Communication method and device

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of ambient Internet of Things and the technical field of communications, provides a communication method and device. In the method, a network device sends configuration information; and an electronic device, such as an Internet of Things device, receives the configuration information and sends an access request on the basis of the configuration information, wherein the access request comprises access request information, and the access request information comprises an access request information sequence, or comprises the access request information sequence and a guard period (GP), or comprises the access request information sequence and a cyclic prefix (CP). By using the method, the Internet of Things device can use hardware with lower cost and low power consumption to complete encoding and sending of the access request information, and an ambient Internet of Things device can initially access the network device at low energy consumption.

Description

A communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410959830.0, filed on July 16, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of environmental Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Technology

[0003] Ambient IoT, also known as passive IoT, is a network of IoT devices with limited or no battery storage. These devices rely on harvesting energy from the environment to power themselves, such as solar energy, radio waves, motion, vibration, heat, or pressure. Cellular-based passive IoT technology can leverage existing large-scale cellular infrastructure to reduce costs, while also utilizing many mature cellular technologies to improve coverage, such as interference management and mobility management.

[0004] Current cellular-based IoT devices require real-time uplink synchronization management when communicating with network devices. These devices can establish uplink synchronization with network devices using the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) to request resource allocation from the network.

[0005] Since environmental IoT devices have limited energy storage capacity, or may not even include energy storage components, i.e. have no energy storage capacity, there is a need for a method that can enable environmental IoT devices to initially connect to network devices with low energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a communication method and device that enables environmental IoT devices to initially access network devices with low power consumption.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method applicable to Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The method includes: receiving pre-configuration information, wherein the configuration information is configuration information for an access request; and sending an access request based on the configuration information, wherein the access request includes access request information, wherein the access request information includes an access request information sequence, or wherein the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a protection interval (GP), or wherein the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a cyclic prefix (CP).

[0008] The solution provided in this application defines the format of the access request information. The access request information may only include an access request information sequence, or it may only include an access request information sequence and a GP, or it may only include a CP and an access request information sequence. The structure of this access request information sequence is simple, thus reducing the coding capability requirements of IoT devices. This allows IoT devices to use lower-cost, lower-power hardware to send access request information and enables environmental IoT devices to initially access network devices with lower energy consumption. This aligns with the current development trend of environmental IoT devices and has high practicality.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence and receiving configuration information, including: the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the duration of the protection interval (GP) between two adjacent access request information time domain resources. In this approach, the structure of the access request information is relatively simplified, excluding GP and CP. GP is indicated through the configuration information to ensure that access request information sent by IoT devices in different environments is interleaved in the time domain when time is asynchronous.

[0010] In one possible implementation, sending an access request according to configuration information specifically includes: determining the timing for sending the access request based on the starting time domain position of the time domain resource of the first access request information, the number of time domain resources of the access request information, and the time length information of the protection interval (GP) between two adjacent time domain resources of the access request information; and sending the access request at the timing.

[0011] This method allows IoT devices to send access requests at the right time.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence, and the receiving configuration information includes: receiving configuration information, the configuration information including the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources.

[0013] In this approach, GP can be a parameter predefined by the protocol and stored locally on the IoT device without requiring configuration information to indicate it.

[0014] In one possible implementation, sending an access request according to configuration information specifically includes: determining the timing of sending the access request based on the predefined protection interval (GP) between two adjacent access request information time domain resources, the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource carried in the configuration information, and the number of access request information time domain resources; and sending the access request at the specified timing.

[0015] This method allows IoT devices to send access requests at the right time.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the configuration information also includes configuration information about the length of the access request information sequence.

[0017] In this approach, IoT devices do not need to store the length configuration information of the request information sequence locally; instead, the length is indicated by the configuration information.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a protection interval (GP). The configuration information received includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources.

[0019] In this approach, a guard interval (GP) is incorporated into the access request information to ensure that access request information sent by IoT devices in different environments is interleaved in the time domain when their times are out of sync. The guard interval (GP) can be predefined by the protocol.

[0020] In one possible implementation, sending an access request based on configuration information includes: determining the timing for sending the access request based on the starting time-domain position of the time-domain resource of the first access request information and the number of time-domain resources of the access request information; and sending the access request at the specified timing.

[0021] This method allows IoT devices to send access requests at the right time.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may also include one or more of the following: the length configuration information of the access request information sequence or the time length information of the protection interval (GP) of the access request information.

[0023] At this time, the IoT device may not store the length configuration information of the access request information sequence and / or the time length information of the protection interval (GP) of the access request information locally, but the configuration information will indicate the length.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence. The configuration information received includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval (GP) between two adjacent access request information time domain resources.

[0025] In this implementation, the cyclic prefix (CP) can be simplified. Setting the CP in the access request information enhances compatibility on the network device side and reduces changes to related algorithms. The GP is indicated through configuration information to ensure that access request information sent by IoT devices in different environments is interleaved in the time domain when time is out of sync.

[0026] In one possible implementation, sending an access request according to configuration information specifically includes: determining the timing for sending the access request based on the starting time domain position of the time domain resource of the first access request information, the number of time domain resources of the access request information, and the time length information of the protection interval (GP) between two adjacent time domain resources of the access request information; and sending the access request at the timing.

[0027] This method allows IoT devices to send access requests at the right time.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence. The configuration information received includes the starting time-domain position of the first access request information time-domain resource and the number of access request information time-domain resources.

[0029] In this approach, GP can be a parameter predefined by the protocol and stored locally on the IoT device without requiring configuration information to indicate it.

[0030] In one possible implementation, sending an access request according to configuration information specifically includes: determining the timing of sending the access request based on the predefined protection interval (GP) between two adjacent access request information time domain resources, the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource carried in the configuration information, and the number of access request information time domain resources; and sending the access request at the specified timing.

[0031] This method allows IoT devices to send access requests at the right time.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may also include configuration information for the length of the access request information; or, it may include at least one of the configuration information for the length of the CP and the configuration information for the length of the access request information sequence.

[0033] In this approach, the IoT device may not store the length configuration information of the access request information locally; or, the IoT device may not store at least one of the length configuration information of the CP and the length configuration information of the access request information sequence locally, but the configuration information will indicate the length configuration information.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE); or, the configuration information is carried in the downlink control information; or, the configuration information is carried in the broadcast information.

[0035] Secondly, this application also provides a communication method that can be applied to a network device. The method includes: sending configuration information, wherein the configuration information is configuration information for an access request; receiving an access request, wherein the access request includes access request information, wherein the access request information includes an access request information sequence, or wherein the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a protection interval GP, or wherein the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a cyclic prefix CP.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence and sending configuration information, including: the sending configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval GP between two adjacent access request information time domain resources.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a preamble sequence and transmission configuration information, including the starting time-domain position of the first access request information time-domain resource and the number of access request information time-domain resources.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the configuration information also includes configuration information about the length of the access request information sequence.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a protection interval (GP). The transmission configuration information includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may also include one or more of the following: the length configuration information of the access request information sequence or the time length information of the protection interval (GP) of the access request information.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence. The transmission configuration information includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval (GP) between two adjacent access request information time domain resources.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence, and the transmission configuration information includes: transmission configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may also include configuration information for the length of the access request information; or, it may include at least one of the configuration information for the length of the CP and the configuration information for the length of the access request information sequence.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE); or, the configuration information is carried in the downlink control information; or, the configuration information is carried in the broadcast information.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the access request information is a preamble.

[0046] In one possible implementation, before sending the configuration information, the method further includes: determining the time length information of the GP based on one or more of the cell radius and processing delay parameters.

[0047] In this implementation, the GP duration information is determined by the network device. For example, the network device can determine the initial CP duration based on the cell radius. After determining the processing delay duration, the network device can add the initial CP duration and the processing delay duration together, using the resulting duration as the final determined CP duration. Alternatively, the network device can use the maximum value between the initial CP duration and the processing delay duration as the CP duration.

[0048] In one possible implementation, before sending the configuration information, the method further includes: using the cell radius and processing delay parameters to match the time length information of the GP from a first correspondence table, wherein the first correspondence table is a correspondence table between the cell radius, processing delay parameters and the time length information of the GP.

[0049] In one possible implementation, before sending the configuration information, the method further includes: determining the GP duration information based on a proximity indication. The proximity indication is used to indicate the distance between the network device and the receiving device of the configuration information, and the duration indicated by the GP duration information is positively correlated with the magnitude of the distance.

[0050] In this implementation, when the network device indicates a long distance from the IoT device, the network device will configure a longer CP duration; when the network device indicates a long distance from the IoT device, the network device will configure a moderate CP duration; and when the network device indicates a short distance from the IoT device, the network device will configure a shorter CP duration.

[0051] In one possible implementation, when the configuration information includes CP length configuration information, the method further includes, before sending the configuration information, determining the CP length configuration information based on one or more of the cell radius and processing delay parameters.

[0052] In one possible implementation, when the configuration information includes the length configuration information of the CP, before sending the configuration information, the method further includes: using the cell radius and processing delay parameters to match the length configuration information of the CP from a first correspondence table, wherein the first correspondence table is a correspondence table between the cell radius, processing delay parameters and the length configuration information of the CP.

[0053] In one possible implementation, when the configuration information includes CP length configuration information, the method further includes, before sending the configuration information, determining the CP length configuration information based on a proximity indication, wherein the proximity indication is used to indicate the distance between the network device and the receiving device of the configuration information, and the time length indicated by the CP length configuration information is positively correlated with the distance.

[0054] Thirdly, this application also provides an Internet of Things (IoT) device, which includes at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions to implement the communication method as described in the first aspect and any implementation thereof.

[0055] Fourthly, this application also provides a network device, which includes a processor and a memory. The processor is coupled to the memory, the memory is used to store instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory to implement the communication method as described in the second aspect and any implementation thereof above.

[0056] Fifthly, this application also provides a computer storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed, implements the communication method described in the first aspect and any implementation thereof, or implements the communication method described in the second aspect and any implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0057] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of different categories of IoT connection scale provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0058] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a preamble format provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 8 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another preamble format provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 10 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another preamble format provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 12 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of an Internet of Things (IoT) device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0074] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of this application, the application scenario of the technical solution of this application will be described first below.

[0075] With the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, a consensus has been reached on classifying IoT nodes into three different speed levels: high-speed IoT, medium-speed IoT, and low-speed IoT. High-speed IoT is primarily supported by technologies such as 5G (Enhanced Mobile Broadband), 4G Category 4+, and Wi-Fi 6. Medium-speed IoT is mainly supported by technologies such as 4G Cat.1, 3G, and 2G. Low-speed IoT is primarily supported by technologies such as Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Different speeds also correspond to different power consumption levels, forming three distinct scenarios and addressing three different levels of IoT connection numbers.

[0076] Referring to Figure 1, this figure is a schematic diagram of different categories of IoT connection scales provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0077] Low-speed IoT standards such as NB-IoT, LoRaWAN, and BLE can support tens of billions of connections, while medium-speed and high-speed IoT standards can only achieve a much smaller connection scale. Based on these three types of IoT scenarios, Ambient IoT, also known as passive IoT, will become the main source of hundreds of billions of IoT connections.

[0078] The main application scenarios of Ambient IoT include, but are not limited to, industrial sensor networks, logistics and warehousing, smart wearable devices, healthcare, smart homes, and other fields, which will be explained in detail below.

[0079] Industrial sensor networks: Industrial sensor networks are mainly used in industrial production processes, such as temperature and humidity monitoring, vibration monitoring, and production line monitoring, thereby achieving industrial automation and intelligent management. Taking railway track measurement as an example, by deploying zero-power sensing devices under the tracks, rail pressure, temperature, and other information can be monitored and collected. Furthermore, these devices can also be deployed in extreme environments where batteries cannot sustain long-term operation, such as high and low temperatures, moving or rotating parts, high vibration conditions, and high humidity.

[0080] Logistics and Warehousing: With the continued growth of the logistics industry, enterprises are facing increasing pressure on warehousing and labor costs. Digital management of logistics parcels can not only further improve the efficiency of logistics and warehousing management but also save significant labor costs. Zero-power communication technology involves attaching communication terminal tags to the surface of parcels or goods packaging for acquiring logistics information and managing the entire logistics process, making warehousing operations simpler and more efficient. These communication terminal tags can also be used for environmental IoT devices.

[0081] Smart wearable devices: Following mobile phones, smart wearable devices are among the personal consumer terminals with the greatest potential for large-scale application. Currently, various wearable devices have achieved wireless connectivity. Depending on the functional positioning of different products, they can realize multiple application scenarios such as health monitoring, sports monitoring, motion sensing, and mobile positioning. The goal of zero-power communication technology is to ultimately break free from battery limitations, achieving longer battery life, more convenient energy security, and a better user experience.

[0082] Healthcare: Portable medical devices can meet consumers' home health service needs, but due to the special nature of medical monitoring equipment (especially implantable devices), issues such as battery life and power supply portability greatly limit the expansion of their application scenarios. Zero-power IoT technology can achieve extremely low power consumption; at the same time, eliminating the need for batteries allows for smaller size, facilitates flexible folding, and eliminates concerns about liquid immersion, thus aiding in real-time monitoring of medical device data and efficient digital management of health status.

[0083] Smart Home: The application of zero-power communication technology in the field of smart homes can eliminate complex wiring, enabling each terminal to be controlled independently and achieving long-lasting online operation without human power intervention.

[0084] Traditional radio frequency identification (RFID) is a passive Internet of Things (IoT) technology that uses radio frequency for non-contact, two-way data communication. It reads and writes data to recording media (electronic tags or RFID cards) to identify targets and exchange data. However, this technology lacks interference management, does not support mobility, and has a coverage distance of only about 10 meters. Therefore, it is difficult to support the future demand of hundreds of billions of users. Consequently, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is discussing the development of passive IoT technologies based on cellular communication. On the one hand, it can leverage existing large-scale cellular infrastructure to reduce costs; on the other hand, it can utilize many mature cellular communication technologies to improve the coverage of passive IoT, such as interference management and mobility management.

[0085] The architecture of the communication system in the embodiments of this application will be introduced first below.

[0086] Referring to Figure 2A, this figure is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0087] The communication system includes network device 201, Ambient IoT device 204, and auxiliary node 203.

[0088] The auxiliary node 203 can be a relay, user equipment (UE), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, repeater, etc. During downlink transmission, the Ambient IoT device 204 can obtain downlink data sent by the network device 201 through the auxiliary node 203. The auxiliary node 203 and the network device 201 communicate via a Uu interface. Here, uppercase U represents the user-to-network interface (UNI), and lowercase u represents universal.

[0089] Referring to Figure 2B, this figure is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0090] The communication system includes network device 201, Ambient IoT device 204, and auxiliary node 203.

[0091] The auxiliary node 203 can be a relay, user equipment (UE), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, repeater, etc. During uplink transmission, the Ambient IoT device 204 can send uplink data to the network device 201 through the auxiliary node 203. The auxiliary node 203 and the network device 201 communicate via the Uu interface.

[0092] Referring to Figure 3, this figure is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0093] The communication system includes network device 201, terminal device 202, and Ambient IoT device 204. In this implementation, terminal device 202 acts as an intermediate node. The intermediate node can be a UE, IAB node, repeater, etc., and this application does not specify any particular type.

[0094] Among them, the Ambient IoT device 204 can be used to receive excitation signals or backscattered signals.

[0095] Optionally, the Ambient IoT device 204 may not be a power storage device and may not be able to independently generate or amplify signals.

[0096] Optionally, the Ambient IoT device 204 can be a power storage device, but it cannot independently generate or amplify signals.

[0097] Optionally, the Ambient IoT device 204 can be a power storage device or can independently generate or amplify signals.

[0098] Optionally, the Ambient IoT device 204 is a power storage device (capacitor) or a super capacitor. The communication method proposed in this application embodiment can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG3.

[0099] Referring to Figure 4, this figure is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0100] The communication system includes a network device 201 and an Ambient IoT device 204. The Ambient IoT device 204 and the network device 201 can establish communication, and the communication method proposed in this embodiment is also applicable to the communication system shown in FIG4.

[0101] Referring to Figure 5, this figure is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0102] The communication system includes a terminal device 202 and an Ambient IoT device 204. In this system, the terminal device 202 is a device deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication functionality for the Ambient IoT device 204. In other words, the terminal device 202 functions similarly to a network device.

[0103] The communication method proposed in this application embodiment can also be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 5.

[0104] The Ambient IoT device 204 mentioned above can also be referred to as a device. A network device can also be referred to as a reader, meaning that a network device can act as a reader / writer, or a reader / writer endpoint.

[0105] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to cellular communication systems related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as 4th generation (4G) communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) communication systems, and can also be applied to 5th generation (5G) communication systems, such as 5G new radio (NR) communication systems, or to various future communication systems, such as 6th generation (6G) communication systems.

[0106] The method provided in this application can also be applied to Bluetooth systems, Wi-Fi systems, LoRa systems, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, supporting communication systems that integrate multiple wireless technologies, and device-to-device (D2D) systems. The method provided in this application can also be applied to satellite communication systems. The satellite communication system can be integrated with the aforementioned communication systems. The wireless communication systems involved in this application also include, but are not limited to: narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), or time division-synchronization code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA).

[0107] The aforementioned network device 201 can be an access network device for a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G mobile communication system or a 5G mobile communication system. The network device can also be an access network device in an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). Alternatively, the network device can be an access network device in a communication system resulting from the integration of two or more of the above communication systems.

[0108] Network equipment 201 includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node eB, HNB), base band unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, macro base station, micro base station, wireless relay node, donor node, radio controller in CR AN scenarios, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and receiving point (TRP). Network equipment can also be access network equipment in a 5G mobile communication system. For example, next-generation Node B (gNB) in a new radio (NR) system, TRP, TP, or one or more antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system. Alternatively, network devices can also be network nodes constituting a gNB or transmission point. Examples include centralized units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). Alternatively, network devices can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in V2X technology, network devices can be roadside units (RSUs).

[0109] It should be noted that the network device can be the device or apparatus shown above, or a component (e.g., a chip), module, or unit in the device or apparatus shown above; this application does not limit the specific details.

[0110] Terminal equipment 202, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), is a device that provides voice or data connectivity to a user. Specifically, it includes devices that provide voice connectivity, devices that provide data connectivity, or devices that provide both voice and data connectivity. For example, it may include a handheld device with wireless connectivity or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. This terminal equipment can communicate with the core network via a radio access network (RAN), exchanging voice or data with the RAN, or interacting with the RAN to exchange voice and data. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), in-vehicle devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in remote surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying equipment (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, a terminal device can also be a device that performs terminal functions in D2D communication.Terminal devices can also include vehicle-to-everything (V2X) terminal devices, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal devices, internet of things (IoT) terminal devices, light UEs, reduced capability UEs (REDCAP UEs), subscriber units, subscriber stations, mobile stations, remote stations, access points (APs), remote terminals, access terminals, user terminals, user agents, or user devices, and drone equipment. For example, this can include mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers with mobile terminal devices, portable, pocket-sized, handheld, and computer-embedded mobile devices, etc. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) telephones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). It also includes limited devices, such as devices with low power consumption, limited storage capacity, or limited computing power. Examples include information sensing devices such as barcode scanners, radio frequency identification (RFID), sensors, global positioning systems (GPS), and laser scanners. In this application, terminal devices with wireless transceiver capabilities and chips that can be installed in the aforementioned terminal devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices.

[0111] It should be noted that the terminal device may be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuitry, or a chip, module or control unit in the device or apparatus shown above. This application does not limit the specific device.

[0112] In current IoT technologies based on cellular communication, when a device needs to communicate with a reader, it can initiate random access using PRACH to request resources from the network. The random access process begins when the device sends an access request message via PRACH. The reader can be a base station, a small cell, or a UE, etc.

[0113] In existing schemes, when mobile phones and other terminal devices make random access, the preamble transmitted via PRACH includes a cyclic prefix (CP), a preamble sequence, and a guard period (GP).

[0114] CP is a loop structure that copies the signal from the tail of an OFDM symbol to the head, which can resist inter-symbol interference (ISI) and inter-carrier interference (ICI).

[0115] The length of the preamble sequence affects the quality of reception of the sequence by network devices. In LTE systems, the preamble sequence used is the Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence.

[0116] GP is used to eliminate interference between uplink data from different terminal devices when their times are out of sync. The size of GP determines the access coverage radius of the network device.

[0117] However, current environmental IoT devices have limited energy storage capabilities, and may even lack energy storage components altogether, meaning they have no energy storage capacity. Therefore, their coding capabilities are limited, and the above format is not suitable for environmental IoT devices. Using the preamble format would increase energy consumption during interaction between the environmental IoT device and network devices due to the sending of signaling carrying preambles. Therefore, a method is needed to enable environmental IoT devices to initially connect to network devices with lower energy consumption.

[0118] To address the above issues, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and device that enables environmental IoT devices to initially access network devices with low power consumption.

[0119] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0120] The Ambient IoT device described in the following description of this application may also be referred to as an Internet of Things device or simply as a device.

[0121] Referring to Figure 6, this figure is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0122] The communication method provided in this application includes the following steps:

[0123] S11: Send configuration information.

[0124] In the application scenario of this application, since IoT devices have limited energy storage capabilities, or even no energy storage capabilities at all, it is necessary to improve the information interaction efficiency between network devices and Internet devices and reduce the amount of information interaction to reduce the energy consumption of IoT devices. Network devices can pre-configure the time-domain resource locations of multiple random access request information on the PRACH, and before IoT devices initiate random access, they can indicate the time-domain resource locations of the access request information through the configuration information of the access request information. That is, they can send the configuration information of the access request information to one or more IoT devices, so that one or more IoT devices capable of establishing a connection can send access requests carrying access request information at appropriate time-domain resource locations when initiating random access.

[0125] S12: Send a random access request based on the configuration information.

[0126] After receiving the configuration information for the access request, the IoT device parses the information to determine when to send the random access request. Then, the IoT device can send an access request carrying access request information at an appropriate time-domain resource location.

[0127] In one possible implementation, the access request information included in the access request is a preamble. Alternatively, the access request information can be other information, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0128] This application proposes a specific information format for access request information when IoT devices connect to the network, which will be explained in detail below.

[0129] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes only an access request information sequence. This application does not specifically limit the sequence type, encoding method, or sequence length of the access request information sequence.

[0130] The sequence type of the access request information may include, but is not limited to, a pseudo-random (PN) sequence, a longest linear feedback shift register sequence (M-sequence), a Gold sequence, a Zadoff-Chu sequence, etc. In other embodiments, the sequence type of the access request information may also be a sequence composed of multiple binary numbers 0 and 1.

[0131] The encoding methods for access request information may include, but are not limited to, Manchester encoding, Pulse Interval Encoding (PIE), Miller Encoding, and Pulse Position Modulation (PPM) encoding.

[0132] In another possible implementation, the access request information may not be encoded, but may simply include a sequence of multiple binary numbers 0 and 1. This application embodiment does not limit the specific number of bits in the binary number.

[0133] In this implementation, the access request information sent by the IoT device only includes the access request information sequence, excluding GP and CP. The technical effects of this design are as follows: Firstly, the processor capabilities of environmental IoT devices are generally relatively simplified and have lower power consumption. This implementation simplifies the structure of the access request information, thus reducing the requirement for the encoding capabilities of the IoT device. The IoT device can use lower-cost, lower-power hardware to complete the encoding and transmission of the access request. Secondly, by simplifying the structure of the access request information, the amount of information in the access request information is reduced, which shortens the time consumed by the environmental IoT device to send the access request information in the corresponding access request information time domain resource, and also shortens the waiting time for the transition to the next suitable access request information time domain resource. This can reduce the power consumption of the environmental IoT device during random access.

[0134] In another possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a guard interval (GP). In this implementation, the guard interval (GP) is designed into the access request information. This is because, in practical applications, environmental IoT devices cannot know in advance the distance between themselves and the reader. Therefore, to avoid uplink data interference with other environmental IoT devices, a GP can be designed into the access request information to ensure that, when time is out of sync, the access request information sent by different environmental IoT devices is interleaved in the time domain.

[0135] In another possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence.

[0136] In this implementation, the cyclic prefix (CP) can be simplified. This is because for current IoT devices, data transmission is mainly serial time-division multiplexing (TDM), so ISI and ICI are basically non-existent. Therefore, using CP to resist ISI and ICI is not very effective. In this embodiment, adding CP to the access request information is mainly because in the relevant 3GPP protocols, the preamble sent by the mobile terminal during random access carries CP. The network device already has the ability to identify and process preambles carrying CP. Therefore, setting CP in the access request information can enhance the compatibility of the network device and reduce changes to the relevant algorithms on the network device side.

[0137] After generating random access request information, the IoT device sends an access request carrying this access request information at the response time-domain resource location of the PRACH channel. For network devices, since the network device side knows the time-domain resource location of each access request information in advance, the network device side can blindly detect the access request information at each access request information time-domain resource location.

[0138] For example, the network device pre-allocates access request information time-domain resource locations including: access request information time-domain resource location 1, access request information time-domain resource location 2, and access request information time-domain resource location 3. The network device can then detect whether it has received access request information at these three time-domain resource locations. If access request information is detected, a random access response (RAR) can be sent. In one possible implementation, the network device can send a timing advance command (TAC) in the RAR based on the time the access request information is received to complete the uplink synchronization of the IoT device.

[0139] In summary, the solution provided in this application defines the format of access request information, enabling environmental IoT devices to initially access network devices with low energy consumption. Because the access request information format of this application is simple, the hardware requirements for environmental IoT devices are reduced, and energy consumption is also reduced, which aligns with the current development trend of environmental IoT devices and demonstrates high practicality.

[0140] For ease of explanation, the following embodiments use access request information as a preamble as an example. It can be understood that access request information can also be other information, such as other predefined information. That is, the format of the preamble in the following description of this application can also be applied to the format of access request information that may be used.

[0141] The following section will explain the specific format of the preamble.

[0142] Referring to Figure 7, this figure is a schematic diagram of a preamble format provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0143] Part (A) in Figure 7 illustrates the format of a single preamble. In this implementation, the preamble only includes the preamble sequence and does not need to include CP and GP.

[0144] The interval between adjacent preamble time-domain resources is indicated by the configuration information sent by the network device.

[0145] Network devices can pre-allocate multiple preamble time-domain resource positions, as illustrated in Figure 7(B), which shows Preamble time-domain resource position 1, Preamble time-domain resource position 2, and Preamble time-domain resource position 3. There is an interval between adjacent time-domain resource positions. This interval can be configured by the network device and is not part of the preamble format.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the duration of the interval is generally positively correlated with the access coverage radius of the network device; that is, the larger the access coverage radius of the network device, the longer the duration of the interval.

[0147] For the same network device, the time interval indicated in the configuration information sent within its coverage radius is generally the same.

[0148] The reason for setting an interval between adjacent preamble time domain resources is that, in practical applications, environmental IoT devices cannot know the distance between themselves and the reader in advance. Therefore, in order to avoid uplink data interference with other environmental IoT devices, setting an interval between two adjacent preamble time domain resources can avoid mutual interference caused by the intersection of preambles sent by different environmental IoT devices in the time domain when they are out of sync.

[0149] For example, after environmental IoT device 1 sends a preamble at Preamble time domain resource location 1, environmental IoT device 2 sends a preamble at Preamble time domain resource location 2 after an interval. Even if environmental IoT device 2 sends its preamble slightly earlier due to time asynchrony, resulting in its actual preamble transmission time falling within the interval, since environmental IoT device 1's preamble transmission has already finished, environmental IoT device 2's preamble will not interfere with the preamble sent by environmental IoT device 1.

[0150] In addition, the time interval needs to take into account not only the delay in sending preambles to subsequent IoT devices, but also the processing time on the network device side.

[0151] This implementation simplifies the preamble structure and reduces its information content, thus shortening the time it takes for environmental IoT devices to send preambles to the corresponding preamble time domain resources. For example, the time taken to send a preamble at Preamble time domain resource location 1 is reduced. Furthermore, the waiting time for transitioning to the next suitable preamble time domain resource is also reduced. For instance, if the device is currently in Preamble time domain resource location 1 and determines it needs to send a preamble at Preamble time domain resource location 2, the waiting time for transitioning to Preamble time domain resource location 2 is shortened due to the reduced duration of a single time domain resource, thereby reducing power consumption during random access by environmental IoT devices.

[0152] Referring to Figure 8, this figure is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0153] The method includes the following steps:

[0154] S21: Configuration information for sending the preamble.

[0155] Configuration information is used to indicate the time-domain resource location where IoT devices send access requests carrying preambles.

[0156] In this implementation, the configuration information may include the starting time domain position T0 of the first preamble time domain resource, the number N of preamble time domain resources, and the time length information TG of the protection interval between two adjacent preamble time domain resources.

[0157] Referring to Figure 7, the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource is also the starting time of position 1 of the preamble time-domain resource. The number N of the preamble time-domain resources in Figure 7 is 3. TG is the length of the interval.

[0158] IoT devices can determine the starting position of any Preamble time-domain resource location based on the above T0, N, and TG.

[0159] For example, the length configuration information of a single Preamble sequence can be specified in the protocol. Known to IoT devices, the IoT devices can determine the position of Preamble time domain resource position 2 based on the first Preamble time domain resource position TG, the time length of delaying a single Preamble sequence, and the time length information of a guard interval TG.

[0160] In one possible implementation, configuration information is carried in the Media Access Control (MAC) CE element. The MAC CE, besides RRC, is another way for IoT devices and network devices to exchange control information, providing signaling for MAC layer interaction between IoT devices and network devices. It enables uplink synchronization adjustment, activation, and deactivation functions.

[0161] In another possible implementation, configuration information is carried within control information, which is transmitted from the reader to the IoT device via the physical reader-to-device channel (PRDCH). This control information can also be referred to as downlink control information.

[0162] Currently, in the 3GPP design for Ambient IoT technology, only one physical channel, PRDCH, is introduced for downlink. The downlink control information transmitted by PRDCH mainly includes scheduling information required for IoT devices to receive downlink data information and transmit uplink information. It can also transmit slot format indicators (SFI) and preemption indicators (PI).

[0163] In another possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in the broadcast information sent by the network device, which then broadcasts the configuration information to IoT devices within its coverage radius.

[0164] In this embodiment of the application, the length of the guard interval (GP) between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources can be determined by the network device side, as explained below.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the network device can determine the GP duration by combining one or more parameters such as cell radius and network device processing latency.

[0166] For example, network devices can determine the initial GP duration based on the cell radius. Additionally, to determine the processing delay duration, the network device can add the initial GP duration and the processing delay duration, using the resulting duration as the final GP duration. Alternatively, the network device can use the maximum value between the initial GP duration and the processing delay duration as the GP duration.

[0167] In another possible implementation, the network device can maintain a mapping table between cell radius, processing latency, and GP duration. The network device can match the GP duration from the table based on its own cell radius and processing latency parameters. The mapping table can be found in Table 1 below.

[0168] Table 1: Correspondence between cell radius, processing delay, and GP duration

[0169] In another possible implementation, the network device can determine the duration of the proximity indication (GP) based on an indication of its proximity to the IoT device. The proximity indication serves to show the distance between the network device and the IoT device. For example, if the network device indicates a long distance from the IoT device, it will configure a longer GP duration, such as a first duration; if the network device indicates a long distance, it will configure a moderate GP duration, such as a second duration; and if the network device indicates a short distance, it will configure a shorter GP duration, such as a third duration. The first duration is greater than the second duration, and the second duration is greater than the third duration; that is, the duration indicated by the GP duration information is positively correlated with the distance.

[0170] S22: Determine the timing for sending the access request based on the starting time domain position of the first preamble time domain resource, the number of preamble time domain resources, and the time length information of the GP between two adjacent preamble time domain resources.

[0171] After receiving the configuration information of the preamble, the IoT device parses the configuration information of the preamble to determine T0, N, and T. G Configuration information, etc.

[0172] Then the IoT device is based on T0, N, T G Determine when to send the access request. Since the preamble only includes the preamble sequence at this time, the preamble's duration information is the preamble sequence length configuration information. The preamble's duration information can be predefined by the protocol and stored locally by the IoT device.

[0173] For example, if an IoT device determines that it is currently within Preamble time-domain resource location 1, and can only send an access request carrying a preamble at the next Preamble time-domain resource location, then the IoT device can determine its access request based on the first Preamble time-domain resource location T. G The time length of delay for a single Preamble sequence and the time length of a guard interval, T. GThe location of Preamble time domain resource position 2 is then determined, and the start time of Preamble time domain resource position 2 is used as the timing for sending the access request.

[0174] S23: Send an access request at the appropriate time.

[0175] When an IoT device is at a determined transmission opportunity, it sends an access request carrying a preamble.

[0176] S24: The network device sends a timed advance command.

[0177] For network devices, since the network device side knows the time domain resource location of each preamble in advance, the network device side can blindly detect the preamble at each time domain resource location.

[0178] Network devices can send a timing advance command (TAC) in RAR based on the time the preamble is received to complete the uplink synchronization of IoT devices.

[0179] In the above configuration information, the time parameters for time-domain resources and protection intervals can be absolute time or relative time, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this. Absolute time can be Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) time or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). GNSS can be Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), or Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS). Relative time can be system frame number (SFN), timeslot number, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol number, or OFDM symbol offset value, etc.

[0180] In the above embodiments, the IoT device locally stores the sequence format of the Preamble defined by the relevant protocol. That is, the IoT device locally stores the length configuration information of a single Preamble sequence. The following describes the implementation method when the IoT device does not locally store the length configuration information of a single Preamble sequence.

[0181] At this point, in S21, the configuration information sent by the network device includes not only the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource, the number N of preamble time-domain resources, but also the time length information T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources. G It also includes the time length configuration information T of a single Preamble sequence. s .

[0182] T s Used to indicate the time length of a sequence in a single Preamble.

[0183] At this point in S22, when the IoT device determines when to send the access request, it uses the T parameter in the configuration information. s T0, N, T G The timing for sending access requests is determined by the configuration information.

[0184] For example, if an IoT device determines that it is currently within Preamble time-domain resource location 1, and can only send an access request carrying a preamble at the next Preamble time-domain resource location, then the IoT device can determine its access request based on T. G Delay T s With T G The location of Preamble time domain resource position 2 is then determined, and the start time of Preamble time domain resource position 2 is used as the timing for sending the access request.

[0185] In another possible implementation, in S21, the configuration information sent by the network device may only include the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource and the number N of preamble time-domain resources. The time length information T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources may also be included. G And the time length configuration information T of a single Preamble sequence. s As predefined configuration parameters of the protocol, they are stored locally on the IoT device without requiring instructions from the network device.

[0186] At this point in S22, when determining the timing for sending an access request, the IoT device utilizes N and T from the configuration information. G Configuration information, and the time length information T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources stored locally.G and T s To determine when to send the machine access request.

[0187] In summary, the scheme provided in this application provides a preamble structure for random access of IoT devices. This preamble only includes the preamble sequence and excludes GP and CP, simplifying the preamble structure and reducing the encoding capability requirements of IoT devices. IoT devices can use lower-cost, lower-power hardware to encode and transmit the preamble. Furthermore, it reduces the time required for environmental IoT devices to transmit the preamble within the corresponding preamble time domain resources, as well as the time spent waiting to transition to the next suitable preamble time domain resource, thereby reducing power consumption during random access of environmental IoT devices.

[0188] The following describes the implementation method when the preamble includes a preamble sequence and a guard interval (GP).

[0189] Referring to Figure 9, this figure is a schematic diagram of another preamble format provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0190] Part (C) in Figure 9 illustrates the format of a single preamble. In this implementation, the preamble includes a preamble sequence and a guard interval (GP, referred to as the interval in the figure), but does not need to include the guard interval (CP). The encoding corresponding to the interval is empty, meaning the preamble has no specific temporal encoding within the interval.

[0191] Adjacent preamble sequences are separated by a preamble interval.

[0192] Network devices can pre-allocate multiple preamble time-domain resource positions, such as the preamble time-domain resource position 1, preamble time-domain resource position 2 and preamble time-domain resource position 3 shown in part (B) of Figure 7.

[0193] In one possible implementation, the duration of the interval is generally positively correlated with the access coverage radius of the network device; that is, the larger the access coverage radius of the network device, the longer the duration of the interval.

[0194] For the same network device, the time interval indicated in the configuration information sent within its coverage radius is generally the same.

[0195] The interval is defined in the preamble format because, in practical applications, environmental IoT devices cannot know the distance between themselves and the reader in advance. Therefore, to avoid uplink data interference with other environmental IoT devices, setting an interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources can prevent mutual interference caused by the time-domain intersection of preambles sent by different environmental IoT devices when their times are not synchronized. Comparing Figure 9 and Figure 7, the difference in this implementation is that the intervals in Figure 7 that are not part of the preamble format are adjusted to be part of the preamble format. However, since the IoT device does not need to encode within the time corresponding to the interval, it does not bring any encoding complexity to the IoT device.

[0196] Referring to Figure 10, this figure is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0197] S31: Configuration information for sending the preamble.

[0198] Configuration information is used to indicate the time-domain resource location where IoT devices send access requests carrying preambles.

[0199] In this implementation, the configuration information may include the starting time domain position T0 of the first preamble time domain resource, and the number N of the preamble time domain resources.

[0200] Referring also to Figure 9, the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource is also the starting time of preamble time-domain resource position 1. The number N of preamble time-domain resources in Figure 9 is 3.

[0201] Based on T0 and N above, IoT devices can determine the starting position of any one of the N time-domain resource locations.

[0202] For example, the length configuration information of a single preamble sequence and the time length information T of the guard interval. G The protocol can specify that, given the IoT device is known, the IoT device can determine the time-domain resource location T based on the first preamble. G The time length of a single preamble sequence and the time length of a guard interval, T. G The position of the preamble time-domain resource location 2 was then determined.

[0203] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0204] In another possible implementation, configuration information is carried in control information, which can be sent by the network device acting as a reader via PRDCH.

[0205] In another possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in the broadcast information sent by the network device.

[0206] S32: Determine the timing for sending the access request based on the starting time-domain position of the first preamble time-domain resource and the number of preamble time-domain resources.

[0207] After receiving the configuration information of the preamble, the IoT device parses the configuration information of the preamble and then determines the configuration information such as T0 and N.

[0208] IoT devices can determine when to send an access request based on the starting time domain position of the first preamble time domain resource and the number of preamble time domain resources.

[0209] For example, if an IoT device determines based on its configuration information that it is currently within the preamble time-domain resource location 1, and can only send an access request carrying the preamble at the next preamble time-domain resource location, then the IoT device can determine its access request based on the first preamble time-domain resource location T. G Together with N, the time length of a single preamble sequence and the time length information T of a guard interval are predefined by the protocol. G The position of the preamble time domain resource location 2 is determined, and the start time position of the preamble time domain resource location 2 is used as the timing for sending the access request.

[0210] S33: Send an access request at the appropriate time.

[0211] When an IoT device is at a determined transmission opportunity, it sends an access request carrying a preamble.

[0212] S34: The network device sends a timed advance command.

[0213] For network devices, since the network device side knows the time domain resource location of each preamble in advance, the network device side can blindly detect the preamble at each time domain resource location.

[0214] Network devices can send TAC in RAR based on the time the preamble is received to complete the uplink synchronization of IoT devices.

[0215] In the above embodiments, the IoT device can locally store the format of the preamble predefined by the relevant protocol. That is, the IoT device pre-stores the length configuration information of a single preamble sequence and the time length information of the interval. The following describes the implementation method when the IoT device does not pre-store the length configuration information of the preamble sequence and / or the time length information of the guard interval (GP) of the preamble.

[0216] In one possible implementation, the IoT device can locally store configuration information T for the length of a single preamble sequence.s However, it does not store information about the duration of the interval.

[0217] At this point, in S31, the configuration information sent by the network device needs to include not only the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource and the number N of the preamble time-domain resources, but also the time length information T of the preamble guard interval. G In S32, when determining when to send an access request, the IoT device uses T0, N, and T in the configuration information. G Configuration information, and local storage T s Determine when to send the access request.

[0218] In another possible implementation, the IoT device can locally store information about the duration T of the protection interval. G However, it does not store the length configuration information T of a single preamble sequence. s .

[0219] At this point in S31, the configuration information sent by the network device includes not only the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource and the number N of the preamble time-domain resources, but also the time length configuration information T of a single preamble sequence. s In S32, when determining when to send an access request, the IoT device uses T0, N, and T in the configuration information. s Configuration information, and local storage T G Determine when to send the access request.

[0220] In another possible implementation, the IoT device does not store the length configuration information of a single preamble sequence locally, nor does it store the time length information of the guard interval.

[0221] At this point, in S31, the configuration information sent by the network device includes not only the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource and the number N of the preamble time-domain resources, but also the time length information T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources. G And the time length configuration information T of a single preamble sequence. s In S32, when determining when to send an access request, the IoT device uses T0, N, and T in the configuration information. s and T G The timing for sending access requests is determined by the configuration information.

[0222] In summary, the preamble structure for random access of environmental IoT devices, utilizing the scheme provided in this application, simplifies the preamble structure by including only a preamble sequence and a guard interval. This reduces the encoding capability requirements of the environmental IoT devices, allowing them to use lower-cost, lower-power hardware for encoding and transmission. Furthermore, the guard interval prevents interference caused by time-domain overlap of preambles transmitted by different environmental IoT devices at different times. This scheme reduces the time required for environmental IoT devices to transmit preambles within corresponding preamble time-domain resources and shortens the waiting time for transitioning to the next suitable preamble time-domain resource, thereby reducing power consumption during random access of environmental IoT devices.

[0223] The following describes the implementation method when the preamble includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and a preamble sequence.

[0224] Referring to Figure 11, this figure is a schematic diagram of another preamble format provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0225] Part (E) in Figure 11 illustrates the format of a single preamble, in which the preamble includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and a preamble sequence, without requiring a guard interval (referred to as the interval in Figure 11).

[0226] The interval between adjacent preamble time-domain resources is indicated by the configuration information sent by the network device.

[0227] Network devices can pre-allocate multiple preamble time-domain resource positions, as illustrated in part (F) of Figure 11, which shows preamble time-domain resource position 1, preamble time-domain resource position 2, and preamble time-domain resource position 3. There is an interval between adjacent time-domain resource positions. This interval can be configured by the network device and is not part of the preamble format.

[0228] In one possible implementation, the interval length is generally positively correlated with the network device's access coverage radius; that is, the larger the network device's access coverage radius, the longer the interval length. For the same network device, the interval length indicated in the configuration information sent within its coverage radius is generally the same.

[0229] The reason for setting an interval between adjacent preamble time domain resources is that, in practical applications, environmental IoT devices cannot know the distance between themselves and the reader in advance. Therefore, in order to avoid uplink data interference with other environmental IoT devices, setting an interval between two adjacent preamble time domain resources can avoid mutual interference caused by the intersection of preambles sent by different environmental IoT devices in the time domain when they are out of sync.

[0230] The cyclic prefix (CP) in the preamble format can be simplified, for example, by reducing the number of bits or using a simple cyclic method. This is because for current IoT devices, data transmission is mainly serial time-division multiplexing (TDM), so ISI and ICI are basically non-existent. Therefore, there is no need to use CP to resist ISI and ICI. In this embodiment, adding CP to the preamble is mainly because in the relevant 3GPP protocols, the preamble sent by the mobile terminal during random access carries CP. The network device already has the ability to identify and process such preambles carrying CP. Therefore, setting CP in the preamble in this solution can enhance compatibility on the network device side, reduce changes to the relevant algorithms on the network device side, and facilitate direct access of IoT devices to existing network devices.

[0231] Referring to Figure 12, this figure is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0232] The method includes the following steps:

[0233] S41: Send a broadcast message carrying configuration information with a preamble.

[0234] The configuration information of the preamble is used to indicate the time-domain resource location where the IoT device sends an access request carrying the preamble.

[0235] In this embodiment of the application, the configuration information is carried in the broadcast information sent by the network device, and the network device broadcasts the configuration information to IoT devices within its coverage radius through the broadcast information.

[0236] In one possible implementation, the configuration information can also be carried in the Media Access Control (MAC) CE.

[0237] In another possible implementation, configuration information can also be carried in control information, which can be sent by the network device acting as a reader via PRDCH.

[0238] The configuration information may include the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource, the number N of preamble time-domain resources, and the time length T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources. G .

[0239] As shown in Figure 11(F), the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource is also the starting time of preamble time-domain resource 1. The number N of preamble time-domain resources in Figure 11 is 3, but this value does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of this application. G That is, the length of the interval.

[0240] In this embodiment of the application, the length of the guard interval (GP) between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources can be determined by the network device side, as explained below.

[0241] In one possible implementation, the network device can determine the GP duration by combining one or more parameters such as cell radius and network device processing latency.

[0242] In another possible implementation, the network device can maintain a mapping table between cell radius, processing latency, and GP duration. The network device can then match the GP duration from this table based on its own cell radius and processing latency parameters. The mapping table can be found in Table 1 above.

[0243] In another possible implementation, the network device can determine the duration of the GP (Proximity Detection) based on an indication of its proximity to the IoT device. The proximity indication characterizes the distance between the network device and the IoT device. For example, if the network device indicates a long distance from the IoT device, it will configure a longer GP duration; if the network device indicates a long distance, it will configure a moderate GP duration; and if the network device indicates a short distance, it will configure a shorter GP duration.

[0244] S42: Determine the timing of sending the access request based on the starting time domain position of the first preamble time domain resource, the number of preamble time domain resources, the time length information of the GP between two adjacent preamble time domain resources, and the predefined time length information of the preamble.

[0245] After receiving the configuration information of the preamble, the IoT device parses the configuration information of the preamble to determine T0, N, and T. G Configuration information, etc.

[0246] Since IoT devices need to determine when to send access requests, they also need to know the duration of a single preamble. The preamble duration can be predefined by the protocol and stored locally by the IoT device. In one possible implementation, the IoT device locally stores both the cyclic prefix length configuration information and the preamble sequence length configuration information; the sum of these two is the preamble duration.

[0247] IoT devices can determine the time length of the preamble, as well as T0, N, and T6 based on the preamble's time length information. G The timing for sending the access request is determined by the configuration information.

[0248] For example, when an IoT device determines, based on T0, that it is already within the preamble time-domain resource location 1, it can only send an access request carrying the preamble at the next preamble time-domain resource location. Therefore, the IoT device can delay the request by adding the length of a single preamble and the length of a guard interval T after T0. G The position of the preamble time-domain resource location 2 was then determined.

[0249] S43: Send an access request at the appropriate time.

[0250] When an IoT device is at a determined transmission opportunity, it sends an access request carrying a preamble.

[0251] S44: The network device sends a timed advance command.

[0252] The network device has prior knowledge of the time-domain resource locations of each preamble, allowing it to perform blind preamble detection at those locations. Based on the time the preamble is received, the network device can send a pre-timed command to the IoT device to complete its uplink synchronization.

[0253] In the above embodiments, the environmental IoT device locally stores the preamble length configuration information predefined by the relevant protocol. The following describes the implementation method when the IoT device does not locally store the preamble length configuration information.

[0254] At this point, in S41, the configuration information sent by the network device includes not only the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource, the number N of preamble time-domain resources, but also the time length information T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources. G It also includes the length configuration information for a single preamble.

[0255] It is understandable that the length configuration information of a single preamble can directly indicate the length configuration of a single preamble; or, it can indicate the length configuration of the cyclic prefix of a single preamble and the sequence length configuration of a single preamble, which are then superimposed by the environmental IoT device to determine the length configuration of a single preamble.

[0256] In another possible implementation, the configuration information sent by the network device in S41 includes not only the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource, the number N of preamble time-domain resources, but also the time length information T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources. GIt also includes the length configuration of the cyclic prefix of a single preamble. The environmental IoT device locally stores a predefined sequence length configuration for a single preamble, and the environmental IoT device superimposes the length configuration of the cyclic prefix of the single preamble with the sequence length configuration of the single preamble to determine the length configuration of the single preamble.

[0257] In this embodiment of the application, the duration of the cyclic prefix CP can be determined by the network device side, as detailed below.

[0258] In one possible implementation, the network device can determine the duration of the CP by combining one or more parameters such as cell radius and network device processing latency.

[0259] For example, network devices can determine the initial duration of the CP (Content Provider) based on the cell radius. Additionally, to determine the processing delay, the network device can add the initial duration of the CP to the processing delay, using the resulting sum as the final duration of the CP. Alternatively, the network device can use the maximum value between the initial duration of the CP and the processing delay as the final duration of the CP.

[0260] In another possible implementation, the network device can maintain a mapping table of cell radius, processing latency, and CP duration. The network device can then match the CP duration from this table based on its own cell radius and processing latency parameters. The mapping table can be found in Table 2 below.

[0261] Table 2: Correspondence between cell radius, processing delay, and CP duration

[0262] In another possible implementation, the network device can determine the duration of the CP (Proximity Check) based on an indication of its proximity to the IoT device. The proximity indication characterizes the distance between the network device and the IoT device. For example, if the network device indicates a long distance from the IoT device, it will configure a longer CP duration; if it indicates a long distance, it will configure a moderate CP duration; and if it indicates a short distance, it will configure a shorter CP duration. In other words, the CP duration information is positively correlated with the distance. Furthermore, the configuration information sent by the network device in S41 may include not only the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource, the number N of preamble time-domain resources, and the duration T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources. GIt also includes the sequence length configuration information of a single preamble. The environmental IoT device locally stores the predefined cyclic prefix length configuration of a single preamble. The environmental IoT device superimposes the cyclic prefix length configuration of a single preamble with the sequence length configuration of a single preamble to determine the length configuration of a single preamble.

[0263] The above description uses the protection interval time length information T carried in the configuration information. G Taking this as an example, in another possible implementation, the protection interval time length information T G It can be used as a predefined configuration parameter in the protocol and stored locally on the IoT device without requiring instruction from the network device. However, it is important to note that the guard interval does not belong to any single preamble, but rather is the interval between two adjacent preambles.

[0264] At this point in S41, the configuration information sent by the network device may include the starting time-domain position T0 of the first preamble time-domain resource and the number N of preamble time-domain resources. It may also include the time length information T of the guard interval between two adjacent preamble time-domain resources. G The duration configuration information of a single preamble is also configured as a predefined configuration parameter of the protocol and stored locally on the IoT device without requiring instructions from the network device.

[0265] Alternatively, the configuration information sent by the network device may include the starting time domain position T0 of the first preamble time domain resource, the number N of preamble time domain resources, and the time length configuration information of a single preamble.

[0266] In summary, the solution provided in this application provides a preamble structure for random access of IoT devices. This preamble includes only the CP and the preamble sequence, excluding the GP, thus simplifying the preamble structure. Furthermore, the CP can be simplified for the specific IoT devices in the environment, reducing the time required for the encoding capabilities of these devices, improving network device compatibility, and minimizing changes to related algorithms on the network device side, thereby facilitating direct access of IoT devices to existing network devices.

[0267] Furthermore, this solution can reduce the time it takes for environmental IoT devices to send preambles on the corresponding preamble time domain resources, as well as the time it takes to wait for the transition to the next suitable preamble time domain resource, thereby reducing the power consumption of environmental IoT devices during random access.

[0268] Based on the communication methods provided in the above embodiments, this application also provides a communication device, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0269] Referring to Figure 13, this figure is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0270] The communication device 10 can be applied to Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and the communication device 10 may include a first receiving unit 11 and a first transmitting unit 12.

[0271] The first receiving unit 11 is used to receive configuration information. The configuration information is the configuration information for the access request.

[0272] The first sending unit 12 is used to send an access request according to the configuration information.

[0273] The access request includes access request information, which may include an access request information sequence, or the access request information may include an access request information sequence and a protection interval (GP), or the access request information may include an access request information sequence and a cyclic prefix (CP).

[0274] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence. The first receiving unit 11 is specifically used to receive configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval GP between two adjacent access request information time domain resources.

[0275] In one possible implementation, the first sending unit 12 is specifically used to determine the timing of sending the access request based on the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval GP between two adjacent access request information time domain resources; and to send the access request at the sending timing.

[0276] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence, and the first receiving unit 11 is specifically used to receive configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the time domain resource of the first access request information and the number of time domain resources of the access request information.

[0277] In one possible implementation, the first sending unit 12 is specifically used to determine the timing of sending the access request based on the predefined time length information of the protection interval GP between two adjacent access request information time domain resources, as well as the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources carried in the configuration information; and to send the access request at the sending timing.

[0278] In one possible implementation, the configuration information also includes configuration information about the length of the access request information sequence.

[0279] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a protection interval (GP). The first receiving unit 11 is specifically used to receive configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources.

[0280] In one possible implementation, the first sending unit 12 is specifically used to determine the timing of sending the access request based on the starting time domain position of the time domain resource of the first access request information and the number of time domain resources of the access request information; and to send the access request at the sending timing.

[0281] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may also include one or more of the following: the length configuration information of the access request information sequence or the time length information of the protection interval (GP) of the access request information.

[0282] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence. The first sending unit 12 is specifically used to receive configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval (GP) between two adjacent access request information time domain resources.

[0283] In one possible implementation, the first sending unit 12 is specifically used to determine the timing of sending the access request based on the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval GP between two adjacent access request information time domain resources; and to send the access request at the sending timing.

[0284] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence. The first receiving unit 11 is specifically used to receive configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources.

[0285] In one possible implementation, the first sending unit 12 is specifically used to determine the timing of sending the access request based on the predefined time length information of the protection interval GP between two adjacent access request information time domain resources, as well as the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources carried in the configuration information; and to send the access request at the sending timing.

[0286] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may also include configuration information for the length of the access request information; or, it may include at least one of the configuration information for the length of the CP and the configuration information for the length of the access request information sequence.

[0287] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE); or, the configuration information is carried in the downlink control information; or, the configuration information is carried in the broadcast information.

[0288] In one possible implementation, the access request information is a preamble.

[0289] Referring to Figure 14, this figure is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0290] The communication device 20 can be applied to network devices, which can serve as readers for environmental IoT devices. The communication device 20 may include a second transmitting unit 21 and a second receiving unit 22.

[0291] The second sending unit 21 is used to send configuration information for the access request.

[0292] The second receiving unit 22 is used to receive access requests.

[0293] The access request includes access request information, which may include an access request information sequence, or the access request information may include an access request information sequence and a protection interval (GP), or the access request information may include an access request information sequence and a cyclic prefix (CP).

[0294] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence, and the second sending unit 21 is specifically used to send configuration information. The configuration information includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval GP between two adjacent access request information time domain resources.

[0295] In one possible implementation, the second sending unit 21 is specifically used to send configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the time domain resource of the first access request information and the number of time domain resources of the access request information.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the configuration information also includes configuration information about the length of the access request information sequence.

[0297] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes an access request information sequence and a protection interval GP. The second sending unit 21 is specifically used to send configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources.

[0298] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may also include one or more of the following: the length configuration information of the access request information sequence or the time length information of the protection interval (GP) of the access request information.

[0299] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence. The second sending unit 21 is specifically used to send configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the protection interval (GP) between two adjacent access request information time domain resources.

[0300] In one possible implementation, the access request information includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and an access request information sequence. The second sending unit 21 is specifically used to send configuration information, which includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of access request information time domain resources.

[0301] In one possible implementation, the configuration information may also include configuration information for the length of the access request information; or, it may include at least one of the configuration information for the length of the CP and the configuration information for the length of the access request information sequence.

[0302] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE); or, the configuration information is carried in the downlink control information; or, the configuration information is carried in the broadcast information.

[0303] In one possible implementation, the access request information is a preamble.

[0304] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a determining unit, which is used to determine the time length information of the GP based on one or more of the cell radius and processing delay parameters before sending the configuration information.

[0305] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a determining unit, which is used to obtain the GP time length information by matching the cell radius and processing delay parameters from a first correspondence table before sending configuration information. The first correspondence table is a correspondence table between the cell radius, processing delay parameters, and GP time length information.

[0306] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a determining unit, which determines the GP duration information based on a proximity indication before sending the configuration information. The proximity indication indicates the distance between the network device and the receiving device of the configuration information, and the duration indicated by the GP duration information is positively correlated with the magnitude of this distance.

[0307] When the configuration information includes the CP time length information, in one possible implementation, the device further includes a determining unit, which is used to determine the CP length configuration information based on one or more of the cell radius and processing delay parameters before sending the configuration information.

[0308] When the configuration information includes the time length information of the CP, in one possible implementation, the device further includes a determining unit, which is used to obtain the length configuration information of the CP from the first correspondence table using the cell radius and processing delay parameters before sending the configuration information.

[0309] The first correspondence table is the correspondence table between cell radius, processing delay parameters, and CP length configuration information.

[0310] When the configuration information includes the duration information of the CP, in one possible implementation, the device further includes a determining unit, which is used to determine the length configuration information of the CP according to the proximity indication before sending the configuration information. The proximity indication is used to indicate the distance between the network device and the receiving device of the configuration information, and the duration indicated by the length configuration information of the CP is positively correlated with the distance.

[0311] By utilizing the above devices, the coding capabilities required for IoT devices are reduced, enabling IoT devices to send access request information using lower-cost, lower-power hardware. Furthermore, it allows environmental IoT devices to initially connect to network devices with lower energy consumption, which aligns with the current development trend of environmental IoT devices and has high practicality.

[0312] Based on the communication methods provided in the above embodiments, this application also provides a network device, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0313] See Figure 15, which is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0314] This network equipment includes, but is not limited to, network devices such as base stations and core network units. The following explanation uses a base station as an example.

[0315] The base station includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120, and a transceiver 1130.

[0316] The processor 1110 is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the base station; the processor 1110 is usually the control center of the base station, used to control the base station to execute the communication methods in the above method embodiments.

[0317] The memory 1120 is mainly used to store computer program code and data.

[0318] The transceiver 1130 is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals and for converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals. The transceiver 1130 can also be called a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, etc.

[0319] The transceiver module of transceiver 1130, also known as a transceiver unit, includes antenna 1133 and radio frequency (RF) circuitry (not shown in the figure), where the RF circuitry is mainly used for RF processing. Optionally, the device in transceiver 1130 that performs the receiving function can be considered a receiver, and the device that performs the transmitting function can be considered a transmitter; that is, transceiver 1130 includes receiver 1132 and transmitter 1131. The receiver can also be called a receiving module, receiver circuit, etc., and the transmitter can be called a transmitting module, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0320] The processor 1110 and memory 1120 may include one or more boards, and each board may include one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0321] The processor is used to read and execute programs in memory to implement baseband processing functions and control the base station.

[0322] If multiple boards exist, they can be interconnected to enhance processing capabilities. Alternatively, multiple boards can share one or more processors, one or more memories, or multiple boards can simultaneously share one or more processors.

[0323] For example, in one implementation, the transceiver module of transceiver 1130 is used to execute the configuration information for sending request information and the process for receiving access requests executed by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments. Processor 1110 is used to parse the access request.

[0324] It should be understood that Figure 15 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the network devices described above, including processors, memory, and transceivers, may not depend on the structure shown in Figure 15.

[0325] Referring to Figure 16, this figure is a schematic diagram of an Internet of Things (IoT) device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0326] This application does not specifically limit the type of IoT device. The IoT device can be used to receive excitation signals or backscattered signals; it may not be a power storage device and cannot independently generate or amplify signals; it may be a power storage device but cannot independently generate or amplify signals; it may be a power storage device and can also independently generate or amplify signals; it may be a power storage device (capacitor) or a super capacitor.

[0327] The IoT device shown in Figure 16 includes a processor 310, an energy storage unit 320, a sensor module 330, an indicator 340, an internal memory 350, a communication module 360, and an antenna 370. It is understood that the structure illustrated in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the IoT device. In other embodiments, the IoT device may include more or fewer components than illustrated (e.g., it may exclude the energy storage unit 320 and the indicator 340), or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0328] The processor 310 may include one or more processing units, such as a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, etc. These different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0329] It is understood that the interface connection relationships between the modules illustrated in this embodiment are merely illustrative and do not constitute a limitation on the structure of the electronic device. In other embodiments of this application, the electronic device may also employ different interface connection methods or combinations of multiple interface connection methods as described in the above embodiments.

[0330] The energy storage unit 320 can be a battery, capacitor, or other energy storage element. It is understood that when the electronic device is an Ambient IoT device, it may not have an energy storage unit, but can directly collect energy from the environment to power itself, such as solar energy, radio waves, motion, vibration, heat, or pressure.

[0331] The sensor module 330 may include one or more of the following: pressure sensor, gyroscope sensor, barometric pressure sensor, magnetic sensor, accelerometer, distance sensor, proximity sensor, fingerprint sensor, temperature sensor, touch sensor, ambient light sensor, bone conduction sensor, etc., to achieve the detection function.

[0332] Indicator 340 can be an indicator light, used to indicate whether an IoT device is powered on or to indicate a message, etc. Indicator 340 may also be omitted.

[0333] Internal memory 350 can be used to store computer executable program code, including instructions. Processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device by running the instructions stored in internal memory 350. Internal memory 350 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system, at least one application required for a function, etc. The data storage area may store data collected or generated during the use of the IoT device. Internal memory 350 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, universal flash storage (UFS), etc.

[0334] The wireless communication function of IoT devices can be achieved through communication module 360 ​​and antenna 370. Antenna 370 may include one or more. When the electronic device is an environmental IoT device, antenna 370 can also serve as an energy receiving unit, using collected electromagnetic wave energy to power the IoT device.

[0335] This application also provides a communication system, which may include a network device as shown in FIG15 and an Internet of Things device as shown in FIG16.

[0336] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computing device can store, or a data storage device such as a data center containing 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., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive). The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that instruct an electronic device to perform the aforementioned communication method. This application also provides another computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that instruct an electronic device to perform the aforementioned communication method.

[0337] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions. The computer program product may be software or program products containing instructions, capable of running on an electronic device or stored on any usable medium. When the computer program product runs on at least one electronic device, it causes the at least one electronic device to perform the aforementioned communication method. This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions. When the computer program product runs on at least one electronic device, it causes the at least one electronic device to perform the aforementioned communication method.

[0338] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "more than" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three cases: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0339] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving configuration information, the configuration information being configuration information of an access request; sending an access request according to the configuration information, the access request comprising access request information, the access request information comprising an access request information sequence, or the access request information comprising the access request information sequence and a guard period GP, or the access request information comprising the access request information sequence and a cyclic prefix CP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The access request information comprises the access request information sequence, and the receiving configuration information comprises: receiving the configuration information, the configuration information comprising a starting time domain position of a first access request information time domain resource, a quantity of access request information time domain resources, and time length information of a guard period GP between adjacent two access request information time domain resources.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The sending an access request according to the configuration information specifically comprises: determining a sending time of the access request according to the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the quantity of the access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the guard period GP between the adjacent two access request information time domain resources; sending the access request at the sending time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The access request information comprises the access request information sequence, and the receiving configuration information comprises: receiving the configuration information, the configuration information comprising a starting time domain position of a first access request information time domain resource and a quantity of access request information time domain resources.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The sending an access request according to the configuration information specifically comprises: determining a sending time of the access request according to predefined time length information of a guard period GP between adjacent two access request information time domain resources, and the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the quantity of the access request information time domain resources carried in the configuration information; sending the access request at the sending time.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, The configuration information further comprises length configuration information of the access request information sequence.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The access request information comprises the access request information sequence and the guard period GP, and the receiving configuration information comprises: receiving the configuration information, the configuration information comprising a starting time domain position of a first access request information time domain resource and a quantity of access request information time domain resources.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The sending an access request according to the configuration information comprises: determining a sending time of the access request according to the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the quantity of the access request information time domain resources; sending the access request at the sending time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The access request information comprises the cyclic prefix CP and the access request information sequence, and the receiving configuration information comprises: receiving the configuration information, the configuration information comprising a starting time domain position of a first access request information time domain resource, a quantity of access request information time domain resources, and time length information of a guard period GP between adjacent two access request information time domain resources.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein, The sending an access request according to the configuration information specifically comprises: According to the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of the access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the guard interval GP between the adjacent two access request information time domain resources, the sending time of the access request is determined; The access request is sent at the sending time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, The access request information includes the cyclic prefix CP and the access request information sequence, and the receiving configuration information includes: The configuration information is received, and the configuration information includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of the access request information time domain resources.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The access request is sent according to the configuration information, and specifically includes: According to the time length information of the guard interval GP between the adjacent two access request information time domain resources, the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource carried in the configuration information, and the number of the access request information time domain resources, the sending time of the access request is determined; The access request is sent at the sending time.

13. The method according to any of claims 9-12, characterized by, The configuration information further includes the length configuration information of the access request information. Or, at least one of the length configuration information of the CP and the length configuration information of the access request information sequence.

14. A communication method, comprising: The method includes: The configuration information is sent, and the configuration information is the configuration information of the access request; The access request is received, and the access request includes the access request information. The access request information includes the access request information sequence, or the access request information includes the access request information sequence and the guard interval GP, or the access request information includes the access request information sequence and the cyclic prefix CP.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The access request information includes the access request information sequence, and the sending configuration information includes: The configuration information is sent, and the configuration information includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource, the number of the access request information time domain resources, and the time length information of the guard interval GP between the adjacent two access request information time domain resources.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, The access request information includes the preamble sequence, and the sending configuration information includes: The configuration information is sent, and the configuration information includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of the access request information time domain resources.

17. The method of claim 15 or 116, wherein, The configuration information further includes the length configuration information of the access request information sequence.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein, The access request information includes the access request information sequence and the guard interval GP, and the sending configuration information includes: The configuration information is sent, and the configuration information includes the starting time domain position of the first access request information time domain resource and the number of the access request information time domain resources.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The configuration information further includes one or more of the length configuration information of the access request information sequence or the time length information of the guard interval GP of the access request information.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein, The access request information includes the cyclic prefix CP and the access request information sequence, and the sending configuration information includes: The sending the configuration information comprises: sending a starting time domain position of a first access request information time domain resource, a number of access request information time domain resources, and time length information of a guard interval GP between two adjacent access request information time domain resources.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein, The access request information comprises the cyclic prefix CP and the access request information sequence, and the sending the configuration information comprises: The sending the configuration information comprises: sending a starting time domain position of a first access request information time domain resource and a number of access request information time domain resources.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein, The configuration information further comprises length configuration information of the access request information. Or, at least one of the length configuration information of the CP and the length configuration information of the access request information sequence.

23. The method of claim 15 or 20, wherein, Before the sending the configuration information, the method further comprises: Determining the time length information of the GP according to one or more of a cell radius and a processing delay parameter.

24. The method of claim 15 or 20, wherein, Before the sending the configuration information, the method further comprises: Matching the time length information of the GP from a first correspondence table according to the cell radius and the processing delay parameter, the first correspondence table being a correspondence table of the cell radius, the processing delay parameter, and the time length information of the GP.

25. The method of claim 15 or 20, wherein, Before the sending the configuration information, the method further comprises: Determining the time length information of the GP according to an indication of proximity, wherein the indication of proximity is used to indicate a distance between the network device and a receiving device of the configuration information, and the time length information of the GP indicates a time length that is positively correlated with the size of the distance.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein, When the configuration information comprises the length configuration information of the CP, before the sending the configuration information, the method further comprises: Determining the length configuration information of the CP according to one or more of a cell radius and a processing delay parameter.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein, When the configuration information comprises the length configuration information of the CP, before the sending the configuration information, the method further comprises: Matching the length configuration information of the CP from a first correspondence table according to the cell radius and the processing delay parameter, the first correspondence table being a correspondence table of the cell radius, the processing delay parameter, and the length configuration information of the CP.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein, When the configuration information comprises the length configuration information of the CP, before the sending the configuration information, the method further comprises: Determining the length configuration information of the CP according to an indication of proximity, wherein the indication of proximity is used to indicate a distance between the network device and a receiving device of the configuration information, and the length configuration information of the CP indicates a time length that is positively correlated with the size of the distance.

29. An Internet of Things device comprising: The Internet of Things device comprises at least one processor configured to execute computer programs or instructions to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1-13.

30. A network device, comprising: The network device comprises a processor and a memory; The processor is coupled to the memory; The memory is configured to store instructions The processor is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to implement the communication method of any one of claims 14-28.

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