Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communications, and in particular to a communication method and a related apparatus. The method comprises: determining channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to a first coverage enhancement level and a second coverage enhancement level, wherein the channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different, and the channel resources and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level can be used for transmitting a random access preamble between a network device and a terminal device; and sending the channel resources and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. Adopting the method provided in the present application effectively reduces or mitigates the impact of resource overlap on random access preamble transmission.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410924381.6, filed on July 10, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Related Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), the wide coverage area of ​​satellites allows for a high density of connected terminal devices, leading to a shortage of access resources. Particularly in scenarios involving narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), expanding the access capacity of the narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH), a crucial channel for IoT devices to access NTNs, has become a hot research topic.

[0004] Currently, satellites or ground stations use time division multiplexing (TDM) and / or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) to schedule NPRACH resources for IoT devices. Since IoT devices are typically densely distributed, and the time and frequency resources available for allocation to them are limited, current NPRACH resource scheduling schemes easily lead to overlap of NPRACH resources across different IoT devices, thus affecting the transmission of random access preambles based on NPRACH resources. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a communication method and related apparatus. Using this communication method, the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble can be reduced or avoided.

[0006] The following sections introduce this application from multiple perspectives. It is easy to understand that the implementation methods of these multiple aspects can be referenced from each other.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a communication method. This method is applicable to network devices. The method includes: determining a set of channel resources and a mask sequence corresponding to a first coverage enhancement level (CE level) and a second coverage enhancement level. The channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, and the sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different. Here, the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level can be used to transmit random access preambles between the network device and a terminal device. The method further involves sending the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level to the terminal device.

[0008] In the above implementation, different coverage enhancement levels are assigned corresponding channel resources and mask sequence sets for transmitting random access preambles. It is ensured that if the channel resources corresponding to two coverage enhancement levels overlap, the mask sequence sets corresponding to these two coverage enhancement levels are different. This way, even if the channel resources corresponding to two coverage enhancement levels overlap, the impact on random access preamble transmission can be reduced or avoided through different mask sequences. Therefore, in the scenario of NPRACH resource scheduling, this scheme can effectively reduce or avoid the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on random access preamble transmission, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes. Furthermore, since this method allows NPRACH resource overlap, it can also reduce the complexity of NPRACH resource scheduling and improve its flexibility.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different. This can mean that the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are completely different, or it can mean that the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are partially different. When the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are completely different, the method provided in this application can effectively avoid the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble. When the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are partially different, the method provided in this application can not only reduce the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble, but also reduce the difficulty of allocating the mask sequence sets.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the network device can determine the number of terminal devices to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. Here, the terminal devices to be accessed corresponding to either the first or second coverage enhancement level refer to terminal devices with access needs under that coverage enhancement level. The network device can also determine the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels from a preset set of mask sequences based on a preset mask sequence allocation rule and the number of devices corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels. Then, the network device can determine the channel resources corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels based on the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels. It should be understood that the aforementioned preset set of mask sequences can be the set of mask sequences corresponding to the cell where the terminal device is located, which includes all mask sequences that may be used by the terminal device and other terminal devices in the cell where the terminal device is located.

[0011] In the above implementation, a set of mask sequences is first allocated to each coverage enhancement level based on the number of terminal devices to be accessed corresponding to each coverage enhancement level. Then, channel resources corresponding to each coverage enhancement level are allocated according to the allocated set of mask sequences. This ensures that the set of mask sequences allocated to each coverage enhancement level matches the access requirements corresponding to each coverage enhancement level. This can reduce or avoid the impact of resource overlap on random access preamble transmission while avoiding the waste of mask sequence resources.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the network device can use various possible methods to determine the channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level based on the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level, as long as the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the mask sequence allocation rule may include: multiple ranges of device counts and a set of mask sequences corresponding to each range of device counts. The set of mask sequences corresponding to each range of device counts is part or all of the aforementioned complete set of mask sequences. That is, the set of mask sequences corresponding to any range of device counts is either the complete set of mask sequences or a subset of the complete set of mask sequences. Among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the set of mask sequences to be allocated, if the number of devices corresponding to any coverage enhancement level is included in the target device count range among the multiple ranges of device counts, then the set of mask sequences corresponding to any coverage enhancement level is the set of mask sequences corresponding to that target device count range.

[0014] For example, assuming the number of devices corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level is 20, the mask sequence allocation rule includes a device number range A, which is [15, 35], and the device number range A corresponds to the mask sequence set B, then the mask sequence set corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level is the mask sequence set B.

[0015] In the above implementation, a set of mask sequences corresponding to different ranges of the number of devices is set, and then the set of mask sequences corresponding to the range of the number of devices to be accessed is determined, and this set is used as the set of mask sequences corresponding to the coverage enhancement level. The scheme is simple and easy to implement, and can ensure the allocation efficiency of the mask sequence set.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, the mask sequence allocation rule also includes: if the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two ranges of the number of devices are both parts of the complete set of mask sequences, then the mask sequence sets corresponding to these two ranges of the number of devices are not the same.

[0017] In the above implementation, when the mask sequence sets corresponding to the two ranges of the number of devices are both subsets of the full set of mask sequences, the mask sequence sets corresponding to the two ranges of the number of devices are designed to be different. This allows for a significant difference between the mask sequence sets corresponding to each coverage enhancement level determined based on the sequence allocation rule, thereby enabling more flexible allocation of subsequent channel resources.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the mask sequence allocation rule includes: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices is the complete mask sequence set; the ratio of the number of sequences in the mask sequence set corresponding to any coverage enhancement level other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices to the number of sequences in the complete mask sequence set is determined by the ratio of the number of devices corresponding to that coverage enhancement level to the sum of the number of devices corresponding to the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the aforementioned mask sequence set to be allocated.

[0019] In the above implementation, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices is set as the complete mask sequence set. The remaining mask sequence sets, which are not the largest in number of devices, are allocated to the complete mask sequence set according to the proportion of their respective number of devices. This scheme is not only easy to implement, but also more flexible in the allocation process, and can effectively ensure that the mask sequence set allocated to each coverage enhancement level matches the access requirements corresponding to each coverage enhancement level.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the mask sequence allocation rule also includes: the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices are not the same.

[0021] In the above implementation, the mask sequence sets corresponding to coverage enhancement levels with a number of devices that are not the largest are designed differently. This can make the mask sequence sets corresponding to each coverage enhancement level determined based on the sequence allocation rule quite different, thereby making the subsequent allocation of channel resources more flexible.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the mask sequence allocation rule includes: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with a number of devices equal to or greater than a preset number of devices is the complete set of mask sequences, and the ratio of the number of sequences in the mask sequence set corresponding to any coverage enhancement level with a number of devices less than the preset number of devices to the number of sequences in the complete set of mask sequences is determined by the ratio of the number of devices corresponding to that coverage enhancement level to the sum of the number of devices corresponding to the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated.

[0023] In the above implementation, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with the number of devices equal to or greater than the preset number of devices is set as the complete mask sequence set. For the coverage enhancement level with the number of devices less than the preset number of devices, the mask sequence set corresponding to the proportion of each device is allocated in the complete mask sequence set. This scheme is not only easy to implement, but also more flexible in the allocation process, and can effectively ensure that the mask sequence set allocated to each coverage enhancement level matches the access requirements corresponding to each coverage enhancement level.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the mask sequence allocation rule further includes: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated, any two coverage enhancement levels with a number of devices less than a preset number of devices have different mask sequence sets.

[0025] In the above implementation, the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels with fewer than the preset number of devices are designed to be different. This can make the mask sequence sets corresponding to each coverage enhancement level determined based on the sequence allocation rule have significant differences, thereby making the subsequent allocation of channel resources more flexible.

[0026] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the network device can determine the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level. Furthermore, the channel resources corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level do not overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the third coverage enhancement level may be the same or different.

[0027] In the above implementation, if the channel resources corresponding to the two coverage enhancement levels do not overlap, then the mask sequence sets corresponding to them are not restricted and can be the same or different. This can reduce the complexity of mask sequence set allocation.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the set of mask sequences corresponding to any coverage enhancement level may include at least one orthogonal cover code (OCC) sequence. Furthermore, the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to any cell may include multiple OCC sequences.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the channel resources corresponding to any of the aforementioned first, second, and third coverage enhancement levels are NPRACH resources, and network devices and terminal devices under any coverage enhancement level can transmit random access preambles via NPRACH. Optionally, the terminal device is an IoT device.

[0030] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the complete set of mask sequences mentioned above can be the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell managed by the network device. Before determining the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level, the network device can also determine the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different. It should be understood that the channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell can be used by terminal devices under the first cell to transmit random access preambles. Similarly, the channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the second cell can be used by terminal devices under the second cell to transmit random access preambles. The network device can send the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell respectively. Optionally, the network device can send the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell to all terminal devices in the first cell. The network device can also send the set of mask sequences corresponding to the second cell to all terminal devices in the second cell.

[0031] In the above implementation, the mask sequences corresponding to cells with overlapping channel resources are designed to be different. This reduces or avoids the impact of channel resource overlap between cells on random access preamble transmission. Similarly, in the scenario of NPRACH resource scheduling, this scheme can also effectively reduce or avoid the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on random access preamble transmission, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes.

[0032] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the network device can further determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell. Specifically, the channel resources corresponding to the third cell and the first cell do not overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the third cell may be the same or different. The complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell is then transmitted.

[0033] In the above implementation, if the channel resources corresponding to two cells do not overlap, then the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to them is not restricted and can be the same or different. This can reduce the complexity of mask sequence allocation.

[0034] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applicable to a terminal device. The method includes: the terminal device receiving channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to a first coverage enhancement level and a second coverage enhancement level. The channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different. The terminal device transmits a random access preamble based on the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level.

[0035] In the above implementation, different coverage enhancement levels have their own corresponding sets of channel resources and mask sequences for transmitting random access preambles, and two coverage enhancement levels with overlapping channel resources correspond to different sets of mask sequences. Based on these channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the coverage enhancement levels, the transmission of random access preambles can be reduced or avoided even in the event of overlapping channel resources, thanks to the use of different mask sequences. Therefore, in the scenario of NPRACH resource scheduling, this scheme can effectively reduce or avoid the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on random access preamble transmission, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the different mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels can mean that the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels are completely different, or that the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels are partially different. When the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels are completely different, the method provided in this application can effectively avoid the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble. When the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels are partially different, the method provided in this application can reduce the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble and reduce the difficulty of allocating the mask sequence sets.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine its current target coverage enhancement level. Then, the terminal device can determine the target channel resources and target mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level from the channel resource and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels. Finally, the terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the target channel resources and target mask sequence set.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the channel resources to be used from the target channel resources. It should be understood that the channel resources to be used are a portion of the channel resources in the target channel resources. If the terminal device determines that the channel resources to be used are being used by other terminal devices besides itself, it can determine a first mask sequence from the target mask sequence set. Then, the terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the channel resources to be used and the first mask sequence. Optionally, the terminal device can first calculate the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence, and then send the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence to the network device on the channel resources to be used.

[0039] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device can further determine a second mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to its first cell, provided that no other terminal device is using the available channel resource. Here, the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels is part or all of the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell. Alternatively, the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels is either the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell or a subset of the complete set of mask sequences. The terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the available channel resource and the second mask sequence. Similarly, the terminal device can first calculate the product of the random access preamble and the second mask sequence, and then send the product of the random access preamble and the second mask sequence to the network device on the available channel resource.

[0040] In the above implementation, when the identified available channel resources are used by other terminal devices (i.e., the available channel resources overlap), the random access preamble is transmitted using a mask sequence from the target mask sequence set. When the available channel resources are not used by other terminal devices (i.e., the available channel resources do not overlap), the random access preamble is transmitted using a mask sequence from the complete mask sequence set of the cell where the terminal device is located. In short, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level of the terminal device is only used on overlapping channel resources. This not only reduces or avoids the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble but also increases access capacity.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned other terminal devices can be located in the first cell or in a neighboring cell of the first cell. There can be one or multiple such other terminal devices.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device can receive the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level. Here, the channel resources corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level do not overlap, and the mask sequences corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level may be the same or different.

[0043] In this scenario, the terminal device can transmit random access preambles based on the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the set of mask sequences corresponding to any enhanced coverage level includes at least one orthogonal coverage code (OCC) sequence. The complete set of mask sequences corresponding to any cell may include multiple OCC sequences.

[0045] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the channel resources corresponding to any one of the coverage enhancement levels—the first, second, and third—are NPRACH resources, and the terminal device and the network device can transmit random access preambles via NPRACH.

[0046] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device may also receive the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell. This complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell may be determined and transmitted by the network device, which also determines the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different.

[0047] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method. This method is applicable to network devices. The method includes: the network device determining the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to a first cell and a second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different. The channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell can be used by terminal devices in the first cell to transmit random access preambles. Similarly, the channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the second cell can be used by terminal devices in the second cell to transmit random access preambles. The network device transmits the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell respectively. Optionally, the network device can transmit the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell to terminal devices in the first cell. The network device can also transmit the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the second cell to terminal devices in the second cell.

[0048] In the above implementation, the mask sequences corresponding to two cells with overlapping channel resources are designed to be different. This reduces or avoids the impact of channel resource overlap between cells on random access preamble transmission. Using this method during NPRACH resource scheduling can also effectively reduce or avoid the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on random access preamble transmission, thus overcoming the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes.

[0049] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the different complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell can mean that the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are completely different, or that the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are partially different. When the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are completely different, the method provided in this application can effectively avoid the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble. When the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are partially different, the method provided in this application can reduce the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble and can reduce the complexity of the complete set of mask sequences.

[0050] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the network device can determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first, second, and third cells. Here, the channel resources corresponding to the third cell and the first cell do not overlap, and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell and the first cell may be the same or different. Similarly, the channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell can be used by terminal devices in the third cell to transmit random access preambles. The network device can send the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell. In this case, the network device can also send the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell to terminal devices within the third cell.

[0051] In the above implementation, if the channel resources corresponding to two cells do not overlap, then the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to them is not restricted; they can be the same or different. This can reduce the difficulty of allocating the complete set of mask sequences.

[0052] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to any cell includes multiple OCC sequences.

[0053] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the channel resources corresponding to any one of the first, second, and third cells mentioned above are NPRACH resources, and network devices and terminal devices under any cell can transmit random access preambles through NPRACH.

[0054] Fourthly, this application provides a communication method applicable to a terminal device. The communication method includes: the terminal device receiving a complete set of mask sequences corresponding to a first cell. The complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell is determined by a network device, and the network device also determines a complete set of mask sequences corresponding to a second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different. A random access preamble is transmitted based on the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell.

[0055] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device can receive channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. The channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different.

[0056] In this case, the terminal device can transmit the random access preamble based on the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell, the channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level, and the set of mask sequences.

[0057] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine its current target coverage enhancement level. Then, the terminal device can determine the target channel resources and target mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level from the channel resource and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels. Finally, the terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the target channel resources and target mask sequence set.

[0058] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the channel resources to be used from the target channel resources. It should be understood that the channel resources to be used are a portion of the channel resources in the target channel resources. If the terminal device determines that the channel resources to be used are being used by other terminal devices besides itself, it can determine a first mask sequence from the target mask sequence set. Then, the terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the channel resources to be used and the first mask sequence. Optionally, the terminal device can first calculate the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence, and then send the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence to the network device on the channel resources to be used.

[0059] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal device can further determine the second mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to its first cell, provided that no other terminal device is using the available channel resource. Here, the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels is part or all of the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell. Alternatively, the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels is either the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell or a subset of the complete set of mask sequences. The terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the available channel resource and the second mask sequence. Similarly, the terminal device can first calculate the product of the random access preamble and the second mask sequence, and then send the product of the random access preamble and the second mask sequence to the network device on the available channel resource.

[0060] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the other terminal devices can be located in the first cell or in a neighboring cell of the first cell. There can be one or more of these other terminal devices.

[0061] In summary, the communication method provided in this application can effectively reduce or avoid the impact of channel resource overlap on the transmission of random access preambles. Using the communication method provided in this application in NPRACH resource scheduling scenarios can overcome the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in this application;

[0063] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in this application;

[0064] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application;

[0065] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of channel resource allocation provided in this application;

[0066] Figure 5 is another flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application;

[0067] Figure 6 is another flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application;

[0068] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided in this application;

[0069] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0070] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0071] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0072] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems, or New Radio (NR) systems. In addition, they can also be applied to subsequent evolution systems, such as 6th Generation (6G) mobile communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0073] Furthermore, the technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to long-term evolution-machine (LTE-M), machine-type communication (MTC), device-to-device (D2D) networks, machine-to-machine (M2M) networks, IoT networks, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), or other networks. Among these, IoT networks may include, for example, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks. The communication methods in V2X systems are collectively referred to as vehicle-to-other-device (V2X) systems, where X can represent anything. For example, V2X may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0074] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in this application. It should be understood that Figure 1 illustrates a terrestrial communication system to which the technical solution provided in this application applies. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 may include a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 130. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal is connected to the RAN node wirelessly. The RAN node is connected to the core network 130 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network equipment in the core network 130 and the RAN node in the RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0075] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0076] In the communication system shown in Figure 1, RAN nodes, sometimes also referred to as access network devices, network equipment, RAN entities, or access nodes, constitute part of the communication system and are used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN nodes and terminals are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station. However, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN nodes and terminals are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0077] In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved Node B (e-NodeB or eNB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation Node B (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node can also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0078] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0079] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0080] In the communication system shown in Figure 1, the terminal can be a device or module that accesses the communication system and has corresponding communication functions. The terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), V2X, MTC, IoT, virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication function. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication function.

[0081] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in this application. It should be understood that Figure 2 illustrates a non-terrestrial communication system to which the technical solution provided in this application is applicable, such as a satellite communication system. As shown in Figure 2, the communication system 20 may include at least one terminal device 210 and at least one network device 220. Exemplarily, terminal device 210 may include terminal device 210a and / or terminal device 210b, and network device 220 may include satellite 220a and / or satellite 220b. Network device 220 can communicate directly with terminal device 210, or it can communicate with terminal device 210 through a relay station, such as a relay satellite. It should be understood that network device 220 may include one or more satellites. Satellites can provide communication services, navigation services, and positioning services to terminal devices through multiple beams. Satellites use multiple beams to cover the service area, and different beams can communicate through one or more of time division, frequency division, and space division. Inter-satellite links can be established between satellites, and satellites can process and forward data according to protocols. The communication system 20 may also include a connection device 230, such as a gateway, wherein the network device 220 can communicate with the connection device 230, and the connection device 230 can communicate with the core network 240. It should be understood that Figure 2 is merely an example; in real-world scenarios, the communication system 20 may also include other types of network devices and / or other types of terminal devices, or it may include more or fewer satellites and more or fewer terminal devices.

[0082] In this application embodiment, the satellite communication system may include a transparent satellite architecture and a non-transparent satellite architecture. Transparent transmission, also known as bend-tube relay transmission, means that the signal only undergoes frequency conversion and signal amplification on the satellite. Non-transparent transmission can be called regenerative (on-board access / processing) transmission, meaning that the satellite has some or all base station functions. The satellite involved in this application embodiment refers to an artificial satellite. The satellite can be a satellite base station, or it may include an orbital receiver or repeater for relaying information, or network equipment carried on the satellite; the satellite can be a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a middle Earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or a non-geostationary orbit (NGEO) satellite, etc. This application does not impose any limitations on this. It should be understood that the solutions in this application embodiment can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can be replaced by the names of the corresponding functions in other communication systems.

[0083] In the communication system shown in Figure 2, network device 220 can be a device that accesses the network using 3GPP technology, including but not limited to: base stations, NodeBs (or NBs), evolved NodeBs, gNBs or TRPs in 5G (such as NR) systems, next-generation base stations in 6G mobile communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, and base stations evolved from 3GPP. It can also be a module or unit that performs some functions of a base station, such as a CU or DU. Network devices can also be: macro base stations, micro base stations, pico base stations, small cells, relay stations, indoor stations, balloon stations, satellite stations, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. Network device 220 can also be a device that accesses the network using non-3GPP technologies, such as, but not limited to, APs, wireless relay nodes, and wireless backhaul nodes in Wi-Fi systems. Network devices can also be servers, wearable devices, or vehicle-mounted devices. Network devices can also be network devices in CRAN scenarios. Network devices can also be network devices in NTNs, such as relay satellites or satellites with base station functions. A network device may contain one or more co-site or non-co-site TRPs.

[0084] The terminal device 210 in the communication system shown in Figure 2 can also be referred to as UE, access terminal, vehicle-mounted terminal, industrial control terminal, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal device, mobile device, UE terminal device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, UE agent, or UE device, etc. It is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, which can be fixed or mobile. Terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable, or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and they can also be deployed in the air (e.g., on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to: mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, mixed reality (MR) terminal devices, extended reality (XR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, haptic terminal devices, vehicle-mounted terminal devices, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, wearable terminal devices, etc. Terminal devices can support communication with multiple network devices using different technologies. For example, a terminal device can support communication with base stations supporting LTE networks, as well as base stations supporting 5G networks, and can also support dual connections with both LTE and 5G network base stations.

[0085] It should be understood that, in conjunction with the communication system 10 shown in Figure 1, the solution provided in this application embodiment can be specifically implemented by the RAN node and terminal collaboratively in the communication system 10. In conjunction with the communication system shown in Figure 2, the solution provided in this application can be specifically implemented by the terminal device 210 and network device 220 collaboratively in the communication system 20. For ease of understanding, in this application embodiment, network device and terminal device will be used as examples for explanation.

[0086] Currently, satellites or ground stations use TDM and / or FDM methods to schedule NPRACH resources corresponding to IoT devices. Since IoT devices are usually densely distributed and the time and frequency resources that can be allocated to IoT devices are limited, the current NPRACH resource scheduling scheme is prone to NPRACH resource overlap, which in turn affects the transmission of random access preamble.

[0087] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by this application is: how to reduce or avoid the impact of resource overlap on random access preamble transmission.

[0088] It should be noted that the coverage enhancement level involved in this application refers to an indicator used in the field of wireless communication to describe the coverage capability of a device. Coverage enhancement level plays a particularly important role in technologies such as NB-IoT and enhanced machine-type communications. Taking NB-IoT technology as an example, it defines three coverage enhancement levels: Coverage Enhancement Level 0 (CE0), Coverage Enhancement Level 1 (CE1), and Coverage Enhancement Level 2 (CE2). These coverage enhancement levels are designed to resist different degrees of signal attenuation. Network devices and IoT devices under NB-IoT will select the corresponding number of information retransmissions based on the coverage enhancement level they are in, to ensure communication reliability.

[0089] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the channel resources corresponding to a certain coverage enhancement level refer to the communication resources corresponding to the channels used by the terminal device under that coverage enhancement level to send a random access preamble to the network device. The mask sequence set corresponding to a certain coverage enhancement level refers to all mask sequences that the terminal device under that coverage enhancement level can use when sending a random access preamble to the network device. The complete set of mask sequences corresponding to a certain cell refers to all mask sequences that the terminal device in that cell may use when sending a random access preamble. Taking NB-IoT technology as an example, if the terminal device is under coverage enhancement level 0, some channel resources in the channel resources corresponding to coverage enhancement level 0 can be used as NPRACH resources. The terminal device can use the NPRACH of this NPRACH resource to send the product of the random access preamble and a certain mask sequence in the mask sequence set corresponding to coverage enhancement level 0 to the network device, thereby completing the transmission of the random access preamble.

[0090] It should also be noted that any set of mask sequences involved in the embodiments of this application may include one or more mask sequences, and any complete set of mask sequences involved in the embodiments of this application may include multiple mask sequences. Furthermore, the set of mask sequences corresponding to a certain coverage enhancement level may be part or all of the complete set of mask sequences used to determine that set of mask sequences. In other words, the set of mask sequences corresponding to a certain coverage enhancement level may be the complete set of mask sequences used to determine that set of mask sequences itself, or it may be a subset of that complete set of mask sequences.

[0091] In addition, in this embodiment of the application, each of the multiple cells managed by the network device corresponds to a complete set of mask sequences. The complete set of mask sequences corresponding to each cell includes all mask sequences that the terminal devices in each cell may use when sending random access preambles.

[0092] Example 1

[0093] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a communication method. In this method, the network device determines the corresponding channel resources and mask sequence sets for transmitting random access preambles for multiple coverage enhancement levels. Furthermore, if the channel resources corresponding to two coverage enhancement levels overlap, the mask sequence sets corresponding to these two coverage enhancement levels are different. Thus, even if the channel resources corresponding to two coverage enhancement levels overlap, the impact on random access preamble transmission can be reduced or avoided through different mask sequences. Therefore, using this communication method in NPRACH resource scheduling scenarios can effectively reduce or avoid the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on random access preamble transmission, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes.

[0094] It is understood that the communication method provided in this embodiment can be implemented collaboratively by the network device and terminal device shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 above. Although the following description uses the network device and terminal device as the execution subjects of the communication method as examples, this application does not limit the execution subjects illustrated in the interaction. For example, the method executed by the network device in this application can also be implemented by a module (e.g., circuit, chip, or chip system) in the network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. The method executed by the terminal device in this application can also be implemented by a communication module in the terminal device or a circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip, etc.

[0095] It should also be understood that the communication method provided in this embodiment is applicable not only to scenarios with only two coverage enhancement levels (hereinafter referred to as Scenario 1 for ease of distinction), but also to scenarios with two or more coverage enhancement levels (hereinafter referred to as Scenario 2 for ease of distinction). For ease of explanation, it is assumed that Scenario 1 has a first coverage enhancement level and a second coverage enhancement level. In Scenario 2, since the case of three or more coverage enhancement levels can be unambiguously derived from the case of three coverage enhancement levels, it is assumed that Scenario 2 has a first coverage enhancement level, a second coverage enhancement level, and a third coverage enhancement level. The following will describe each step of the communication method provided in this application based on Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 respectively.

[0096] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application. As shown in Figure 3, the method may include the following steps:

[0097] S310, the network device determines the set of channel resources and mask sequences corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level.

[0098] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the terminal device refers to the terminal device within the first cell managed by the network device. Furthermore, to distinguish it from other terminal devices within the first cell or other terminal devices in neighboring cells of the first cell, the term "target terminal device" will be used in the following text.

[0099] The specific implementation process of step S310 will be explained below in conjunction with the scenarios described above, namely, scenario one and scenario two.

[0100] Scene 1:

[0101] In some feasible implementations, the network device can determine the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. The channel resources corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels are different. The channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels can be used to transmit random access preambles between the network device and the target terminal device. For ease of explanation, it is assumed that the first coverage enhancement level corresponds to channel resource RS1 and mask sequence set c11, and the second coverage enhancement level corresponds to channel resource RS2 and mask sequence set c12. The overlap between channel resources RS1 and RS2 means that channel resources RS1 and RS2 are partially or completely identical.

[0102] In one possible implementation, the network device can determine or obtain the number of devices to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. Here, it is assumed that the number of devices to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level is u1, and the number of devices to be accessed corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level is u2. It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the devices to be accessed corresponding to the coverage enhancement level refer to terminal devices with access needs under that coverage enhancement level. For example, if the number of devices to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level is u1, it means that there are u1 terminal devices with access needs under the first coverage enhancement level.

[0103] For example, the network device can obtain the number of accesses corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level, and determine the number of devices u1 and u2 based on the number of accesses. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the number of accesses corresponding to the coverage enhancement level refers to the number of terminal devices that complete access under that coverage enhancement level within a preset statistical period. For example, the number of accesses corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level refers to the number of terminal devices that complete access under the first coverage enhancement level within the preset statistical period. It should be understood that the network device may also use other possible methods to obtain the number of devices u1 and u2, and this application does not limit this.

[0104] Furthermore, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level from the complete set of mask sequences (here assumed to be c1) according to the pre-configured mask sequence allocation rules, the number of devices u1 and u2.

[0105] Furthermore, the network device can determine the channel resource RS1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the channel resource RS2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level based on the mask sequence set c11 and the mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level.

[0106] For example, after determining the mask sequence set c11 and the mask sequence set c12, the network device can first determine whether the mask sequence set c11 and the mask sequence set c12 are the same. In this application, if the mask sequences contained in the two mask sequence sets are completely identical, then the two mask sequence sets are considered to be the same. If the mask sequences contained in the two mask sequence sets are partially or completely different, then the two mask sequence sets are considered to be different. If the network device determines that the mask sequence set c11 and the mask sequence set c12 are different, it can determine that channel resources RS1 and RS2 may overlap. Then, the network device determines the channel resource RS1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level from the currently available channel resources based on the current service status and the number of devices u1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, and determines the channel resource RS2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level from the currently available channel resources based on the current service status and the number of devices u2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level. Here, the current service status of the network device mainly refers to the number of services currently transmitted by the network device and the service type corresponding to each service. If the network device determines that the mask sequence set c11 and the mask sequence set c12 are the same, it can be determined that channel resources RS1 and RS2 do not overlap. Then, the network device determines the channel resource RS1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level from the currently available channel resources based on the current service status and the number of devices u1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, and determines the channel resource RS2 from the remaining channel resources other than the aforementioned channel resource RS1 from the currently available channel resources based on the current service status and the number of devices u2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level.

[0107] In the above implementation, a set of mask sequences is first allocated to each coverage enhancement level based on the number of terminal devices to be accessed corresponding to each coverage enhancement level. Then, channel resources corresponding to each coverage enhancement level are allocated according to the allocated set of mask sequences. This ensures that the set of mask sequences allocated to each coverage enhancement level matches the access requirements corresponding to each coverage enhancement level. This can reduce or avoid the impact of resource overlap on random access preamble transmission while avoiding the waste of mask sequence resources.

[0108] Understandably, in practice, the mask sequence allocation rule can have multiple possible implementations. The following will explain, in conjunction with these multiple possible implementations, the process by which a network device determines the mask sequence set c11 and mask sequence set c12 from the complete mask sequence set c1 based on the mask sequence allocation rule, the number of devices u1, and the number of devices u2.

[0109] Implementation method 1:

[0110] The mask sequence allocation rule may include: multiple ranges of device counts and a set of mask sequences corresponding to each range of device counts. The set of mask sequences corresponding to each range of device counts is a part or all of the complete set of mask sequences. Here, the complete set of mask sequences refers to the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the cells where the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated are located. Here, the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated refer to the multiple coverage enhancement levels that require mask sequence allocation based on this mask sequence allocation rule. In one scenario, the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated refer to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. In this embodiment, the complete set of mask sequences is the complete set of mask sequences c1 corresponding to the first cell where the terminal device is located. That is, the set of mask sequences corresponding to any one of these multiple ranges of device counts is the complete set of mask sequences c1 itself, or a subset of the complete set of mask sequences c1. When the number of devices corresponding to any coverage enhancement level (here assumed to be i1) in the set of mask sequences to be assigned is included in the range of the target number of devices in the above range of device number, the set of mask sequences corresponding to any coverage enhancement level i1 is the set of mask sequences corresponding to the range of the target number of devices.

[0111] In this scenario, after obtaining the number of devices u1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the number of devices u2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, the network device can determine the target device range (assumed to be ur1) containing device u1 from the aforementioned ranges of device counts. Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set corresponding to the target device range ur1 as the aforementioned mask sequence set c11. Similarly, the network device can determine the target device range (assumed to be ur2) containing device u2 from the aforementioned ranges of device counts. Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set corresponding to the target device range ur2 as the aforementioned mask sequence set c12.

[0112] For example, suppose the mask sequence allocation rule includes three device number ranges: [10, 30], [31, 60], and [61, 100], with corresponding mask sequence sets cs2, cs1, and cs0, respectively. Preferably, the mask sequence set cs0 can be the complete mask sequence set c1. Assuming the number of devices u1 is 35 and the number of devices u2 is 15, the network device can determine that the mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level is the mask sequence set cs1, and the mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level is the mask sequence set cs2.

[0113] In the above implementation, the mask sequence sets corresponding to different ranges of the number of devices are set by the mask sequence allocation rules, and then the mask sequence set corresponding to the range of the number of devices to be accessed is determined and used as the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level. The scheme is simple and easy to implement, and can ensure the allocation efficiency of the mask sequence set.

[0114] Optionally, the mask sequence set allocation rule may also include: if the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two ranges of device counts are both parts of the complete set of mask sequences, or if the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two ranges of device counts are subsets of the complete set of mask sequences, then the mask sequence sets corresponding to these two ranges of device counts are not the same.

[0115] For example, assuming that the mask sequence set cs2 and the mask sequence set cs1 are both subsets of the complete mask sequence set c1, then the mask sequence set c11 and the mask sequence set c12 are not the same.

[0116] In the above implementation, when the mask sequence sets corresponding to the two ranges of the number of devices are both subsets of the full set of mask sequences, the mask sequence sets corresponding to the two ranges of the number of devices are designed to be different. This allows for a significant difference between the mask sequence sets corresponding to each coverage enhancement level determined based on the sequence allocation rule, thereby enabling more flexible allocation of subsequent channel resources.

[0117] It should be understood that the specific implementation of the range of the number of devices included in the mask sequence allocation rule and the mask sequence set corresponding to each range of the number of devices can be adjusted based on actual needs. This application does not impose specific restrictions on the value of the range of the number of devices and the composition of the mask sequence set corresponding to each range of the number of devices.

[0118] Implementation Method Two:

[0119] The mask sequence allocation rule may include: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels in the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices is the complete mask sequence set. The ratio of the number of sequences in the mask sequence set corresponding to any coverage enhancement level other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices (here assumed to be i2) to the number of sequences in the complete mask sequence set is determined by the ratio of the number of devices corresponding to that coverage enhancement level i2 to the sum of the number of devices corresponding to the multiple coverage enhancement levels in the mask sequence set to be allocated. Here, the complete mask sequence set is the complete mask sequence set corresponding to the cells where the multiple coverage enhancement levels in the mask sequence set to be allocated are located. In one scenario, this complete mask sequence set is the mask sequence set c1 mentioned above.

[0120] In this scenario, after obtaining the number of devices u1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the number of devices u2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, the network device determines the maximum number of devices between u1 and u2, assuming that u1 is greater than u2. The network device can then define the complete set of mask sequences c1 as the mask sequence set c11. Further, the network device can determine the ratio (assumed to be p1) between the number of devices u2 and the sum of the number of devices (i.e., u1 + u2). Then, based on the ratio p1, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c12 from the complete set of mask sequences c1, ensuring that the ratio of the number of mask sequences in the mask sequence set c12 to the number of mask sequences in the complete set of mask sequences c1 is equal to or close to the ratio p1.

[0121] For example, assuming the number of devices u1 is 20, the number of devices u2 is 10, and the complete set of mask sequences c1 contains 30 mask sequences. In actual implementation, if the network device determines that the number of devices u1 is greater than the number of devices u2, then the complete set of mask sequences c1 can be determined as the mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level. Further, if the network device calculates that the ratio p1 is 1 / 3, then the network device can select 10 mask sequences from the complete set of mask sequences c1 to form the mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level.

[0122] In the above implementation, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices is set as the complete mask sequence set. The remaining mask sequence sets, which are not the largest in number of devices, are allocated to the complete mask sequence set according to the proportion of their respective number of devices. This scheme is not only easy to implement, but also more flexible in the allocation process, and can effectively ensure that the mask sequence set allocated to each coverage enhancement level matches the access requirements corresponding to each coverage enhancement level.

[0123] Optionally, the mask sequence allocation rule may further include: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the above-mentioned mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices are different.

[0124] In the above implementation, the mask sequence sets corresponding to coverage enhancement levels with a number of devices that are not the largest are designed differently. This can make the mask sequence sets corresponding to each coverage enhancement level determined based on the sequence allocation rule quite different, thereby making the subsequent allocation of channel resources more flexible.

[0125] Implementation method three:

[0126] The mask sequence allocation rule may include: among multiple coverage enhancement levels in the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with a number of devices equal to or greater than a preset number of devices (here assumed to be u0) is the complete mask sequence set. The ratio of the number of sequences in the mask sequence set corresponding to any coverage enhancement level (here assumed to be i3) with a number of devices less than the preset number of devices u0 to the number of sequences in the complete mask sequence set is determined by the ratio of the number of devices corresponding to any coverage enhancement level i3 to the sum of the number of devices corresponding to the multiple coverage enhancement levels in the mask sequence set to be allocated. Here, the complete mask sequence set is the complete mask sequence set corresponding to the cell where the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated are located. In one scenario, this complete mask sequence set is the mask sequence set c1 mentioned above.

[0127] In this scenario, after obtaining the number of devices u1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the number of devices u2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, the network device can first determine whether the number of devices u1 and u2 are equal to or greater than the preset number of devices u0. If it is determined that the number of devices u1 is equal to or greater than the preset number of devices u0, then the complete set of mask sequences c1 can be determined as the set of mask sequences c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level. Similarly, if it is determined that the number of devices u2 is equal to or greater than the preset number of devices u0, then the complete set of mask sequences c1 can be determined as the set of mask sequences c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level. If the network device determines that the number of devices u1 is less than the preset number of devices u0, then the ratio of the number of devices u1 to the sum of the number of devices (i.e., u1 + u2) can be calculated (here, it is assumed to be p2). Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c11 from the complete set of mask sequences c1 based on the ratio p2, such that the ratio of the number of mask sequences in the mask sequence set c11 to the number of mask sequences in the complete set of mask sequences c1 is equal to or close to the ratio p2. Similarly, if the network device determines that the number of devices u2 is less than the preset number of devices u0, it can calculate the ratio of the number of devices u2 to the sum of the number of devices (here, it is still assumed to be p1). Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c12 from the complete set of mask sequences c1 based on the ratio p1, such that the ratio of the number of mask sequences in the mask sequence set c12 to the number of mask sequences in the complete set of mask sequences c1 is equal to or close to the ratio p1.

[0128] For example, assuming the number of devices u1 is 20, the number of devices u2 is 10, the complete set of mask sequences c1 contains 30 mask sequences, and the preset number of devices u0 is 15. In actual implementation, if the network device determines that the number of devices u1 is greater than the preset number of devices u0, it can determine the complete set of mask sequences c1 as the mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level. Further, if the network device determines that the number of devices u2 is less than the preset number of devices u0, it can calculate that the ratio p2 is 1 / 3. Therefore, the network device can select 10 mask sequences from the complete set of mask sequences c1 to form the mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level.

[0129] In the above implementation, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with the number of devices equal to or greater than the preset number of devices is set as the complete mask sequence set. For the coverage enhancement level with the number of devices less than the preset number of devices, the mask sequence set corresponding to the proportion of each device is allocated in the complete mask sequence set. This scheme is not only easy to implement, but also more flexible in the allocation process, and can effectively ensure that the mask sequence set allocated to each coverage enhancement level matches the access requirements corresponding to each coverage enhancement level.

[0130] Optionally, the mask sequence allocation rule may further include: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels with a number of devices less than the preset number of devices u0 are not the same.

[0131] It should be understood that in actual implementation, the value of the preset number of devices u0 can be determined or adjusted based on actual needs, and this application does not impose specific restrictions on the value of the preset number of devices u0.

[0132] Scene 2:

[0133] The following section, using Scenario 2 as described above, will explain the specific process by which a network device determines the channel resources and mask sequence set corresponding to each of three or more coverage enhancement levels. This example will focus on the process by which the network device determines the channel resource RS1 and mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the channel resource RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, and the channel resource (assumed to be channel resource RS3) and mask sequence set (assumed to be c13) corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level.

[0134] In one possible implementation, the network device can determine or obtain the number of terminal devices to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level. Similarly, assume the number of devices to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level is u1, the number of devices to be accessed corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level is u2, and the number of devices to be accessed corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level is u3. For a detailed explanation of the devices to be accessed corresponding to each coverage enhancement level, please refer to the corresponding description in the following scenario; it will not be repeated here.

[0135] Here, the specific process of determining the number of devices u1, u2, and u3 can be found in the process of determining the number of devices u1 and u2 described in Scenario 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0136] Furthermore, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, and the mask sequence set c13 corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level from the complete set of mask sequences (still assumed to be c1) according to the pre-configured mask sequence allocation rules, the number of devices u1, u2, and u3.

[0137] Furthermore, the network device can determine the channel resource RS1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the channel resource RS2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, and the channel resource RS3 corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level based on the mask sequence sets c11, c12, and c13 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level.

[0138] For example, after determining the mask sequence sets c11, c12, and c13, the network device can first determine whether any of these sets contain the same mask sequence set. If the network device determines that all three sets are different, it can determine that any two or three of the channel resources RS1, RS2, and RS3 may overlap. Then, based on the current service status and the number of devices u1, u2, and u3 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the third coverage enhancement level, the network device determines the aforementioned channel resources RS1, RS2, and RS3 from its currently available channel resources. If the network device determines that mask sequence sets c11, c12, and c13 contain both identical and dissimilar mask sequence sets, then it can be determined that the channel resources corresponding to the two identical mask sequence sets cannot overlap, while the channel resources corresponding to the dissimilar mask sequence sets may or may not overlap. For example, assuming the network device determines that mask sequence sets c11 and c12 are identical, and that mask sequence sets c11, c12, and c13 are all dissimilar, then it can be determined that channel resources RS1 and RS2 cannot overlap, while channel resource RS3 may or may not overlap with channel resources RS1 and / or RS2. Then, the network device determines the channel resource RS1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level from the currently available channel resources based on the current service status and the number of devices u1 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level. The network device can also determine the aforementioned channel resource RS2 from the remaining channel resources other than the aforementioned channel resource RS1 from the currently available channel resources based on the current service status and the number of devices u2 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level. The network device can also determine the aforementioned channel resource RS3 from the currently available channel resources based on the current service status and the number of devices u3 corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level.

[0139] The following section will explain, in conjunction with the implementation methods one and three of the mask sequence allocation rule described in Scenario 1, the process by which network devices determine the mask sequence set c11, mask sequence set c12, and mask sequence set c13 from the complete mask sequence set c1 in Scenario 2 based on the mask sequence allocation rule, the number of devices u1, u2, and u3.

[0140] Implementation method 1:

[0141] The specific details of the mask sequence allocation rules can be found in the corresponding description of Implementation Method 1 in Scenario 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0142] In this scenario, after obtaining the number of devices u1, u2, and u3, the network device can determine the target device range (let's assume it's ur1) containing device u1 from the multiple device ranges included in the mask sequence allocation rule. Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set corresponding to the target device range ur1 as the aforementioned mask sequence set c11. Similarly, the network device can determine the target device range (let's assume it's ur2) containing device u2 from the multiple device ranges. Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set corresponding to the target device range ur2 as the aforementioned mask sequence set c12. Likewise, the network device can determine the target device range (let's assume it's ur3) containing device u3 from the multiple device ranges. Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set corresponding to the target device range ur3 as the aforementioned mask sequence set c13.

[0143] Similarly, if the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two ranges of device counts are both parts of the complete mask sequence set c1, or in other words, if the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two ranges of device counts are subsets of the complete mask sequence set c1, then the mask sequence sets corresponding to these two ranges of device counts are not the same. For example, assuming that the mask sequence sets cs2 and cs1 are both subsets of the complete mask sequence set c1, then the mask sequence sets cs1 and cs2 are not the same.

[0144] Implementation Method Two:

[0145] The specific details of the mask sequence allocation rules can be found in the corresponding description of Implementation Method 2 in Scenario 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0146] In this scenario, after obtaining the number of devices u1, u2, and u3, the network device can determine the maximum number of devices among u1, u2, and u3, assuming that u1 is greater than both u2 and u3. Further, the network device can determine the complete set of mask sequences c1 mentioned earlier as the mask sequence set c11. Further, the network device can determine the ratio of the number of devices u2 to the sum of the number of devices (i.e., u1 + u2 + u3) (assumed to be p3). Then, based on the ratio p3, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c12 from the complete set of mask sequences c1, such that the ratio of the number of mask sequences in mask sequence set c12 to the number of mask sequences in the complete set of mask sequences c1 is equal to or close to the ratio p3. Similarly, the network device can determine the ratio of the number of devices u2 to the sum of the number of devices (assumed to be p4). Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c13 from the complete set of mask sequences c1 based on the ratio p4, and make the ratio of the number of mask sequences contained in the mask sequence set c13 to the number of mask sequences contained in the complete set of mask sequences c1 equal to or close to the ratio p4.

[0147] Optionally, the mask sequence allocation rule may further include: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels with a number of devices less than a preset number of devices u1 are different. For example, assuming that mask sequence set c12 and mask sequence set c13 are both subsets of the complete mask sequence set c1, then mask sequence set c12 and mask sequence set c13 are different.

[0148] In the above implementation, the mask sequence sets corresponding to coverage enhancement levels with a number of devices that are not the largest are designed differently. This can make the mask sequence sets corresponding to each coverage enhancement level determined based on the sequence allocation rule quite different, thereby making the subsequent allocation of channel resources more flexible.

[0149] Implementation method three:

[0150] The specific details of the mask sequence allocation rules can be found in the corresponding description of Implementation Method 3 in Scenario 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0151] In this scenario, after obtaining the number of devices u1, u2, and u3, the network device can first determine whether these numbers are equal to or greater than the preset number of devices u0. If it is determined that the number of devices u1 is equal to or greater than the preset number of devices u0, then the complete set of mask sequences c1 can be determined as the mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level. Similarly, if it is determined that the number of devices u2 and u3 are also equal to or greater than the preset number of devices u0, then the complete set of mask sequences c1 can be determined as the mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level and the mask sequence set c13 corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level. Furthermore, if the network device determines that the number of devices u1 is less than the preset number of devices u0, then the ratio of the number of devices u1 to the sum of the number of devices (i.e., u1 + u2 + u3) can be calculated (here, assumed to be p5). Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c11 from the complete set of mask sequences c1 based on the ratio p5, such that the ratio of the number of mask sequences in the mask sequence set c11 to the number of mask sequences in the complete set of mask sequences c1 is equal to or close to the ratio p5. Similarly, if the network device determines that the number of devices u2 is less than the preset number of devices u0, it can calculate the ratio of the number of devices u2 to the sum of the number of devices (here assumed to be p3). Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c12 from the complete set of mask sequences c1 based on the ratio p3, such that the ratio of the number of mask sequences in the mask sequence set c12 to the number of mask sequences in the complete set of mask sequences c1 is equal to or close to the ratio p3. If the network device determines that the number of devices u3 is less than the preset number of devices u0, it can calculate the ratio of the number of devices u2 to the sum of the number of devices (here assumed to be p4). Then, the network device can determine the mask sequence set c13 from the complete set of mask sequences c1 based on the ratio p4, and make the ratio of the number of mask sequences contained in the mask sequence set c13 to the number of mask sequences contained in the complete set of mask sequences c1 equal to or close to the ratio p4.

[0152] Optionally, the mask sequence allocation rule further includes: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels with a number of devices less than a preset number of devices u1 are different. For example, assuming that mask sequence set c12 and mask sequence set c13 are both subsets of the complete mask sequence set c1, then mask sequence set c12 and mask sequence set c13 are different.

[0153] In the above implementation, the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels with fewer than the preset number of devices are designed to be different. This can make the mask sequence sets corresponding to each coverage enhancement level determined based on the sequence allocation rule have significant differences, thereby making the subsequent allocation of channel resources more flexible.

[0154] The following example illustrates the relationship between channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11, channel resources RS2 and mask sequence set c12, and channel resources RS3 and mask sequence set c13 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, determined by a network device. For example, this diagram illustrates a channel resource allocation scheme provided in this application. As shown in Figure 4, it is assumed that the complete mask sequence set c1 includes five sequences, from mask sequence 1 to mask sequence 5; mask sequence set c11 includes these five mask sequences; mask sequence set c12 includes mask sequences 1 to 3; and mask sequence set c13 includes mask sequences 4 to 5. Since mask sequence set c11 contains the same mask sequences as mask sequence sets c12 and c13, channel resource RS1 does not overlap with channel resources RS2 and RS3. However, since mask sequence sets c12 and c13 are completely different, channel resources RS2 and RS3 can partially overlap.

[0155] It should be further noted that, in this embodiment, the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different. This can mean that the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are completely different, or it can mean that the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are partially different. When the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are completely different, the method provided in this application can effectively avoid the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble. When the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are partially different, the method provided in this application can not only reduce the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble, but also reduce the complexity of the mask sequence sets.

[0156] S320, the network device sends the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level.

[0157] In some feasible implementations, under the above scenario, the network device sends the channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, and the channel resources RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, to the target terminal device. Correspondingly, the target terminal device receives the channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, and the channel resources RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, sent by the network device.

[0158] In scenario two above, the network device sends the channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the channel resources RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, and the channel resources RS3 and mask sequence set c13 corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level to the target terminal device. Correspondingly, the target terminal device receives the channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11, RS2 and mask sequence set c12, and RS3 and mask sequence set c13 sent by the network device.

[0159] Optionally, in either scenario one or scenario two above, the network device can send the determined set of channel resources and mask sequences corresponding to each coverage enhancement level to the terminal device via radio resource control (RRC) messages or downlink control information (DCI) messages. Correspondingly, the target terminal device can receive the set of channel resources and mask sequences corresponding to each coverage enhancement level via RRC messages or DCI messages. It should be understood that this is merely an example; in actual implementations, the network device and the target terminal device can also transmit the set of channel resources and mask sequences corresponding to each coverage enhancement level through other means, and this application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0160] S330, the terminal device sends a random access preamble to the network device based on the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels. Correspondingly, the network device receives the random access preamble.

[0161] The following section will provide a detailed explanation of the specific implementation process of step S330, based on the scenarios described above (Scenario 1 and Scenario 2).

[0162] In some feasible implementations, under the above scenario, after receiving the channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, and the channel resources RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, the target terminal device can send a random access preamble to the network device based on the channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11 and the channel resources RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the random access preamble sent by the target terminal device based on the channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11 and the channel resources RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level.

[0163] In one alternative implementation, the target terminal device can determine its current coverage enhancement level (hereinafter referred to as the target coverage enhancement level for ease of distinction). Further, the target terminal device can determine the channel resources (hereinafter referred to as target channel resources for ease of distinction) and mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level from the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels.

[0164] Optionally, the target terminal device can determine a coverage enhancement level consistent with the target coverage enhancement level from the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level, and determine the channel resources and mask sequences corresponding to that coverage enhancement level as the target channel resources and target mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level. For example, assuming that the coverage enhancement level of the target terminal device is the first coverage enhancement level, the target terminal device can determine the channel resource RS1 as the target channel resource and the mask sequence set c11 as the target mask sequence set.

[0165] Furthermore, the target terminal device can transmit the random access preamble based on the target channel resources and the target mask sequence set. Correspondingly, the network device receives the random access preamble based on the target channel resources and the target mask sequence set.

[0166] Optionally, the target terminal device may determine a portion of the channel resources from the target channel resources (for ease of distinction, this will be referred to as "available channel resources" below). For example, the target terminal device may randomly select a portion of the channel resources from the target channel resources that can be used to transmit the random access preamble based on the random access preamble to be transmitted.

[0167] Furthermore, the target terminal device can determine whether the available channel resource is being used by other terminal devices besides the target terminal device.

[0168] On the one hand, if it is determined that the available channel resource is being used by other terminal devices, the target terminal device can determine a mask sequence from the target mask sequence set (for ease of distinction, it will be referred to as the first mask sequence below). For example, the target terminal device can randomly select a mask sequence from the target mask sequence set as the first mask sequence. Alternatively, the target terminal device can select an unused mask sequence from the target mask sequence set as the first mask sequence. It should be understood that the target terminal device can also determine the first mask sequence from the target mask sequence set in other possible ways, and this application does not limit this. Then, the target terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the available channel resource and the first mask sequence. For example, the target terminal device can first calculate the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence, and then transmit the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence on the available channel resource through the corresponding channel. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the random access preamble on the available channel resource through the first mask sequence. For example, the network device can receive the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence on the available channel resources, and recover the random access preamble based on the first mask sequence.

[0169] On the other hand, if it is determined that the available channel resource is not used by other terminal devices, the target terminal device can determine a mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences c1 (for ease of distinction, it will be referred to as the second mask sequence below). For example, the target terminal device can randomly select a mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences c1 as the second mask sequence. Alternatively, the target terminal device can select an unused mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences c1 as the second mask sequence. It should be understood that the target terminal device can also determine the second mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences c1 in other possible ways, and this application does not limit this. Then, the target terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the available channel resource and the second mask sequence. For the specific process, please refer to the process described above of the target terminal device transmitting a random access preamble based on the available channel resource and the first mask sequence, which will not be repeated here.

[0170] In the above implementation, when the identified available channel resources are used by other terminal devices (i.e., the available channel resources overlap), the random access preamble is transmitted using a mask sequence from the target mask sequence set. When the available channel resources are not used by other terminal devices (i.e., the available channel resources do not overlap), the random access preamble is transmitted using a mask sequence from the complete mask sequence set of the cell where the terminal device is located. In short, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level of the terminal device is only used on overlapping channel resources. This not only reduces or avoids the impact of resource overlap on the transmission of the random access preamble but also increases access capacity.

[0171] Optionally, the target terminal device may first determine the aforementioned unused channel resources from the target channel resources. For specific implementation details, please refer to the preceding text; they will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the target terminal device may directly determine the aforementioned first mask sequence from the target mask sequence set, regardless of whether the unused channel resource is used by other terminal devices. Then, the target terminal device may transmit a random access preamble based on the unused channel resource and the first mask sequence.

[0172] In some feasible implementations, under scenario two above, after receiving the channel resources RS1 and mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the channel resources RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, and the channel resources RS3 and mask sequence set c13 corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level, the target terminal device can send a random access preamble to the network device based on these same channels. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the random access preamble sent by the target terminal device based on these same channels.

[0173] In one optional implementation, the target terminal device can determine its current target coverage enhancement level. Further, the target terminal device can determine the target channel resources and target mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level from the channel resource and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first, second, and third coverage enhancement levels. The specific process can be referred to in Scenario 1, which describes how the target terminal device determines the target channel resources and target mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level from the channel resource and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels; therefore, it will not be repeated here.

[0174] Furthermore, the target terminal device can transmit a random access preamble based on the target channel resources and the target mask sequence set. The specific process is detailed in Scenario 1, describing how the target terminal device transmits a random access preamble based on the target channel resources and the target mask sequence set; it will not be repeated here. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the random access preamble based on the target channel resources and the target mask sequence set.

[0175] It should be noted that the other terminal devices mentioned above may be terminal devices located in the same cell as the target terminal device, or terminal devices in neighboring cells of the first cell where the target terminal device is located. This application does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0176] For some feasible implementations, please refer to Figure 5, which is another flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application. As shown in Figure 5, the method may further include:

[0177] S340, the network device determines the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second cells.

[0178] It should be noted that the solution described in step S340 is applicable not only to scenarios with only two cells (hereinafter referred to as Scenario 3 for clarity) but also to scenarios with more than two cells (hereinafter referred to as Scenario 4 for clarity). For ease of explanation, assume that Scenario 3 includes a first cell and a second cell. In Scenario 2, since the case of more than three cells can be derived without question from the case of three cells, it is assumed that Scenario 2 includes a first cell, a second cell, and a third cell. The implementation process of step S340 will be explained below based on Scenario 3 and Scenario 4 respectively.

[0179] Scene 3:

[0180] In some feasible implementations, the network device can determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different. It should be understood that in this embodiment, the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to a certain cell includes all mask sequences that the terminal devices under that cell may use. Both the first cell and the second cell are cells managed by the network device. Referring to the previous example, the first cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c1, and it is assumed that the second cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c2.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the network device can determine the available channel resources of the first cell (hereinafter referred to as "first channel resources" for clarity) and the available channel resources of the second cell (hereinafter referred to as "second channel resources") based on the current network state, the currently available channel resources, and the access status of the first and second cells. Then, the network device can determine whether the first and second channel resources overlap. If the network device determines that the first and second channel resources overlap, it can determine the complete set of mask sequences c1 corresponding to the first cell and the complete set of mask sequences c2 corresponding to the second cell, ensuring that the complete set of mask sequences c1 and c2 are different. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the first channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences c1 corresponding to the first cell can be used by terminal devices in the first cell to transmit random access preambles. Similarly, the second channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences c2 corresponding to the second cell can be used by terminal devices in the second cell to transmit random access preambles. In other words, in this embodiment, the channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to any cell can be used by terminal devices in that cell to transmit random access preambles.

[0182] In the above implementation, the mask sequences corresponding to cells with overlapping channel resources are designed to be different. This reduces or avoids the impact of channel resource overlap between cells on random access preamble transmission. Similarly, in the scenario of NPRACH resource scheduling, this scheme can also effectively reduce or avoid the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on random access preamble transmission, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes.

[0183] Scene 4:

[0184] In some feasible implementations, the network device can determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell, the second cell, and the third cell. Specifically, the channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and their corresponding complete sets of mask sequences are different. Alternatively, the channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the third cell do not overlap, and their corresponding complete sets of mask sequences may be the same or different. It should be understood that the first cell, the second cell, and the third cell are all cells managed by the network device. Referring to the previous example, the first cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c1, the second cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c2, and it is assumed that the third cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c3.

[0185] In one possible implementation, the network device can determine the available first channel resources for the first cell, the available second channel resources for the second cell, and the available channel resources for the third cell (hereinafter referred to as the third channel resources for clarity) based on the current network state, the currently available channel resources, and the access status of the first, second, and third cells. Then, the network device can determine whether the first, second, and third channel resources overlap. If the network device determines that the channel resources corresponding to two cells overlap, it can determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to these two cells, ensuring that the complete sets of mask sequences for these two cells are different. If the network device determines that the channel resources corresponding to a cell do not overlap with those of the other two cells in the aforementioned third cell, it can determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to that cell, and this complete set of mask sequences can be the same as or different from the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the other two cells. For example, the network device can determine that the channel resources corresponding to the first and second cells overlap, while the channel resources corresponding to the first and third cells do not overlap. In this scenario, the network device can further determine the complete set of mask sequences c1 corresponding to the first cell, c2 corresponding to the second cell, and c3 corresponding to the third cell, ensuring that mask sequences c1 and c2 are different, and that c1 and c3 are the same or different. It should be understood that if the channel resources corresponding to the second and third cells overlap, then mask sequences c2 and c3 will also be different. If the channel resources corresponding to the second and third cells do not overlap, then mask sequences c2 and c3 can be the same or different.

[0186] In the above implementation, the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to two cells with overlapping channel resources are designed to be different, while the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to two cells with non-overlapping channel resources are not restricted and can be the same or different. This not only reduces or avoids the impact of channel resource overlap between cells on random access preamble transmission, but also reduces the complexity of mask sequence allocation. Similarly, in the scenario of NPRACH resource scheduling, this scheme can also effectively reduce or avoid the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on random access preamble transmission, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes.

[0187] It should also be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, the third channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences c3 corresponding to the third cell can be used by the terminal equipment under the third cell to transmit random access preamble.

[0188] It should be further noted that, in the embodiments of this application, "different complete sets of mask sequences" can mean that the two complete sets of mask sequences are completely different, or that the two complete sets of mask sequences are partially different. For example, "different complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2" can mean that the complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2 are completely different, or that the complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2 are partially different. When the complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2 are completely different, the method provided in this application can effectively avoid the impact of inter-cell channel resource overlap on random access preamble transmission. When the complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2 are partially different, the method provided in this application can reduce the impact of inter-cell channel resource overlap on random access preamble transmission and reduce the allocation complexity of the complete sets of mask sequences.

[0189] In step S350, the network device sends the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell.

[0190] In some feasible implementations, after determining the complete mask sequence c1 corresponding to the first cell, the network device can send the complete mask sequence c1 to multiple terminal devices within the first cell. Here, these multiple terminal devices include the target terminal device mentioned earlier. Therefore, the network device will also send the complete mask sequence c1 corresponding to the first cell to the target terminal device. Correspondingly, the target terminal device will receive the complete mask sequence c1 corresponding to the first cell.

[0191] It should be further explained that after determining the complete set of mask sequences for each of the multiple cells, the network device can send the complete set of mask sequences for each cell to the terminal devices within each cell. For example, in scenario three above, the network device will send the complete set of mask sequences c1 to multiple terminal devices in the first cell and c2 to multiple terminal devices in the second cell. In scenario four above, the network device will send the complete set of mask sequences c1 to multiple terminal devices in the first cell, c2 to multiple terminal devices in the second cell, and c3 to multiple terminal devices in the third cell.

[0192] Example 2

[0193] This application also provides a communication method. In this method, the network device determines the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to each cell in multiple cells. Furthermore, when the channel resources used for transmitting random access preambles for two cells overlap, the complete sets of mask sequences for these two cells will be different. This method can reduce or avoid the impact of channel resource overlap between cells on the transmission of random access preambles. Similarly, in the scenario of NPRACH resource scheduling, this scheme can also effectively reduce or avoid the impact of NPRACH resource overlap on the transmission of random access preambles, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of existing NPRACH resource scheduling schemes. Moreover, since the method provided in this application allows resource overlap, it can also reduce the complexity of NPRACH resource scheduling and improve its flexibility.

[0194] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the terminal device is a terminal device within the first cell managed by the network device. Furthermore, to distinguish it from other terminal devices within the first cell or other terminal devices in neighboring cells of the first cell, the term "target terminal device" will be used instead of "terminal device" in this embodiment.

[0195] It should also be understood that the communication method provided in this embodiment can also be implemented collaboratively by the network device and terminal device shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 above. It is understood that although the following description uses network devices and terminal devices as the implementing entities of the communication method, this application does not limit the implementing entities illustrated in the interactive diagrams. For example, the method executed by the network device in this application can also be implemented by modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) in the network device, or by logic nodes, logic modules, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. The method executed by the terminal device in this application can also be implemented by a communication module in the terminal device or a circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip, a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip, etc.

[0196] Please refer to Figure 6, which is another flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application. As shown in Figure 6, the method may include:

[0197] S610, the network device determines the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second cells.

[0198] It should be noted that the communication method provided in this embodiment is applicable not only to scenarios with only two cells (hereinafter referred to as Scenario 3 for ease of distinction), but also to scenarios with more than two cells (hereinafter referred to as Scenario 4 for ease of distinction). For ease of explanation, it is assumed that there is a first cell and a second cell in Scenario 3. In Scenario 4, since the case of more than three cells can be derived without any doubt from the case of three cells, it is assumed that there is a first cell, a second cell, and a third cell in Scenario 4. The implementation process of step S610 will be described below based on Scenario 3 and Scenario 4 respectively.

[0199] Scene 3:

[0200] In some feasible implementations, the network device can determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different. It should be understood that in this embodiment, the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to a certain cell includes all mask sequences that the terminal devices under that cell may use. Both the first cell and the second cell are cells managed by the network device. Referring to the previous example, the first cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c1, and it is assumed that the second cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c2.

[0201] For details, please refer to step S340 of Embodiment 1, which describes the process by which the network device determines the complete set of mask sequences c1 and c2 in Scenario 3. It will not be repeated here.

[0202] Scene 4:

[0203] In some feasible implementations, the network device can determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell, the second cell, and the third cell. Specifically, the channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and their corresponding complete sets of mask sequences are different. Alternatively, the channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the third cell do not overlap, and their corresponding complete sets of mask sequences may be the same or different. It should be understood that the first cell, the second cell, and the third cell are all cells managed by the network device. Referring to the previous example, the first cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c1, the second cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c2, and it is assumed that the third cell corresponds to the complete set of mask sequences c3.

[0204] For details, please refer to step S340 of Embodiment 1, which describes the process by which the network device determines the complete set of mask sequences c1, c2, and c3 in Scenario 4. It will not be repeated here.

[0205] It should be further clarified that, in this embodiment, "different complete sets of mask sequences" can mean that the two complete sets of mask sequences are completely different, or that the two complete sets of mask sequences are partially different. For example, "different complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2" can mean that the complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2 are completely different, or that the complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2 are partially different. When the complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2 are completely different, the method provided in this application can effectively avoid the impact of inter-cell channel resource overlap on random access preamble transmission. When the complete sets of mask sequences c1 and c2 are partially different, the method provided in this application can reduce the impact of inter-cell channel resource overlap on random access preamble transmission and reduce the allocation complexity of the complete sets of mask sequences.

[0206] In step S620, the network device sends the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell.

[0207] In some feasible implementations, after determining the complete mask sequence c1 corresponding to the first cell, the network device can send the complete mask sequence c1 to multiple terminal devices within the first cell. Here, these multiple terminal devices include the target terminal device mentioned earlier. Therefore, the network device will also send the complete mask sequence c1 corresponding to the first cell to the target terminal device. Correspondingly, the target terminal device will receive the complete mask sequence c1 corresponding to the first cell.

[0208] It should be further explained that after determining the complete set of mask sequences for each of the multiple cells, the network device can send the complete set of mask sequences for each cell to the terminal devices within each cell. For example, in scenario three above, the network device will send the complete set of mask sequences c1 to multiple terminal devices in the first cell and c2 to multiple terminal devices in the second cell. In scenario three above, the network device will send the complete set of mask sequences c1 to multiple terminal devices in the first cell, c2 to multiple terminal devices in the second cell, and c3 to multiple terminal devices in the third cell.

[0209] In this embodiment, the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to two cells with overlapping channel resources are designed to be different, while the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to two cells with non-overlapping channel resources are not restricted and can be the same or different. This can not only reduce or avoid the impact of channel resource overlap between cells on random access preamble transmission, but also reduce the complexity of mask sequence allocation.

[0210] Furthermore, please refer to Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, the method also includes the following steps:

[0211] In step S630, the terminal device sends a random access preamble to the network device based on the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell. The network device then receives the random access preamble.

[0212] In some possible implementations, after receiving the complete set of mask sequences c1 corresponding to the first cell, the target terminal device can send a random access preamble to the network device based on the complete set of mask sequences c1. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the random access preamble based on the complete set of mask sequences c1.

[0213] In one possible implementation, as described in step S330 of Embodiment 1 above, in the scenario described above, the target terminal device can receive the channel resource RS1 and mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, and the channel resource RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level. The specific process by which the network device determines and sends the channel resource RS1 and mask sequence set c11 corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the channel resource RS2 and mask sequence set c12 corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level to the terminal device can be found in the corresponding description in Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0214] Furthermore, the target terminal device can determine its current target coverage enhancement level. Further, the target terminal device can determine the target channel resources and target mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level from the channel resource and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels. The specific process can be found in the corresponding description in Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0215] Furthermore, the target terminal device can identify the available channel resources from the target channel resources. Then, the target terminal device can determine whether the available channel resources are being used by other terminal devices besides itself. The specific process can be found in the corresponding description in Embodiment 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0216] On one hand, if it is determined that the available channel resource has already been used by other terminal devices, the target terminal device can determine a first mask sequence from the target mask sequence set. Then, the target terminal device can send a random access preamble to the network device based on the available channel resource and the first mask sequence. For example, the target terminal device can first calculate the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence, and then send the product of the random access preamble and the first mask sequence to the network device on the available channel resource through the corresponding channel. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the random access preamble on the available channel resource through the first mask sequence. On the other hand, if it is determined that the available channel resource has not been used by other terminal devices, the target terminal device can determine a second mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences c1. Then, the target terminal device can transmit the random access preamble based on the available channel resource and the second mask sequence. The specific process can be found in the corresponding description in Embodiment 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0217] In another possible implementation, the target terminal device can receive channel resources configured by the network device for each coverage enhancement level using existing TDM and / or FDM methods. Then, the target terminal device can determine the target channel resource corresponding to its current target coverage enhancement level from the channel resources configured by the network device for multiple coverage enhancement levels. Next, the terminal device can determine a pending channel resource from this target channel resource and determine a mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences c1 corresponding to the first cell (for clarity, this will be referred to as the third mask sequence below). Then, the target terminal device can send a random access preamble to the network device based on the pending channel resource and the third mask sequence. Correspondingly, the network device will receive the random access preamble based on the pending channel resource and the third mask sequence.

[0218] It should also be noted that in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 above, the mask sequence set corresponding to any coverage enhancement level may include at least one OCC sequence. In other words, the mask sequence set involved in this application consists of one or more OCC sequences. Similarly, the mask sequence set corresponding to any cell may consist of multiple OCC sequences. Alternatively, the complete set of mask sequences involved in this application consists of multiple OCC sequences.

[0219] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 provided in this application, the channel resource can be an NPRACH resource, through which network devices and terminal devices under any coverage enhancement level can transmit random access preambles. Of course, the channel resource can also be other types of resources corresponding to channels that can be used to transmit random access preambles, and this application does not specifically limit the type of channel resource.

[0220] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 3 to 6. The communication device provided by the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 7 and 8. It should be understood that the descriptions of the embodiments of the communication device correspond to the descriptions of the embodiments of the communication method; therefore, any parts not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0221] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application. As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 may include a transceiver unit 710 and a processing unit 720.

[0222] In some feasible implementations, the communication device 700 may correspond to the network device in the communication method shown in Figure 3 or Figure 5, or to a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device.

[0223] Specifically, processing unit 720 is used to determine the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. The channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different. Here, the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level can be used to transmit random access preambles between network devices and terminal devices. Transceiver unit 710 is used to: transmit the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level.

[0224] In one possible design, processing unit 720 is used to determine the number of terminal devices to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. Here, the terminal devices to be accessed corresponding to either the first or second coverage enhancement level refer to terminal devices with access needs under that coverage enhancement level. Processing unit 720 is used to determine the mask sequence set corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels from a preset mask sequence set according to a preset mask sequence allocation rule and the number of devices corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels. Then, processing unit 720 is used to determine the channel resources corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels based on the mask sequence set corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels.

[0225] In one possible design, the mask sequence allocation rule may include: multiple ranges of device counts and a set of mask sequences corresponding to each range of device counts. The set of mask sequences corresponding to each range of device counts is a part or all of the aforementioned complete set of mask sequences. That is, the set of mask sequences corresponding to any range of device counts is either the complete set of mask sequences or a subset of the complete set of mask sequences. Among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the set of mask sequences to be allocated, if the number of devices corresponding to any coverage enhancement level (here assumed to be i) is included in the target device count range among the multiple ranges of device counts, then the set of mask sequences corresponding to any coverage enhancement level i is the set of mask sequences corresponding to that target device count range.

[0226] In one possible design, the mask sequence allocation rule also includes: if the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two ranges of device counts are both parts of the complete set of mask sequences, then the mask sequence sets corresponding to these two ranges of device counts are not the same.

[0227] In one possible design, the mask sequence allocation rule includes: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels in the set of mask sequences to be allocated, the set of mask sequences corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices is the complete set of mask sequences. The ratio of the number of sequences in the set of mask sequences corresponding to any coverage enhancement level other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices to the total number of sequences in the complete set of mask sequences is determined by the ratio of the number of devices corresponding to that coverage enhancement level to the sum of the number of devices corresponding to the multiple coverage enhancement levels in the set of mask sequences to be allocated.

[0228] In one possible design, the mask sequence allocation rule also includes: the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices are not the same.

[0229] In one possible design, the mask sequence allocation rule includes: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with a number of devices equal to or greater than a preset number of devices is the complete mask sequence set; the ratio of the number of sequences in the mask sequence set corresponding to any remaining coverage enhancement level to the number of sequences in the complete mask sequence set is determined by the ratio of the number of devices corresponding to that coverage enhancement level to the sum of the number of devices corresponding to all coverage enhancement levels.

[0230] In one possible design, the mask sequence allocation rule also includes: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels of the mask sequence set to be allocated, any two coverage enhancement levels with fewer than a preset number of devices have different mask sequence sets.

[0231] In one possible design, processing unit 720 can be used to determine the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level. Furthermore, the channel resources corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level do not overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the third coverage enhancement level may be the same or different.

[0232] In one possible design, before determining the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels, processing unit 720 can be used to determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second cells. The channel resources corresponding to the first and second cells overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second cells are different. It should be understood that the channel resources and complete set of mask sequences corresponding to either the first or second cell are used for transmitting random access preambles between terminal equipment and network equipment within that cell. Transceiver unit 710 can be used to transmit the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first and second cells respectively.

[0233] In one possible design, processing unit 720 can be used to determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell. The channel resources corresponding to the third cell and the first cell do not overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the third cell may be the same or different. Transceiver unit 710 can be used to transmit the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell.

[0234] It should be understood that the specific implementation of the corresponding functions of each unit can be referred to the corresponding description of the method steps implemented by the network device in the communication method shown in Figure 3 or Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0235] In some feasible implementations, the communication device 700 may correspond to the terminal device described in the communication method shown in FIG3 or FIG5, or a component (such as a circuit, chip or chip system) configured in the terminal device.

[0236] In specific implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is used to receive the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. The channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different. The processing unit 720 is used to trigger the transceiver unit 710 to transmit a random access preamble based on the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level.

[0237] In one possible design, processing unit 720 can be used to determine its current target coverage enhancement level. Then, processing unit 720 can be used to determine the target channel resources and target mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level from the channel resource and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first and second coverage enhancement levels. Then, transceiver unit 710 can be used to transmit a random access preamble based on the target channel resources and target mask sequence set.

[0238] In one possible design, processing unit 720 can be used to determine the available channel resources from the target channel resources. It should be understood that the available channel resources are a portion of the target channel resources. Processing unit 720 can be used to determine a first mask sequence from the target mask sequence set if it is determined that the available channel resources are used by other terminal devices besides the aforementioned terminal devices. Then, transceiver unit 710 can be used to transmit a random access preamble based on the available channel resources and the first mask sequence.

[0239] In one possible design, processing unit 720 can be used to determine a second mask sequence from the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell, provided that no other terminal device is using the available channel resource. Here, the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level is part or all of the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell. Alternatively, the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level is either the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell or a subset of the complete set of mask sequences. Transceiver unit 710 can be used to transmit a random access preamble based on the available channel resource and the second mask sequence.

[0240] In one possible design, transceiver unit 710 can be used to receive the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level. Here, the channel resources corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level do not overlap, and the mask sequences corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level may be the same or different. Transceiver unit 710 can also be used to transmit random access preambles based on the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level.

[0241] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 710 can also be used to receive the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell. This complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell can be determined and transmitted by the network device, and the network device also determines the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different.

[0242] It should be understood that the specific implementation of the corresponding functions of each unit can be referred to the corresponding description of the method steps implemented by the terminal device in the communication method shown in Figure 3 or Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0243] In some feasible implementations, the communication device 700 may correspond to the network device in the communication method shown in FIG6, or a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the network device.

[0244] In a specific implementation, processing unit 720 can be used to determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different. The channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to either the first cell or the second cell are used by the terminal equipment under either the first cell or the second cell to transmit the random access preamble. Transceiver unit 710 can be used to send the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell, respectively.

[0245] In one possible design, processing unit 720 can be used to determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell, the second cell, and the third cell. Here, the channel resources corresponding to the third cell and the first cell do not overlap, and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell and the first cell may be the same or different. Transceiver unit 710 can be used to transmit the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell.

[0246] It should be understood that the specific implementation of the corresponding functions of each unit can be found in the corresponding description of the method steps implemented by the network device in the communication method shown in Figure 6, and will not be repeated here.

[0247] In some feasible implementations, the communication device 700 may correspond to the terminal device in the communication method shown in FIG6, or a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the terminal device.

[0248] In a specific implementation, the transceiver unit 710 can be used to receive the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap, and the mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different. The processing unit 720 can be used to trigger the transceiver unit 710 to transmit a random access preamble based on the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell.

[0249] In one possible design, the channel resources corresponding to the third cell and the first cell do not overlap, and the complete sets of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell and the first cell are either the same or different.

[0250] In one possible design, transceiver unit 710 can be used to receive channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level. The channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different. Processing unit 720 can be used to trigger transceiver unit 710 to transmit a random access preamble based on the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell, the channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level.

[0251] It should be understood that the specific implementation of the corresponding functions of each unit can be found in the corresponding description of the method steps implemented by the terminal device in the communication method shown in Figure 6, and will not be repeated here.

[0252] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application. This communication device 800 can be used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device or network device in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 above; alternatively, the communication device 800 can be the terminal device or network device described above. The communication device 800 includes: a processor 810, a memory 820, and a bus system 830.

[0253] Memory 820 is used to store related instructions and data. Memory 820 stores the following elements: executable modules or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof:

[0254] Operation instructions: This includes various operation instructions used to perform various operations.

[0255] Operating system: includes various system programs used to implement various basic business functions and handle hardware-based tasks.

[0256] Figure 8 shows only one memory, but of course, multiple memories can be set as needed.

[0257] The communication device 800 may further include a transceiver 840. The transceiver 840 may be a communication module or a transceiver circuit. In the embodiments of this application, the transceiver 840 is used to perform the message sending and receiving operations described in the above embodiments.

[0258] Processor 810 can be a controller, microprocessor, general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. Processor 810 can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of DSP and microprocessor, etc.

[0259] In practical applications, the various components of the communication device 800 are coupled together through a bus system 830. This bus system 830 includes not only a data bus but may also include a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all buses are labeled as bus system 830 in Figure 8. Figure 8 is only schematically illustrated for ease of representation.

[0260] In specific implementation, the communication device 800 can execute the steps of the method performed by the terminal device or network device in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2. Specifically, when the communication device 800 is used to implement the various steps performed by the terminal device or network device in the communication method provided in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, the processor 810 can implement the function of the processing unit 720, and the transceiver 840 can implement the function of the transceiver unit 710.

[0261] It should be noted that in practical applications, the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0262] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application (such as the memory 820 mentioned above) can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memories described in the embodiments of this application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0263] This application also provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the method steps performed by a network device or a terminal device in the communication method provided in Figures 3, 5, or 6 above.

[0264] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the method steps performed by a network device or a terminal device in the communication method provided in Figures 3, 5, or 6 above.

[0265] This application also provides a chip, which includes at least a processor. The processor is used to execute computer execution instructions to cause a device on which the chip is installed to perform the method steps performed by a network device or a terminal device in the communication method provided in Figures 3, 5, or 6.

[0266] In one possible design, the chip may also include interface circuitry. This interface circuitry is used to receive computer execution instructions and transmit them to the processor.

[0267] This application also provides a chip system including a processor for supporting the apparatus on which the chip system is installed to implement the method steps performed by the network device or terminal device in the communication method provided in FIG3, FIG5 or FIG6, such as generating or processing the data and / or information involved in the above method.

[0268] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the data transmission device. The chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0269] This application also provides a communication system. The communication system includes at least the network device or terminal device described above. The network device or terminal device works collaboratively to implement the communication method shown in Figures 3, 5, or 6 above.

[0270] In the above method embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted 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 via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., digital video disc (DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0271] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0272] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0273] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applicable to network devices, and the method includes: Determine the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level, wherein the channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different, and the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are used to transmit random access preambles; Send the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determination of the channel resources and mask sequence set corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level includes: Determine the number of terminal devices to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level; Based on the mask sequence allocation rules and the number of devices of the terminals to be accessed corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level, the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are determined from the full set of mask sequences; The channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are determined based on the mask sequence set corresponding to the first coverage level and the second coverage enhancement level.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mask sequence allocation rule includes: multiple ranges of device counts and a set of mask sequences corresponding to each range of device counts. The set of mask sequences corresponding to each range of device counts is part or all of the complete set of mask sequences. Among multiple coverage enhancement levels of the set of mask sequences to be allocated, the number of devices corresponding to any coverage enhancement level is included in the target number range of the multiple ranges of device counts. The set of mask sequences corresponding to any coverage enhancement level is the set of mask sequences corresponding to the target number range.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The mask sequence allocation rule further includes: the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two ranges of the number of devices are both part of the complete set of mask sequences, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two ranges of the number of devices are not the same.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mask sequence allocation rule includes: among the multiple coverage enhancement levels in the mask sequence set to be allocated, the mask sequence set corresponding to the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices is the complete set of mask sequences. The ratio of the number of sequences in the mask sequence set corresponding to any coverage enhancement level other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices to the complete set of mask sequences is determined by the ratio of the number of devices corresponding to any coverage enhancement level other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices to the sum of the number of devices corresponding to the multiple coverage enhancement levels.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The mask sequence allocation rule also includes: the mask sequence sets corresponding to any two coverage enhancement levels other than the coverage enhancement level with the largest number of devices are not the same.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The determination of the channel resources and mask sequence set corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level includes: Determine the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level, wherein the channel resources corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level do not overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the third coverage enhancement level are the same or different; The transmission of the channel resources and mask sequence set corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level includes: Send the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The set of mask sequences corresponding to any enhanced coverage level includes at least one orthogonal coverage code (OCC) sequence.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applicable to terminal devices, and the method includes: Receive channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to a first coverage enhancement level and a second coverage enhancement level, wherein the channel resources corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level overlap, and the mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level are different; Random access preambles are transmitted based on the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The transmission of random access preamble based on the channel resources and mask sequence set corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level includes: Determine the coverage enhancement level of the target area where the terminal device is located; The target channel resources and target mask sequence set corresponding to the target coverage enhancement level are determined from the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level; Random access preamble is transmitted based on the target channel resources and the target mask sequence set.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The transmission of random access preamble based on the target channel resources and the target mask sequence set includes: The unused channel resources are determined from the target channel resources; If the available channel resources are used by other terminal devices besides the terminal device, a first mask sequence is determined from the target mask sequence set; The random access preamble is transmitted based on the available channel resources and the first mask sequence.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method includes: In the absence of other terminal devices using the available channel resources, a second mask sequence is determined from the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell where the terminal device is located, wherein the set of mask sequences corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level is part or all of the complete set of mask sequences; The random access preamble is transmitted based on the available channel resources and the second mask sequence.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9-12, characterized in that, The set of channel resources and mask sequences corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level includes: Receive a set of channel resources and mask sequences corresponding to a first coverage enhancement level, a second coverage enhancement level, and a third coverage enhancement level, wherein the channel resources corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level do not overlap, and the mask sequences corresponding to the third coverage enhancement level and the first coverage enhancement level are the same or different; The transmission of random access preamble based on the channel resources and mask sequence set corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level and the second coverage enhancement level includes: Random access preambles are transmitted based on the channel resources and mask sequence sets corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, the second coverage enhancement level, and the third coverage enhancement level.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9-13, characterized in that, The set of mask sequences corresponding to any enhanced coverage level includes at least one orthogonal coverage code (OCC) sequence.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applicable to network devices, and the method includes: Determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. The channel resources corresponding to the first cell and the second cell overlap. The complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are different. The channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell are used for the terminal equipment under the first cell to transmit the random access preamble. The channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the second cell are used for the terminal equipment under the second cell to transmit the random access preamble. Send the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the first cell and the second cell respectively.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determine the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell, wherein the channel resources corresponding to the third cell and the first cell do not overlap, and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell and the first cell are the same or different. The channel resources and the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell are used for the terminal equipment under the third cell to transmit random access preamble. Send the complete set of mask sequences corresponding to the third cell.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The complete set of mask sequences corresponding to any cell includes multiple orthogonal cover code (OCC) sequences.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes: a module or unit for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, any one of claims 9 to 14, and any one of claims 15 to 17.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when the computer program or instructions are executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, any one of claims 9 to 14, or any one of claims 15 to 17.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program that, when the computer program is run, implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, any one of claims 9 to 14, or any one of claims 15 to 17.

21. A chip, characterized in that, Including the processor; The processor is configured to execute computer execution instructions to cause the device on which the chip is mounted to perform the communication method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, any one of claims 9 to 14, or any one of claims 15 to 17.

22. The chip according to claim 21, characterized in that, The chip also includes an interface circuit, which is used to receive computer execution instructions and transmit them to the processor.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor and memory; The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, such that the communication device performs the communication method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, any one of claims 9 to 14, or any one of claims 15 to 17.

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