system has the characteristics of a wider coverage area, greater transmission loss, and faster movement. Unlike the ground system, which can cover the service range of a single base station with a maximum of 8 SSBs (FR1) or 64 SSBs (FR2) beams, a satellite communication system can require hundreds or even thousands of SSB beams. For example, a satellite communication system with an orbit height of 600 km can have a service range of tens of thousands of square kilometers per satellite. In order to overcome the path loss caused by the transmission distance and ensure the quality of communication services, the satellite generally uses a large-scale antenna array to provide higher array gain, but at the same time, the main lobe of the beam is narrower. For example, as shown in Fig. 2A, the coverage radius of a 3dB beam width is only a few dozen kilometers, and the coverage area is about a few hundred square kilometers, so using narrow beams to complete seamless coverage of the service range of a single satellite requires thousands of beams, such as SSB 0 beam to SSB N beam. Further, even if the beam is processed to a certain extent, in order to ensure the gain level, hundreds of beams are also required to achieve coverage. When the number of scanning beams reaches hundreds, the time for a complete scan is about a few hundred milliseconds.

[0108] (5) Single-star multi-cell coverage scenario

[0109] Since the number of beams required under the entire coverage of a single star reaches hundreds, the number of beams providing coverage can be increased through the single-star multi-cell manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, a single star covers N cells, i.e., physical cell identifiers (PCIs) #1 to #N. In the case where the number of SSBs in each cell is 8, if the single star serves as a base station to provide services for the N cells, 8*N (i.e., 8 multiplied by N) SSB beam coverage areas can be covered, which can increase the number of beams serving a single cell and thus improve the coverage area.

[0110] (6) PRACH configuration information

[0111] In a new radio (NR) system, the PRACH configuration information of the NR protocol (TS 38.211) is as shown in Table 1:

[0112] Table 1

[0113] The meanings of different parameters of the PRACH configuration in the above Table 1 are as follows:

[0114] PRACH configuration index: used to identify a kind of PRACH configuration information.

[0115] PRACH configuration period: in units of frames, determined by a period x and an offset value y, i.e., the PRACH resource is configured at the frame number, and the value range is {1, 2, 4, 8, 16}; it should be noted that the offset value y can also be referred to as a frame offset y or an offset y or other names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0116] Preamble format: usually refers to a preamble format.

[0117] Subframe number: usually refers to the number of subframes in a system frame.

[0118] Subframe position and number: determines the distribution density of PRACH resources in the time domain in each frame; each subframe can contain 1 or 2 PRACH slots. Among them, the RO distribution in the PRACH slot can include the following contents:

[0119] Starting position of the first RO in the time domain, in units of symbols; time domain duration of each RO, in units of symbols, determined by the preamble sequence format; number of consecutive ROs in time division multiplexing (TDM).

[0120] RO in the RO window is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol:

[0121] wherein, l0: is the RO starting symbol position; represents the number of time-domain PRACH occasions within a PRACH slot; that is, the PRACH duration, represents the number of symbols occupied by one RO; represents the number of PRACH slots within a subframe.

[0122] For example, taking index = 217 in Table 1 as an example, the PRACH configuration information corresponding to index = 217 uses B4 as the preamble format, and the subframe numbers where RO exists are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, that is, there are 10 subframes where RO exists. Each subframe has 2 PRACH slots, each PRACH slot has 1 time-domain RO, and the number of symbols occupied by the time-domain resource is 12.

[0123] For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 3, taking index = 251 in Table 1 as an example to illustrate the configuration of RO, the PRACH configuration information corresponding to index = 251 uses C2 as the preamble format, and the subframe numbers where RO exists are 2 and 7. There are 10 subframes in one system frame, one subframe corresponds to 2 PRACH slots of 30 kHz, and each PRACH slot can be configured with 2 ROs. Therefore, 8 time-domain ROs can be configured in one system frame. It should be noted that the PRACH slot can also be understood as the RACH slot.

[0124] It should be further explained that, generally, the network device (such as a base station) can select a configuration mode corresponding to a PRACH configuration index from the above table 1 to perform cell-level RO configuration; for example, the network device can configure different preamble formats, subframe numbers, etc. for different PRACH configuration indexes; in addition, the number of repetitions of the preamble is different under different preamble formats; the more the number of repetitions, the better the coverage performance, but the resource occupation overhead is larger. For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 3, the preamble of B4 format is repeated 12 times, and one time slot can configure one B4 RO. The preamble of A3 (or B3) format is repeated 6 times, and one time slot can configure 2 A3 (or B3) ROs. The preamble of C2 format is repeated 4 times, and one time slot can configure 2 C2 ROs; wherein 301 in (b) of FIG. 3 represents a cyclic prefix (CP), 302 represents the number of preamble repetitions, and 303 represents a time domain gap.

[0125] For example, the network device (such as a base station) can select a configuration mode corresponding to a PRACH configuration index from the above table 1 to perform cell-level RO configuration, and each cell can be independently configured. The network device can perform RO configuration for different cells according to the value of the frame offset y in table 1 (such as y taking 0 or 1). Taking index = 198 in table 1 as an example, the preamble format is B4 format, x = 16, and y = 0 indicates that RO resources are configured on the first system frame in every 16 system frames; taking index = 199 as an example, the preamble format is B4 format, x = 16, and y = 1 indicates that RO resources are configured on the second system frame in every 16 system frames; it can be seen that the network device can configure RO resources corresponding to different cells on different system frames by different y to realize time division of RO resources of different cells.

[0126] FIG. 4 shows a mapping relationship between SSBs and ROs corresponding to different cells; for example, the system frames allocated by the gNB for uplink (UL) data transmission are SFN#0, SFN#1, SFN#2, and SFN#3; the SSB of cell PCI#0 is located in the first system frame (i.e., SFN#0), and according to the PRACH configuration with index = 198 in Table 1, the RO resource corresponding to PCI#0 is on SFN#0; the SSB of PCI#1 is located in the third system frame (i.e., SFN#2), and according to the configuration with index = 199, the RO resource corresponding to PCI#1 is on the second system frame (i.e., SFN#1). It should be noted that in FIG. 4, 401 is the distribution position of the RO resource in a system frame (e.g., SFN#0 or SFN#1); 402 is the distribution position of the SSB in a system frame (e.g., SFN#0 or SFN#2); and 403 is the distribution position of the SIB in a system frame (e.g., SFN#1 or SFN#3).

[0127] The above briefly introduces the technical terms that may be involved in the present application. The following introduces a communication system to which the present application is applicable.

[0128] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system or a new radio (NR), and the technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system.

[0129] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, as the network architecture evolves and new service scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0130] FIG. 5 shows a possible, non-limiting schematic diagram of a communication system 500. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication system 500 includes at least one network device (e.g., 520 in FIG. 5) and at least one terminal device (e.g., 530 and 540 in FIG. 5). The network device can be any kind of wireless transceiver device in a satellite network. The network device includes, but is not limited to, an evolved NodeB (eNB) in a long term evolution (LTE) system carried on a satellite, such as a NodeB (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a relay station, an access point, a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), etc. The satellite base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a femto base station, a relay station, etc. The network device can also be a balloon station, a drone station, etc. The plurality of base stations can support a network of the same technology as mentioned above or a network of different technologies as mentioned above. The base station can include one or more co-sited or non-co-sited TRPs. Hereinafter, the network device is taken as a satellite base station for illustration. The plurality of network devices can be the same type of base station or different types of base stations. The base station can communicate with the terminal device or communicate with the terminal device through a relay station. The terminal device can communicate with a plurality of base stations of different technologies, for example, the terminal device can communicate with a base station supporting an LTE network or a base station supporting a 5G network, and can also support dual connectivity with a base station supporting an LTE network and a base station supporting a 5G network.

[0131] In a network structure of a communication system, as shown in FIG. 6, the network device can be a radio access device including a centralized unit (CU) node, or a distributed unit (DU) node, or including a CU node and a DU node. Among them, the radio access device including the CU node and the DU node splits the protocol layer of the gNB in the NR system, and the functions of part of the protocol layer are placed in the CU for centralized control, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layer are distributed in the DU, and the CU controls the DU. Optionally, as shown in FIG. 6, the CU can also be divided into a control plane central node (central unit-control plane, CU-CP) and a user plane central node (central unit-user plane, CU-UP). Among them, the CU-CP is responsible for the control plane function, mainly including the radio resource control (RRC) and the control plane corresponding packet data convergence layer protocol (PDCP), that is, PDCP-C. The PDCP-C is mainly responsible for the encryption and decryption of the control plane data, the integrity protection, the data transmission and the like. The CU-UP is responsible for the user plane function, mainly including the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and the user plane corresponding PDCP (that is, PDCP-U). Among them, the SDAP is mainly responsible for processing the data of the core network and mapping the flow to the bearer. The PDCP-U is mainly responsible for the encryption and decryption of the data plane, the integrity protection, the header compression, the sequence number maintenance, the data transmission and the like. Among them, the CU-CP and the CU-UP are connected through the E1 interface. The CU-CP represents the gNB to connect with the core network through the NG interface. The control plane of the F1 interface, that is, the F1-C, is connected with the DU. The CU-UP is connected with the DU through the user plane of the F1 interface, that is, the F1-U. Of course, there is also a possible implementation that the PDCP-C is also in the CU-UP.

[0132] In an optional embodiment, the communication system 500 shown in FIG. 5 can further include a core network device (such as 510 in FIG. 5). The core network device refers to a device in the core network (CN) that provides service support for the terminal device, such as a 5G next generation core network (NGC) or (next generation core network, NGCN), wherein the NGC or NGCN is a network part that provides services for mobile users through a radio access network (RAN).

[0133] For another example, the core network device can be: an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, a user plane function (UPF) entity, and the like, which are not listed one by one here. Among them, the AMF entity can be responsible for access management and mobility management of the terminal device; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as session establishment of a user; and the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting external networks. It should be noted that the entity in the present application can also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity, for example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and for another example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, and the like.

[0134] The terminal device is a device with wireless transceiving function, which can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); and can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the scenario in which the terminal device is located.

[0135] The terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), an access terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal, an industrial control terminal, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), a remote station, a remote terminal device, a mobile device, a mobile terminal (MT), a wireless communication device, a UE agent, or a UE apparatus, etc. The terminal can also be fixed or mobile. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, and can also be a wireless terminal applied in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self driving, remote medical treatment, smart grid, transportation safety, smart city, and smart home, etc. In the present application, the foregoing terminal devices and chips applicable to the foregoing terminal devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the terminal device.

[0136] Before introducing the communication method suitable for the present application, the problem to be solved by the present application is introduced in combination with a specific application scenario.

[0137] As shown in FIG. 7, a diagram for gNB to assign ROs for different cells is shown; since the value of frame offset y in the existing PRACH configuration table 1 is only 0 or 1, that is, gNB can only select between the first system frame (i.e. frame offset y is 0) and the second system frame (i.e. frame offset y is 1) to configure RO resources for different cells; when gNB needs to configure ROs for more than two cells, RO conflict and access performance problems will occur; for example, the SSB of cell PCI#0 is located in the first system frame (i.e. SFN#0), and gNB configures the RO resource corresponding to PCI#0 according to the PRACH configuration index = 198 in table 1 on SFN#0; the SSB of PCI#1 is located in the third system frame (i.e. SFN#2), and gNB configures the RO resource corresponding to PCI#1 according to index = 199 on the second system frame (i.e. SFN#1). When gNB configures RO for cell PCI#2, it can only be selected between SFN#0 and SFN#1; in this way, the RO of cell PCI#2 will conflict with the RO of cell PCI#0 (or the RO of cell PCI#1) in the time domain, and the network side will receive interference, affecting the terminal side to access the network. Therefore, the present application proposes a communication method which can avoid RO resource conflict and improve access performance.

[0138] It should be noted that in FIG. 7, 701 is the distribution position of the RO resource in the system frame (such as SFN#0 or SFN#1), 702 is the distribution position of the SSB in the system frame (such as SFN#0 or SFN#2), and 703 is the distribution position of the SIB in the system frame (such as SFN#1 or SFN#3, etc.). Wherein, the distribution position of SSB or SIB in the system frame is not limited to the distribution form shown in FIG. 7, and in actual application scenarios, there can be other distribution forms, which are not limited by the present application.

[0139] The communication method 800 proposed by the present application will be introduced below in combination with FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. 8; the communication method 800 can avoid RO resource conflict and improve access performance. Before introducing the method 800, the applicable scenario and the execution subject of the method 800 will be briefly described.

[0140] The communication method 800 is applicable to the NTN network described above, and can be applied to the scenarios of the transparent mode and the regenerative mode described above.

[0141] The network device (or terminal device) involved in the method 800 can also be a chip, chip system, or processor applied in the network device (or terminal device), or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device (or terminal device).

[0142] For example, the network device can be the network device 520 in FIG. 5, and the terminal device can be the terminal device 530 or the terminal device 540 in FIG. 5. For example, the network device can be a base station, and the terminal device can be a UE. For another example, in a scenario in which a satellite can act as a base station, the network device can be a satellite, which can cover at least one cell; each cell can serve at least one terminal device. It should be noted that in some scenarios, a single satellite (i.e., a single satellite or one satellite) acting as a base station can cover multiple cells, and the single satellite can configure RO resources that do not conflict with each other for the multiple cells by using the communication method provided in the present application (for example, the method 800 or the method 1100 described below), or it can be understood that the single satellite can configure RO resources that do not conflict with each other for terminal devices served by the multiple cells by using the communication method provided in the present application.

[0143] The following embodiments take the network device and the terminal device as examples to describe the execution subject of the communication method 800. The method 800 includes the following steps.

[0144] In step 801, the network device determines physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration information, and the PRACH configuration information includes a first offset, and the first offset is used to determine an access occasion (RO).

[0145] The PRACH configuration information can include, but is not limited to, a PRACH configuration index, a preamble format, a number of system frames x in a single period, a first offset (for example, a frame offset y), a subframe number, and a starting symbol.

[0146] In some embodiments, the PRACH configuration index can also be referred to as a PRACH index, which can be used to indicate different PRACH configuration information, or the PRACH configuration index can be used to identify a certain PRACH configuration information.

[0147] In an optional implementation, the network device can also determine the PRACH configuration index and send the PRACH configuration index to the terminal side, so that the terminal side determines the corresponding PRACH configuration information according to the PRACH configuration index.

[0148] The first offset can also be referred to as a first offset value. In some examples, the first offset can be a frame offset y, such as the frame offset y in Table 2; the frame offset y ∈ (1, N], and N can be an integer greater than 1; wherein N = x-1; as x changes, the frame offset y also changes, wherein x can be 8, 16, 32, or 64, and the present application does not limit the value of x.

[0149] For example, if there are x = 16 system frames in a single period, y can take 0, 1, 2, …, 15; wherein the value of the frame offset y corresponds to a specific system frame (for example, the system frame with system frame number n) in a single period; since one y corresponds to one system frame in a single period, y can also take a value greater than 1 (for example, y takes 2 or 3, etc.) on the basis of the original 0 or 1 (see Table 1), indicating that the network device can allocate different ROs for two or more cells according to y, so as to avoid the problem of RO conflict between multiple cells.

[0150] In yet some embodiments, the first offset can take frame-level data such as frame offset y, or millisecond (ms)-level data such as 2.5 ms, 3.5 ms, 5 ms, 10 ms, 15 ms, 20 ms, or 25 ms; or slot-level data such as sl10, sl20, sl30, or sl40, etc.; wherein sl10 can represent 10 slots, sl20 can represent 20 slots, sl30 can represent 30 slots, and sl40 can represent 40 slots, etc.; of course, the first offset can also take data of other time scales (such as microsecond level, etc.), and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0151] It should be noted that the above PRACH configuration information can be stored in the form of a table, or in the form of other data structures, and the present application does not limit this.

[0152] For example, in some embodiments, the PRACH configuration information is as shown in Table 2:

[0153] Table 2

[0154] In Table 1, the number of system frames in a single period x = 16, that is, every 16 system frames constitute a period, and the value of the frame offset y is different under different PRACH configuration indexes. The network device can determine the access occasions ROs that do not conflict with each other for different cells according to the frame offset y. It should be noted that the network device determines the ROs that do not conflict with each other for different cells, which can also be understood as the network device determines the ROs that do not conflict with each other for the terminals served by different cells.

[0155] Compared with Table 1 in which y can only take two values 0 or 1, Table 2 increases the value of y, so that y can take a value greater than 1 and less than N, where N = x-1; it can be seen from Table 2 that the value of y is different in different PRACH configuration indexes; the network device can configure different ROs for different cells (or terminals served by different cells), that is, the network device can configure the ROs of different cells in different system frames. For example, as shown in Table 2, if the network device allocates PRACH configuration index 1 to cell PCI#0, the network device configures the RO resource for cell PCI#0 (or the terminal served by cell PCI#0) in the first system frame of every 16 system frames (that is, y = 0); if the network device allocates PRACH configuration index 3 to cell PCI#1 (or the terminal served by cell PCI#1), the network device configures the RO resource for cell PCI#1 in the third system frame of every 16 system frames (that is, y = 2); if the network device allocates PRACH configuration index 5 to cell PCI#2 (or the terminal served by cell PCI#2), the network device configures the RO resource for cell PCI#2 in the fifth system frame of every 16 system frames (that is, y = 4).

[0156] It should be noted that, in the case of the same preamble format (for example, the preamble format is B4), Table 2 shows that y can take a value greater than 1 and less than N in different PRACH configuration information; in the case of different preamble formats (for example, part of the preamble format is B4 and part of the preamble format is C2), y can also take a value greater than 1 and less than N in different PRACH configuration information.

[0157] It should be further noted that, in actual application, the rows or columns in Table 2 can be re-split and re-combined for use, and not all rows or columns in Table 2 are necessarily used, that is, in some scenarios, Table 2 can include only a few rows (for example, one row, two rows, or three rows, etc.) or a few columns (for example, one column, two columns, or three columns, etc.). For example, Table 2 includes PRACH configuration index, preamble format, x, and y, where the PRACH configuration index is 3, 8, or 16, that is, Table 2 has three rows of PRACH configuration information with PRACH configuration indexes 3, 8, and 16; for another example, Table 2 includes PRACH configuration index, preamble format, subframe number, x, and y, where the PRACH configuration index is 10, that is, Table 2 has only one row of PRACH configuration information with PRACH configuration index 10. Wherein, the re-splitting includes but is not limited to deleting some rows or columns, changing the values of some rows or columns, and re-arranging some rows or columns; the re-combination includes but is not limited to adding some rows or columns and re-arranging some rows or columns. In addition, Table 1 can also be re-split and re-combined for use as Table 2, and the specific splitting and combination manners can be designed according to actual application scenarios, which are not limited in the present application.

[0158] Step 802: The network device sends PRACH configuration information, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the PRACH configuration information.

[0159] In some embodiments, after determining the PRACH configuration information, the network device can send the PRACH configuration information to the terminal device in the form of a certain message (such as a system message, etc.); correspondingly, the terminal device obtains the PRACH configuration information by receiving the message.

[0160] In another embodiment, in the case that the PRACH configuration information includes the PRACH configuration index, after determining the PRACH configuration index, the network device can also send the PRACH configuration index to the terminal device in the form of a certain message (such as a system message, etc.); correspondingly, the terminal device obtains the PRACH configuration index by receiving the message, and then determines the PRACH configuration information according to the PRACH configuration index. In this way, the network device sends the PRACH configuration index instead of the entire PRACH configuration information, and correspondingly, the terminal device does not need to receive the entire PRACH configuration information, which can save the network resource overhead.

[0161] For example, in some cases, the terminal device pre-stores PRACH configuration information corresponding to different PRACH configuration indexes; the network device can send the PRACH configuration index to the terminal device, and the terminal device can query the pre-stored PRACH configuration information corresponding to different PRACH configuration indexes according to the PRACH index, so as to determine the PRACH configuration information corresponding to the PRACH index, and further determine the frame offset y (which is an example of the first offset) in the PRACH configuration information.

[0162] In an optional implementation, the network device can send the PRACH configuration information (or the PRACH configuration index) through a master information block (MIB) message, or send the PRACH configuration information (or the PRACH configuration index) through a system information block (SIB) message. Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the PRACH configuration information (or the PRACH configuration index) through the master information block (MIB) message, or receive the PRACH configuration information (or the PRACH configuration index) through the system information block (SIB) message.

[0163] For example, in some embodiments, the network device can carry PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) in the MIB message when sending the SSB beam to the terminal device; accordingly, the terminal device can receive the PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) through the MIB message. In other embodiments, the network device can carry the PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) in the SIB (such as SIB1 or SIB19) message when sending the system message to the terminal device; accordingly, the terminal device can receive the PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) through the SIB message; such transmission (or reception) of PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) through MIB (or SIB) system message does not require the use of dedicated signaling transmission (or reception), thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0164] Step 803: The terminal device determines the access occasion RO according to the first offset.

[0165] For example, taking the first offset as the frame offset y as an example, the terminal side pre-stores Table 2; after the terminal device receives the PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) sent by the network device, the terminal device can compare the PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) with the multiple PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) in Table 2, finally determine the PRACH configuration information (or PRACH configuration index) corresponding to a row in Table 2, and determine the system frame number x and the frame offset y in a single period according to the PRACH configuration information of the row; the terminal device can determine the system frame (or system frame position or system frame number) where the RO is located according to the frame offset y.

[0166] For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the terminal device is one of the terminals served by the cell PCI#0 (or the cell PCI#1 or the cell PCI#2); if the network device allocates the PRACH configuration index 1 for the cell PCI#0 according to Table 2, the terminal device can determine that the RO resource is in the first system frame (i.e., the system frame number SFN#0 corresponding to y=0) of every 16 system frames according to the PRACH configuration index 1; if the network device allocates the PRACH configuration index 3 for the cell PCI#1 according to Table 2, the terminal device can determine that the RO resource configured by the cell PCI#1 is in the third system frame (i.e., the system frame number SFN#2 corresponding to y=2) of every 16 system frames; if the network device allocates the PRACH configuration index 5 for the cell PCI#2 according to Table 2, the terminal device can determine that the RO resource configured by the cell PCI#2 is in the fifth system frame (i.e., the system frame number SFN#4 corresponding to y=4) of every 16 system frames. It should be noted that in FIG. 9, 901 is the distribution position of the RO resource in the system frame (such as SFN#0 or SFN#2 or SFN#4), 902 is the distribution position of the SSB in the system frame (such as SFN#0 or SFN#2 or SFN#4), and 903 is the distribution position of the SIB in the system frame (such as SFN#1 or SFN#3 or SFN#5). The distribution positions of the SSB or the SIB in the system frame are not limited to the distribution forms shown in FIG. 9, and in actual application scenarios, there can be other distribution forms, which are not limited in the present application.

[0167] In a possible implementation, after step 803 (or step 802), the method 800 further includes:

[0168] Step 804: The terminal device sends a PRACH request according to the RO, and correspondingly, the network device receives the PRACH request according to the access occasion RO.

[0169] The PRACH request is used to apply for access resources to the network device, and the PRACH request includes but is not limited to a random access preamble.

[0170] After the network device sends the PRACH configuration information, the terminal device can determine the RO according to the PRACH configuration index, and send a PRACH request on the system frame where the RO is located, and correspondingly, the network device also receives the PRACH request on the system frame corresponding to the RO.

[0171] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the network device sends an SSB beam to the terminal device, the terminal device receives the SSB beam and binds with the SSB beam; after the terminal device binds with the SSB beam, the network device sends a system message (such as SIB1, SIB19, etc.) to the terminal device; the system message can carry PRACH configuration information (or a PRACH configuration index); for example, the network device sends the PRACH configuration information (or the PRACH configuration index) to the terminal device in the form of indication information; after the terminal device receives the PRACH configuration information (or the PRACH configuration index), the terminal device queries Table 2 according to the PRACH configuration information (or the PRACH configuration index) to match the corresponding PRACH configuration information; the terminal device can determine x and y according to the PRACH configuration information, and then determine the system frame where the RO is located according to y; the terminal device sends a PRACH request on the system frame where the RO is located; correspondingly, the network device receives the PRACH request on the system frame where the RO is located, and performs a random access process in response to the PRACH request.

[0172] In summary, the network device increases the first offset (such as the frame offset y) in the PRACH configuration information, so that different cells can correspond to different RO resources, thereby realizing that the RO resources corresponding to the SSBs of different cells in the single base station (such as a satellite) multi-cell scenario can be time-division staggered to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0173] Next, a communication method 1100 proposed in the present application is introduced in combination with FIG. 11, as shown in FIG. 11; the communication method 1100 can also avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance. The applicable scenario and execution subject of the method 1100 are the same as those of the method 800.

[0174] The method 1100 includes the following steps:

[0175] Step 1101: The network device determines PRACH configuration information and first indication information, the PRACH configuration information includes a first offset, and the first indication information is used to indicate an offset value of the first offset, the offset value of the first offset is used to determine a target offset, or the offset value of the first offset is used to determine the target offset after weighted sum with the first offset.

[0176] The PRACH configuration information can be as shown in Table 1, and the PRACH configuration index can be used to identify the PRACH configuration information corresponding to a row; in addition to the first offset, the PRACH configuration information can also include preamble format, subframe number, starting symbol, etc.

[0177] The offset value of the first offset quantity can be frame-level data such as 1, 2, or 3, or can also be time-level data such as 3 ms or 5 ms. For example, taking the first offset quantity as the frame offset quantity y, the network device changes the value of the frame offset quantity y in Table 1 by indicating the offset value of the frame offset quantity y through the first indication information, so that the frame offset quantity y in Table 1 can not only take the original 0 or 1, but also take a value greater than 1 and less than or equal to N. As the value of y increases, the network device can configure a larger number of cells with RO resources that do not conflict with each other.

[0178] It should be noted that, on the one hand, the offset value of the frame offset quantity y can be used as a target frame offset quantity to replace the frame offset quantity y in Table 1. On the other hand, the offset value of the frame offset quantity y can be used to obtain a target frame offset quantity by taking a weighted sum with the offset quantity y (for example, the frame offset quantity y in Table 1). For example, taking the offset value of the frame offset quantity y and the weighting coefficient of the frame offset quantity y as 1, the offset value of the frame offset quantity y is 1, the frame offset quantity y is 2, and the target frame offset quantity (that is, y = 1 * 1 + 1 * 2 = 3, where “*” is a multiplication symbol) is a weighted sum of the offset value 1 of the frame offset quantity y and the frame offset quantity y = 2. The terminal device can determine the system frame position (or system frame number) where the RO is located according to the target frame offset quantity, or the terminal device can determine the system frame where the RO starting mapping position is located according to the target frame offset quantity.

[0179] In the case where the offset value of the frame offset quantity y is the target frame offset quantity, the terminal device does not need to obtain the target frame offset quantity by calculating the weighted sum of the offset quantity y and the offset value, but directly uses the offset value indicated by the first indication information as the target frame offset quantity to determine the system frame where the RO resource is located, which can save computing resources.

[0180] For example, the value of y in Table 1 can only configure different RO resources for two cells. The offset value indicated by the first indication information can expand the range of RO resources configured by the network device for the cells. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, taking the offset value of the frame offset quantity y as the target frame offset quantity, if the offset value indicated by the first indication information is 0, the network device can configure the RO resource for the cell PCI#0 as SFN#0. If the offset value indicated by the first indication information is 2, the network device can configure the RO resource for the cell PCI#1 as SFN#2. If the offset value indicated by the first indication information is 4, the network device can configure the RO resource for the cell PCI#2 as SFN#4, that is, the network device configures the RO resource for the cell PCI#0 to start mapping from the system frame SFN#0, configures the RO resource for the cell PCI#1 to start mapping from the system frame SFN#2, and configures the RO resource for the cell PCI#2 to start mapping from the system frame SFN#4.

[0181] Step 1102: The network device sends PRACH configuration information and first indication information, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information.

[0182] In some embodiments, after determining the PRACH configuration information from Table 1, the network device can send the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information to the terminal device in a certain message form (such as an MIB message or a SIB message, etc.); correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information in the message form.

[0183] In a possible implementation, the network device can send the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information through at least one of a master information block (MIB) message or a system information block (SIB) message. Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information through at least one of a master information block (MIB) message or a system information block (SIB) message.

[0184] For example, in some embodiments, when the network device sends an SSB beam to the terminal device, the network device can carry the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information in an MIB message; correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information through the MIB message. In other embodiments, when the network device sends a system message to the terminal device, the network device can carry the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information in a SIB (such as SIB1 or SIB19) message; correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information through the SIB message; in yet other embodiments, when the network device sends a system message to the terminal device, the network device can carry the PRACH configuration information (or the first indication information) in an MIB message, and carry the first indication information (or the PRACH configuration information) in a SIB (such as SIB1 or SIB19) message; correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the PRACH configuration information (or the first indication information) through the MIB message, and receive the first indication information (or the PRACH configuration information) through the SIB (such as SIB1 or SIB19) message; such sending (or receiving) of the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information through at least one of an MIB (or a SIB) system message does not need to use a dedicated signaling to send (or receive), thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0185] Step 1103: The terminal device determines an access occasion (RO) according to the first offset and the first indication information.

[0186] For example, taking the first offset as the frame offset y, the terminal side pre-stores Table 1; after the terminal device receives the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information sent by the network device, the terminal device can query Table 1 according to the PRACH configuration information to determine the frame offset y in Table 1 corresponding to the PRACH configuration information, and determine the target frame offset according to the frame offset y and the first indication information; for example, the target frame offset is the weighted sum of the frame offset y and the offset value indicated by the first indication information, or the target frame offset is the offset value indicated by the first indication information; the terminal device can determine the system frame position (or system frame number) where the RO is located according to the target frame offset, or the terminal device can determine the system frame where the RO starting mapping position is located according to the target frame offset.

[0187] For example, as shown in FIG. 9, taking the first offset as the frame offset y, the weighting coefficients of the frame offset y and the offset value are both 1, and the target frame offset is the sum of the frame offset y and the offset value indicated by the first indication information, the terminal device is one of the terminal devices served by the cell PCI#0 (or the cell PCI#1 or the cell PCI#2); if the network device allocates the PRACH configuration information corresponding to the PRACH configuration index 198 for the cell PCI#0 according to Table 1, the terminal device can determine the frame offset y=0 according to the PRACH configuration information; if the first indication information indicates that the offset value of the frame offset y is 0, the terminal device can determine that the RO resource configured by the cell PCI#0 is in the 1st system frame of every 16 system frames (i.e., the system frame number corresponding to y=0+0=0 is SFN#0) according to the frame offset y and the first indication information; if the network device allocates the PRACH configuration information corresponding to the PRACH configuration index 199 for the cell PCI#1 according to Table 1, the terminal device can determine the frame offset y=1; if the first indication information indicates that the offset value of the frame offset y is 1, the terminal device can determine that the RO resource configured by the cell PCI#1 is in the 3rd system frame of every 16 system frames (i.e., the system frame number corresponding to y=1+1=2 is SFN#2) according to the frame offset y and the first indication information; if the network device allocates the PRACH configuration information corresponding to the PRACH configuration index 200 for the cell PCI#2 according to Table 1, the terminal device can determine the frame offset y=0; if the first indication information indicates that the offset value of the frame offset y is 4, the terminal device can determine that the RO resource configured by the cell PCI#1 is in the 5th system frame of every 16 system frames (i.e., the system frame number corresponding to y=0+4=4 is SFN#4) according to the frame offset y and the first indication information.

[0188] In a possible implementation, after the terminal device determines the access occasion RO according to the first offset and the first indication information, the method 1100 further includes:

[0189] Step 1104: The terminal device sends a PRACH request according to the access occasion RO, and correspondingly, the network device receives the PRACH request according to the RO.

[0190] It should be noted that step 1104 is similar to step 804 described above, and the related description of step 804 can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0191] In the method 1100, the network device can flexibly indicate the offset value of the first offset (such as the frame offset y) through the first indication information, so that the RO resources corresponding to the SSBs of different cells in a single base station (such as a satellite) multi-cell scenario can be time-divisionally staggered to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0192] Next, a communication method 1200 proposed in the present application will be introduced again in combination with FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 12, the communication method 1200 can also avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance. The applicable scenario and execution subject of the method 1200 are the same as those of the method 800.

[0193] The method 1200 includes the following steps:

[0194] Step 1201: The network device determines second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the system frame where the access occasion RO is located is a first system frame.

[0195] It should be noted that in an embodiment, the first system frame is the 1st system frame (such as SFN#0) in each period, and therefore, the system frame where the RO is located is the 1st system frame (such as SFN#0) in each period; in another embodiment, since the first system frame is a system frame that is offset by M system frames from the starting position of the 1st system frame (such as SFN#0) in each period, the system frame where the RO is located is also a system frame that is offset by M system frames from the starting position of the 1st system frame in each period, where M can also be referred to as an offset, and M can be a positive integer such as 0, 1, 2, or 3. For details, reference can be made to the related introduction of the first system frame in step 1202 below.

[0196] The network device determines (or generates) the second indication information and sends the second indication information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines the RO according to the second indication information. The second indication information can be sent to the terminal device at the same time as the SSB beam, or can be sent separately; for example, the second indication information can be sent to the terminal device in the form of a first message (such as an MIB message in an SSB message).

[0197] Step 1202: The network device transmits a first message in a first system frame, where the first message is an SSB message, and the first message includes the second indication information.

[0198] The first system frame can refer to a certain system frame (i.e., a system frame corresponding to a certain system frame number) in a single period, or can also refer to a certain system frame (i.e., a system frame corresponding to a certain system frame number) in every x system frames; for example, the first system frame in every x = 16 system frames can be the fifth system frame with a system frame number of SFN#4.

[0199] It should be noted that the SSB message can be used to transmit an SSB, and the SSB message can also be a message of other forms (such as a message with a similar function to the SSB message and a different name), which is not limited in the present application.

[0200] In some embodiments, in the case where the first message is an SSB message, the SSB message can include but is not limited to an MIB message.

[0201] The network device determines the first system frame in a single period, and transmits the first message (i.e., the SSB message) to the terminal side in the first system frame.

[0202] It should be noted that the first system frame can be the first system frame in a single period (such as SFN#0), or can be the fourth system frame (such as SFN#3) offset by four system frames from the starting position of the first system frame in a single period.

[0203] The network device transmits the SSB through the first message in the first system frame, which can be understood as that the network device transmits the first message in the first system frame in each period; for example, taking the first system frame SFN#0 (i.e., the first system frame in a single period) as an example, the network device transmits the first message in SFN#0, which can be understood as that the network device transmits the first message in SFN#0 (i.e., the first system frame in each period) in each period.

[0204] For another example, the network device does not transmit the first message (i.e., the SSB message) in the first system frame in each period, but transmits the first message in a system frame (such as SFN#4) offset by five system frames from the starting position of the first system frame in each period, and the first system frame is SFN#4.

[0205] In some embodiments, the network device can carry the second indication information in the first message and transmit it to the terminal device; accordingly, the terminal device receives the first message to obtain the second indication information.

[0206] Optionally, the first message comprises a MIB message, and the network device can carry the second indication information in the MIB message and send the terminal device.

[0207] Optionally, the network device sends the first message in a first system frame and the second message in a second system frame, wherein the first message is an SSB message, and the second message comprises the second indication information. The network device can carry the second indication information in the second message and send the terminal device, wherein the first system frame and the second system frame can be the same system frame or different system frames, which are not limited in the present application. The second system frame can be understood by referring to the understanding of the first system frame, which is not described here. Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the second message to obtain the second indication information.

[0208] It should be noted that the second message can also be a system message, such as a SIB message, or other forms of messages, which are not limited in the present application.

[0209] In some embodiments, since the first message (i.e. the SSB message) can be used by the network device to send the SSB, the network device can carry the second indication information in the first message and send the terminal device when sending the SSB to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device can also receive the first message to obtain the second indication information. Optionally, the first message comprises but is not limited to a MIB message, and the network device can carry the second indication information in the MIB message in the first message and send the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device can also receive the MIB message to obtain the second indication information. In other embodiments, the network device can also carry the second indication information in the second message and send the terminal device separately. Optionally, the second message can be a SIB message. The network device can carry the second indication information in the SIB message and send the terminal device when sending the system message. Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the SIB message to obtain the second indication information. Such carrying the second indication information in the MIB (or SIB) system message and sending the terminal device does not need to use special signaling transmission (or reception), thereby saving the signaling resource overhead.

[0210] Step 1203: The terminal device determines the access occasion RO according to the second indication information.

[0211] In some embodiments, since the terminal side has been bound with the SSB beam sent by the network side, the terminal side knows which system frame the network side sends the SSB. When the terminal device receives the second indication information, it can determine the system frame position (or system frame number) of the RO according to the system frame where the SSB is located.

[0212] For example, taking the network device sending the second indication information to the terminal device in the MIB message of the first message as an example, as shown in FIG. 9, the terminal device is one of the terminals served by the cell PCI#0 (or the cell PCI#1 or the cell PCI#2); if the network device sends the second indication information to the cell PCI#0 in the first message (for example, the MIB message of the SSB message can carry the second indication information) in the system frame (that is, an example of the first system frame) where the SFN#0 is located, after the terminal device receives the first message, the terminal device can determine, according to the second indication information, that the system frame (or the system frame where the RO starting mapping position is located) where the RO of the cell PCI#0 is located is the SFN#0, that is, the RO resource of the cell PCI#0 is in the first system frame of every 16 system frames; if the network device sends the second indication information to the cell PCI#1 in the first message in the system frame (that is, an example of the first system frame) where the SFN#2 is located, after the terminal device receives the first message, the terminal device can determine, according to the second indication information, that the system frame where the RO of the cell PCI#1 is located is the SFN#2, that is, the RO resource of the cell PCI#0 is in the third system frame of every 16 system frames; if the network device sends the second indication information to the cell PCI#2 in the first message in the system frame (that is, an example of the first system frame) where the SFN#4 is located, after the terminal device receives the first message, the terminal device can determine, according to the second indication information, that the system frame where the RO of the cell PCI#2 is located is the SFN#4, that is, the RO resource of the cell PCI#0 is in the fifth system frame of every 16 system frames.

[0213] In a possible implementation, after the terminal device determines the access occasion RO according to the second indication information, the method 1200 further includes:

[0214] Step 1204: The terminal device sends a PRACH request according to the access occasion RO, and correspondingly, the network device receives the PRACH request according to the RO.

[0215] It should be noted that the step 1204 is similar to the step 804 described above, and the related description of the step 804 is referred to here, which will not be described here again.

[0216] In the method 1200, the network device can indicate, through the second indication information, the terminal device that the system frame where the RO is located is the first system frame, so that the terminal device can determine the system frame where the RO is located according to the system frame where the SSB is located, without receiving other indication information, so that the RO resources corresponding to the SSBs of different cells in a single base station (for example, a satellite) multi-cell scenario can be time-divisionally staggered, so as to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0217] In the following, a communication method 1300 proposed in the present application is introduced again in combination with FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, the communication method 1300 can also avoid RO resource conflict and improve access performance. The applicable scenario and execution subject of the method 1300 are the same as those of the method 800.

[0218] The method 1300 includes the following steps.

[0219] Step 1301: The terminal device receives an SSB in a first system frame.

[0220] The related description of the first system frame can be referred to the related description in step 1201, which is not described herein again.

[0221] In some scenarios, the protocol can be predefined, the network device transmits the SSB in the first system frame, and accordingly, the terminal device receives the SSB in the first system frame.

[0222] In some embodiments, the network device can transmit a first message (i.e., an SSB message) to the terminal device in the first system frame, and accordingly, the terminal device receives the first message in the first system frame to obtain the SSB. The related description of the first message can be referred to the description of the first message in step 1201 above, which is not described herein again.

[0223] Step 1302: The terminal device determines that the first system frame is an RO.

[0224] In some scenarios, the protocol can be predefined, the system frame where the RO of the terminal device is located (or the system frame where the RO starting mapping position is located) is the same as the system frame (e.g., the first system frame) where the SSB is located; when the terminal device receives the SSB in the first system frame, the system frame where the RO is located can be determined as the first system frame according to the protocol.

[0225] It should be noted that since the system frame where the SSB is located can be any system frame in a single period, for more than two system frames in a single period, the RO can have more than two time division manners, therefore, determining the RO according to the system frame where the SSB is located can realize that the RO resources corresponding to the SSBs of different cells in a single base station (e.g., a satellite) multi-cell scenario can be time-divisionally staggered to avoid RO resource conflict and improve access performance.

[0226] In a possible implementation manner, after the first system frame of the terminal device is the RO, the method 1300 further includes:

[0227] Step 1303: The terminal device transmits a PRACH request according to the access occasion RO, and accordingly, the network device receives the PRACH request according to the RO.

[0228] It should be noted that step 1303 is similar to step 804 described above, and the related description of step 804 is referred to here, and will not be repeated.

[0229] In the method 1300, the protocol can predefine the system frame where the RO is located as the system frame (i.e., the first system frame) where the SSB is located; after the terminal device receives the SSB in the first system frame, the first system frame can be determined as the access occasion RO, without the need to receive a special signaling indication from the network side, which not only saves the signaling resource overhead, but also enables the RO resources corresponding to the SSBs of different cells in a single base station (such as a satellite) multi-cell scenario to be time-division staggered to avoid RO resource conflicts and improve access performance.

[0230] As shown in FIG. 14, the present application provides another structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1400.

[0231] The apparatus 1400 includes a transceiver unit 1410 and a processing unit 1420, wherein the transceiver unit 1410 is configured to implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 1420 is configured to perform data processing. The transceiver unit 1410 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit, and includes a sending unit and / or a receiving unit. The transceiver unit 1410 can be a transceiver (including a transmitter and / or a receiver), an input / output interface (including an input and / or an output interface), a pin or a circuit, etc. The transceiver unit 1410 can be configured to perform the steps of sending and / or receiving in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 1420 can be a processor (which can include one or more processors), a processing circuit with processor functions, etc., and can be configured to perform other steps in the above method embodiments in addition to sending and receiving. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a storage unit, which can be a memory, an internal storage unit (such as a register, a cache, etc.), an external storage unit (such as a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.), etc. The storage unit is configured to store instructions, and the above processing unit 1420 executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to enable the communication apparatus to perform the above method.

[0232] The apparatus 1400 can be configured to perform the actions performed by the network device in each method embodiment, such as sending corresponding system messages, etc.; and can also be configured to perform the actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, such as receiving the system messages sent by the network side, determining the RO resource position, and sending the PRACH request, etc. It should be noted that the apparatus 1400 can be a network element or a device, or a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). The transceiver unit 1410 can be an input / output circuit, a communication interface; and the processing unit 1420 is a processor or microprocessor integrated on the chip or an integrated circuit.

[0233] As shown in FIG. 15, the present application provides another structural diagram of a communication apparatus 1500. In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus 1500 can be a network device (or a terminal device), or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the network device (or the terminal device) for execution, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device (or the terminal device).

[0234] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus 1500 can be a chip or a chip system. The chip system can be composed of the chip, or can include the chip and other discrete devices. When the communication apparatus 1500 is the chip, the chip includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit can be an input-output circuit or a communication interface, and the processing unit can be a processor or a microprocessor integrated on the chip, or an integrated circuit or a logic circuit. Optionally, the device for realizing the receiving function in the transceiver unit can be regarded as a receiving unit corresponding to the input circuit of the chip, and the device for realizing the sending function in the transceiver unit can be regarded as a sending unit corresponding to the output circuit of the chip, that is, the transceiver unit includes the receiving unit and the sending unit.

[0235] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus 1500 described above can include a processor 1510 and an interface circuit 1520. The processor 1510 and the interface circuit 1520 can communicate with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1520 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface, and the transceiver includes a transmitter and / or a receiver, the transmitter is used to realize the sending function, and the receiver is used to realize the receiving function.

[0236] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1500 can further include a memory 1530, and the memory 1530, the processor 1510, and the interface circuit 1520 can communicate with each other through an internal connection path. The memory 1530 is used to store computer programs and instructions, and the processor 1510 can execute the computer programs and instructions stored in the memory 1530.

[0237] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus 1500 is used to realize the corresponding processes and operations of the network device (or the terminal device) in the above method.

[0238] It should be understood that the communication apparatus 1500 can be specifically a network device (or a terminal device) in the above-described method, or can be a chip or a chip system. Correspondingly, the interface circuit 1520 can be a transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited herein. Specifically, the communication apparatus 1500 can be used to perform various operations and / or processes corresponding to the network device (or the terminal device) in the above-described method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1530 can include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data for the processor. A part of the memory can also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory can also store device type information. The processor 1510 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 1510 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1510 is used to perform various operations and / or processes corresponding to the network device (or the terminal device) in the above-described method.

[0239] In the implementation process, the operations of the above-described method can be completed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in the processor or instructions in the form of software. The operations of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as execution completed by a hardware processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or the like. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads information in the memory and combines hardware to complete the operations of the above-described method. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0240] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability. In the implementation process, the operations of the above-described method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in the processor or instructions in the form of software. The processor described above can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component. The disclosed methods, operations and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can be any conventional processor. The operations of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as execution completed by a hardware processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or the like. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads information in the memory and combines hardware to complete the operations of the above-described method.

[0241] It is to be appreciated that the memory in the embodiments of the application can be a volatile or non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, for example, static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It is to be appreciated that the memory described herein is intended to include, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0242] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the application, the application further provides a computer program product, which comprises computer program code, and when the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform each operation or process performed by the network device (or the terminal device) in the above method.

[0243] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the application, the application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores program code, and when the program code is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform each operation or process performed by the network device (or the terminal device) in the above method.

[0244] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the application, the application further provides a communication system, which comprises one or more network devices in the above method, and / or one or more terminal devices in the above method.

[0245] Correspondingly, the operations performed by the respective modules or units in the various apparatus embodiments and the method embodiments are performed by the corresponding modules or units, for example, the communication unit (transceiver) performs the operations of receiving or transmitting in the method embodiments, and other operations than transmitting and receiving can be performed by the processing unit (processor). The functions of the specific units can be based on the corresponding method embodiments. The processor can be one or more.

[0246] In the embodiments of the present application, each term and English abbreviation is an exemplary example given for the convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms capable of achieving the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0247] It should be understood that "and / or" in this paper describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents that the associated objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0248] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the various illustrative logical blocks and operations described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0249] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, apparatus and unit can be based on the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0250] In several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the shown or discussed mutual ones can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0251] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, i.e. may be located in one place, or may be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0252] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0253] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof, in whole or in part. When implemented by software, 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 (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are 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. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.)) way. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, DVD), or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (SSD) and the like.

[0254] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or the parts that make contributions essentially or the parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of software products. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the operations of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0255] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration information, the PRACH configuration information comprising a first offset, the first offset being used to determine a random access occasion (RO); sending the PRACH configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The sending of the PRACH configuration information comprises: sending the PRACH configuration information through a master information block (MIB) message, or sending the PRACH configuration information through a system information block (SIB) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, In a case where the PRACH configuration information comprises a PRACH configuration index, the sending of the PRACH configuration information comprises: sending the PRACH configuration index.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The sending of the PRACH configuration index comprises: sending the PRACH configuration index through a master information block (MIB) message, or sending the PRACH configuration index through a system information block (SIB) message.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, After the sending of the PRACH configuration information, the method further comprises: receiving a PRACH request according to the RO.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, After the sending of the PRACH configuration index, the method further comprises: receiving a PRACH request according to the RO.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving PRACH configuration information, the PRACH configuration information comprising a first offset, the first offset being used to determine a random access occasion (RO); determining a random access occasion (RO) according to the first offset.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The receiving of the PRACH configuration information comprises: receiving the PRACH configuration information through a master information block (MIB) message, or receiving the PRACH configuration information through a system information block (SIB) message.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, In a case where the PRACH configuration information comprises a PRACH configuration index, the receiving of the PRACH configuration information comprises: receiving the PRACH configuration index.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The receiving of the PRACH configuration index comprises: receiving the PRACH configuration index through a master information block (MIB) message, or receiving the PRACH configuration index through a system information block (SIB) message.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, After the determining of the RO according to the first offset, the method further comprises: sending a PRACH request according to the RO.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining PRACH configuration information and first indication information, the PRACH configuration information comprising a first offset, the first indication information being used to indicate an offset value of the first offset, the offset value of the first offset being used to determine a target offset, or the offset value of the first offset being used to determine a target offset after a weighted sum of the first offset is obtained; sending the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The sending of the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information comprises: sending the PRACH configuration information and the first indication information through at least one of a master information block (MIB) message or a system information block (SIB) message.

14. A communication method, comprising: The method comprises: receiving PRACH configuration information and first indication information, the PRACH configuration information comprising a first offset, the first indication information being used to indicate an offset value of the first offset, the offset value of the first offset being used to determine a target offset, or the offset value of the first offset being used to determine the target offset after a weighted sum of the first offset is obtained; determining an access occasion RO according to the first offset and the first indication information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The receiving PRACH configuration information and first indication information comprises: The PRACH configuration information and the first indication information are received through at least one of a master information block (MIB) message or a system information block (SIB) message.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that After the determining an access occasion RO according to the first offset and the first indication information, the method further comprises: sending a PRACH request according to the access occasion RO.

17. A method of communication, comprising: The method comprises: determining second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that a system frame in which an access occasion RO is located is a first system frame; sending a first message in the first system frame, the first message being a synchronization signal block (SSB) message, the first message comprising the second indication information, or sending a first message in the first system frame and sending a second message in a second system frame, the first message being an SSB message, the second message comprising the second indication information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The first message comprises a master information block (MIB) message, and in the case that the first message comprises the second indication information, the MIB message comprises the second indication information.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, The second message is a system information block (SIB) message.

20. The method of any one of claims 17-19, wherein, After the sending the second indication information, the method further comprises: receiving a PRACH request according to the access occasion RO.

21. A method of communication, comprising: The method comprises: receiving a first message in a first system frame, the first message being a synchronization signal block (SSB) message, the first message comprising second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that a system frame in which an access occasion RO is located is the first system frame, or receiving a first message in a first system frame and receiving a second message in a second system frame, the first message being an SSB message, the second message comprising second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that a system frame in which an access occasion RO is located is the first system frame; determining the access occasion RO according to the second indication information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The first message comprises a master information block (MIB) message, and in the case that the first message comprises the second indication information, the MIB message comprises the second indication information.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein, The second message is a system information block (SIB) message.

24. The method of any one of claims 21-23, wherein, After the determining the access occasion RO according to the second indication information, the method further comprises: sending a PRACH request according to the access occasion RO.

25. A method of communication, comprising: The method comprises: receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) in a first system frame; determining the first system frame as an access occasion RO.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a PRACH request according to the access occasion RO.

27. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises a module for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 7 to 11, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 12 to 13, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 14 to 16, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 17 to 20, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 21 to 24, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 25 to 26.

28. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises a processor; The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions in the memory, when the computer program or instructions are executed by the processor, the communication apparatus implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the communication apparatus implements the method of any one of claims 7 to 11, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 12 to 13, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 14 to 16, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 17 to 20, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 21 to 24, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 25 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, when the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 7 to 11, or the processor executes the method of any one of claims 12 to 13, or the processor executes the method of any one of claims 14 to 16, or the processor executes the method of any one of claims 17 to 20, or the processor executes the method of any one of claims 21 to 24, or the processor executes the method of any one of claims 25 to 26.

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