Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: determining a first transmit power, the first transmit power being a minimum value between a second transmit power and a third transmit power, the second transmit power being the difference between a maximum transmit power supported by a first terminal device and a power backoff value, and the third transmit power being the sum of a PRACH target received power of the first terminal device and a power loss introduced by PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device; and, initiating a first access to a network device by using the first transmit power. The method in an embodiment of the present application helps reduce the impact on other terminal devices performing access, thereby improving the access performance of the terminal devices.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411098132.2 filed on August 9, 2024 with the State Intellectual Property Office, entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of communication technology, high-power terminal devices are introduced in some communication systems to improve the link budget. However, the high-power terminal devices may affect the access performance of low-power terminal devices in the communication system, thereby causing the low-power terminal devices to fail to access the network. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus, which helps to reduce the impact on other terminal devices accessing, thereby helping to improve the access performance of terminal devices.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising:

[0006] determining a first transmission power, the first transmission power being a minimum value between a second transmission power and a third transmission power, the second transmission power being a difference between a maximum transmission power supported by a first terminal device and a power backoff value, the third transmission power being a sum of a physical random access channel (PRACH) target received power of the first terminal device and a power loss introduced by a PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device; and initiating a first access to a network device using the first transmission power.

[0007] In the embodiments of the present application, the second transmission power is the difference between the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device and the power backoff value, which is equivalent to obtaining the second transmission power after power backoff of the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device. The first transmission power is determined according to the second transmission power and the third transmission power, which helps to reduce the first transmission power. At this time, initiating the first access using the first transmission power helps to reduce the impact on other terminal devices accessing, thereby helping to improve the access performance of terminal devices.

[0008] In some possible implementation manners, the method is applied to a first terminal device of a first power class or a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the first terminal device, and the power backoff value is determined according to the first power class.

[0009] In the embodiments of the present application, the power backoff value is determined according to the first power class, so that the more the power backoff of the high-power terminal device is, the less the power backoff of the low-power terminal device is, which helps to reduce the power difference of the terminal devices of different power classes when accessing, thereby helping to reduce the power difference of the signals received by the network side, and further helping to reduce the influence on other terminal devices accessing, and helping to improve the access performance of the terminal device.

[0010] In some possible implementation manners, the first access is an initial access of random access.

[0011] In the embodiments of the present application, the initial access of random access is initiated using the first transmission power, which helps to reduce the influence on other terminal devices initiating the initial access of random access, thereby helping to improve the access performance of the terminal device.

[0012] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: initiating a retransmission of the random access on a first access resource to the network device, the first access resource being a different resource from a second access resource, and the second access resource being used for the second terminal device to initiate a second access.

[0013] In the embodiments of the present application, the first access resource is a different resource from the second access resource, and the retransmission of the random access is initiated on the first access resource, which can avoid affecting the access of the second terminal device, thereby being capable of improving the access performance of the terminal device.

[0014] In some possible implementation manners, the transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the retransmission is a fourth transmission power, the transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the random access before the retransmission is a fifth transmission power, and a difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power is less than or equal to a first power threshold.

[0015] In the embodiments of the present application, the difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power is less than or equal to the first power threshold, so that it can be ensured that the transmission power improved when retransmitting is not too large, thereby being capable of reducing the influence on other terminal devices initiating the initial access of random access, and thereby being capable of improving the access performance of the terminal device.

[0016] In some possible implementation manners, the first power class is higher than a second power class, and the second power class is a power class of the second terminal device.

[0017] In the embodiments of the present application, the first power class is higher than the second power class, so that when the first terminal device and the second terminal device initiate access on the same access resource, it helps to reduce the influence on the second terminal device, thereby helping to improve the access performance of the second terminal device.

[0018] In some possible implementation manners, the initiating the first access to the network device using the first sending power includes: initiating the first access to the network device using the first sending power on a third access resource, the third access resource being used for terminal devices of a plurality of power levels to initiate network access, the plurality of power levels including the first power level and the second power level.

[0019] In the embodiment of the application, the terminal devices of the plurality of power levels initiate access using the same access resource, a dedicated access resource does not need to be configured for the first terminal device, the implementation complexity can be reduced, and the compatibility of the system can be improved.

[0020] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: receiving first information sent by the network device, the first information being used to indicate the first access resource.

[0021] In the embodiment of the application, the first information is used to indicate the first access resource, and the dynamic configuration of the network side on the access resource can be implemented by receiving the first information sent by the network device.

[0022] In some possible implementation manners, the first access resource is an access resource satisfying a preset condition, and the preset condition includes at least one of the following: a period of the access resource, a frequency domain range of the access resource, and a time domain range of the access resource.

[0023] In the embodiment of the application, the first access resource is an access resource satisfying a preset condition, a dedicated access resource does not need to be configured for the first terminal device, the implementation complexity can be reduced, and the compatibility of the system can be improved. The first access resource can be conveniently determined through the above preset condition.

[0024] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: receiving second information sent by the network device, the second information being used to indicate a first scheduling resource, the first scheduling resource being used for the terminal device of the first power level to transmit uplink data.

[0025] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a first terminal device of a first power level or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the first terminal device, the first power level being higher than a second power level, the second power level being a power level of a second terminal device, and the method including:

[0026] determining a first access resource, the first access resource being different from a second access resource, the second access resource being used for the second terminal device to initiate a second access; and initiating a first access to a network device on the first access resource.

[0027] In the embodiments of the present application, the first access resource and the second access resource are different resources, and initiating the first access on the first access resource can avoid affecting the access of the second terminal device, thereby improving the access performance of the terminal device.

[0028] In some possible implementation manners, the first access is a first initial transmission of random access.

[0029] In the embodiments of the present application, initiating the initial transmission of random access on the first access resource can reduce the impact on other terminal devices initiating the initial transmission of random access, thereby improving the access performance of the terminal device.

[0030] In some possible implementation manners, initiating the first access to the network device on the first access resource comprises: initiating the first access to the network device on the first access resource in a case where a third transmission power is greater than or equal to a maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device, the third transmission power being a sum of a physical random access channel (PRACH) target reception power of the first terminal device and a power loss introduced by a PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device.

[0031] In the embodiments of the present application, if the third transmission power is greater than or equal to the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device, the first terminal device initiates the access at full power (i.e., using the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device), and at this time, initiating the first access on the first access resource can reduce the impact on other terminal devices initiating the initial transmission of random access when initiating the access at full power, thereby improving the access performance of the terminal device.

[0032] In some possible implementation manners, the first access is a retransmission of random access.

[0033] In the embodiments of the present application, initiating the retransmission of random access on the first access resource can ensure that after the initial transmission of random access fails, the transmission power is improved and the retransmission is initiated, without affecting the access of other terminal devices.

[0034] In some possible implementation manners, the transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the retransmission is a fourth transmission power, the transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the random access before the retransmission is a fifth transmission power, and a difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power is less than or equal to a first power threshold.

[0035] In the embodiments of the present application, the difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power is less than or equal to the first power threshold, so that the transmission power can be ensured not to be too large when retransmitting, thereby reducing the influence on the initial transmission of the terminal device initiating random access, and improving the access performance of the terminal device.

[0036] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: initiating, on a third access resource, a second initial transmission of the random access to the network device, the third access resource being used for terminal devices of multiple power levels to initiate initial access, and the multiple power levels including the first power level and the second power level.

[0037] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal devices of multiple power levels use the same access resource to initiate access, and a dedicated access resource does not need to be configured for the first terminal device, which can reduce the implementation complexity and help improve the compatibility of the system.

[0038] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: receiving first information sent by the network device, the first information being used to indicate the first access resource.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present application, the first information is used to indicate the first access resource, and the dynamic configuration of the access resource on the network side can be implemented by receiving the first information sent by the network device.

[0040] In some possible implementation manners, the first access resource is an access resource satisfying a preset condition, and the preset condition includes at least one of the following: a period of the access resource, a frequency domain range of the access resource, and a time domain range of the access resource.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present application, the first access resource is an access resource satisfying a preset condition, so that a dedicated access resource does not need to be configured for the first terminal device, which can reduce the implementation complexity and help improve the compatibility of the system. The first access resource can be conveniently determined through the above preset condition.

[0042] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information indicating a first scheduling resource, and the first scheduling resource being used for the terminal device of the first power level to transmit uplink data.

[0043] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be used for the terminal device in the first aspect, and can be the terminal device, a device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the terminal device, or a device capable of being used with the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device.

[0044] The communication apparatus includes a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. The module can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0045] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be used in the terminal device of the second aspect. The communication apparatus can be the terminal device, a device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the terminal device, or a device capable of being used with the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device.

[0046] The communication apparatus includes a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. The module can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0047] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor coupled with a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions). The computer program, when executed by the processor, causes the communication apparatus to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0048] In some possible implementation manners, the communication apparatus further includes a memory coupled with the processor.

[0049] In some possible implementation manners, the processor is one or more, and / or the memory is one or more.

[0050] In some possible implementation manners, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory is disposed separately from the processor.

[0051] In some possible implementation manners, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface configured to input and / or output a signal.

[0052] In some possible implementation manners, the communication apparatus is a chip. The computer program, when executed by the processor, causes a device in which the chip is installed to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor coupled with a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions). The computer program, when executed by the processor, causes the communication apparatus to perform the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0054] In some possible implementation manners, the communication apparatus further includes a memory coupled with the processor.

[0055] In some possible implementation manners, the processor is one or more, and / or the memory is one or more.

[0056] In some possible implementation manners, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory is disposed separately from the processor.

[0057] In some possible implementation manners, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface configured to input and / or output a signal.

[0058] In some possible implementation manners, the communication apparatus is a chip. The computer program is executed by the processor, so that the device installed with the chip implements the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0059] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, and the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions) thereon. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to execute the method in any one of the aspects or any possible implementation manner of the aspect.

[0060] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product includes a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to execute the method in any one of the aspects or any possible implementation manner of the aspect.

[0061] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, and the communication system includes a communication apparatus configured to execute the method in the first aspect and / or a communication apparatus configured to execute the method in the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0062] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for use in the present application.

[0063] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a satellite network architecture in an embodiment of the present application.

[0064] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another satellite network architecture in an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0066] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0067] FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0069] FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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

[0071] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” represents that the objects before and after the “ / ” are in an “or” relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; “and / or” in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, “multiple” means two or more than two. “At least one of the following (one)” or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (one) or multiple items (one). For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the same items or similar items with basically the same functions and effects are distinguished by using “first”, “second”, etc. The person skilled in the art can understand that “first”, “second”, etc. do not limit the quantity and execution order, and “first”, “second”, etc. also do not necessarily mean different. It should be understood that “in the case of”, “if”, “when”, “if”, and similar descriptions in the present application can be replaced.

[0072] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) system or a new radio (new radio, NR), a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (frequency division duplex, FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (time division duplex, TDD), a satellite and other non-terrestrial communication systems, a communication system integrating terrestrial communication and non-terrestrial communication, etc. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems.

[0073] For the convenience of understanding the embodiments of the present application, first, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is described in connection with FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network 100. The radio access network 100 can include at least one network device (e.g., 110a, 110b and 110c in FIG. 1), and can also include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a to 120g in FIG. 1).

[0074] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a user equipment (user equipment, UE), a station, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station (mobile station, MS), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile terminal (mobile terminal, MT), a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user device, etc., or a device for providing voice or data connectivity to a user, which can also be an Internet of Things device, for example, the terminal device includes a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (session initiation protocol, SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (wireless local loop, WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a large screen, a vehicle-mounted device (for example, a car, a bicycle, an electric vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed rail, etc.), a wearable device (for example, a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, smart glasses, etc.), a machine type communication (machine type communication, MTC) terminal device, a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (public land mobile network, PLMN), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can also be a tablet computer (Pad), a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a light UE, a reduced capability UE (RedCap UE), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a smart home device (for example, a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electricity meter, etc.), a smart robot, a mechanical arm, a plant device, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a flight device (for example, a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The terminal device can also be a vehicle device, for example, a whole vehicle device, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted chip, an on board unit (OBU) or a telematics box (T-BOX), etc. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the terminal device can also be a device in device to device (D2D) communication.

[0075] In some embodiments, the terminal device can be used to act as a base station. Optionally, the terminal device can act as a scheduling entity to provide a sidelink signal between terminal devices in vehicle to everything (V2X) or device to device (D2D) communication, etc. For example, a cellular phone and a car can communicate using the sidelink signal, or a cellular phone and a smart home device can also communicate using the sidelink signal without relaying the communication signal through the base station.

[0076] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that accesses a terminal device to a wireless network, which can also be referred to as a base station (BS). For example, the network device can be a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB), a next generation Node B (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a transmission reception point (TRP), an access point (AP), a network device in a non terrestrial network (NTN) system (such as a satellite), a base station in a future mobile communication system or an access node (AP) in a WiFi system, a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in other future evolved communication systems, and the like.

[0077] In some embodiments, a terminal device can be assisted by multiple RAN nodes to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes can respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node (i.e., a network device in the present application) can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in the present application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. It should be understood that the present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the network device.

[0078] In some embodiments, the network device can be fixed or mobile, and the present application does not limit this. For example, a helicopter or a drone can be configured as a mobile network device, and one or more cells can move according to the position of the mobile network device. In other examples, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to serve as a device that communicates with another network device.

[0079] In some embodiments, the network device can be deployed on land or in the air, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the network device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can be deployed on the water surface; and can be deployed on an aircraft, a balloon, and a satellite in the air.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device or the network device can include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running above the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and a memory (also referred to as a main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through a process. The application layer includes applications such as a browser, an address book, word processing software, instant messaging software, and the like. Moreover, the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application is not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application, as long as the execution subject can communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application by running a program in which the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application is recorded.

[0081] In addition, various aspects or features of the disclosure can be realized as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used in the disclosure encompasses a computer program or other processor-readable instructions stored on or in one or more computer-readable media, such as, for example, a hard disk; a flash memory; a random access memory (RAM); a read only memory (ROM); an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM); a compact disk (CD); a digital versatile disk (DVD); cache; register storage; and / or other storage. The computer-readable media can be transportable such that the program or programs stored thereon can be loaded into the computer or other programmable instruction execution device to implement various aspects or features as described herein. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" encompasses only a computer-readable medium that can be accessed by a computer, and does not encompass transitory signals per se.

[0082] With the development of communication technology, non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems are increasingly widely used. Compared with terrestrial communication systems, NTN systems have characteristics such as large coverage area and flexible networking.

[0083] The network device (which can also be referred to simply as an NTN device) in the NTN system can be a satellite, a high altitude platform station (HAPS), a drone, and other non-ground devices / equipment. The high altitude platform is usually 8-50 km above the ground. The NTN system networked by satellites (such as network devices) can be referred to as a satellite communication system. For ease of description, the NTN system is introduced in the following embodiments taking the satellite communication system as an example.

[0084] In the satellite communication system, according to the orbital height, the satellites can be divided into the following three types: geostationary earth orbit (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), and low earth orbit (LEO).

[0085] The orbital height of the GEO satellite is 35786 km. The main advantage is that it can remain relatively stationary with the ground and can provide a large coverage area. However, the GEO satellite also has obvious disadvantages: 1) The GEO satellite is far from the earth in orbit, and the free space propagation loss is large, causing the communication link budget to be tight. In order to increase the transmission / reception gain, a large-diameter antenna needs to be provided for the GEO satellite; 2) The communication transmission delay is large, and the round-trip delay can reach about 500 ms, which cannot meet the demand of real-time services; 3) The orbital resources of the GEO satellite are relatively tight, the launch cost is high, and the GEO satellite cannot provide coverage for the two polar regions of the earth.

[0086] The orbital height of the MEO satellite ranges from 1500 km to 35786 km. The advantage is that global coverage can be achieved with relatively few MEO satellites. However, the orbital height of the MEO satellite is much higher than that of the LEO satellite, and therefore, the transmission delay of the MEO satellite is much larger than that of the LEO satellite. In summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the MEO satellite, the MEO satellite is mainly applied to positioning and navigation.

[0087] The orbital height of the LEO satellite ranges from 300 km to 1500 km. The orbital height of the LEO satellite is lower than that of the MEO satellite and the GEO satellite, and has the advantages of small data propagation delay, small transmission loss, and relatively low launch cost. Therefore, the NTN communication based on the LEO satellite has obtained wide attention in recent years.

[0088] The network architecture of the satellite communication system (may be referred to as satellite network architecture) can include the following network elements and links: gateway, service link, feeder link, base station, satellite, inter-satellite link, core network, etc. Among them, the base station is usually located on the ground and can also be referred to as a ground base station (understandable as a base station in the satellite network); the gateway can be used to connect the satellite and the ground public network, the number of gateways can be one or more, and the gateway is usually located on the ground; the feeder link can be a link for communication between the gateway and the satellite; the service link can be a link for communication between the terminal device and the satellite; the inter-satellite link can be a link for communication between satellites; the interface between base stations can be an Xn interface, the interface between the base station and the core network can be a next generation (NG) interface, and the interface between the core network and the data network can be an N6 interface.

[0089] The core network can be used for user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, charging and other services, and can include multiple functional units. For example, the core network can include a control plane and a user plane. The control plane can include an access and mobility management function (AMF) and a session management function (SMF). The AMF can be responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. The SMF can be responsible for allocating addresses for terminal devices and managing channels between terminal devices and the core network. The user plane can include a user plane function (UPF) responsible for managing user plane data transmission, quality of service (QoS) control, charging information statistics, and traffic statistics.

[0090] The satellite in the satellite communication system can work in different working modes, such as transparent mode and regenerative mode. When the satellite works in the different working modes described above, the satellite communication system can also implement different network architectures.

[0091] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a satellite network architecture. In the network, the satellite works in a transparent mode, and can implement a relay forwarding function. The gateway can implement all or part of the functions of a base station (gNB), and in this case, the satellite and the gateway can be regarded as a remote radio unit (RRU) in a wireless access network. The gNB and the gateway can be located on the ground. The gNB can be deployed together with (or close to) the gateway, or the gNB can be deployed separately from (or far from) the gateway. The feeder link in FIG. 2 can be implemented through an air interface (such as a new radio air interface (NR Uu)). The delay of the feeder link can include a satellite-to-gateway delay and a gateway-to-gNB delay.

[0092] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another satellite network architecture. In the network, the satellite works in a regenerative mode and has data processing capability, and can implement all or part of the functions of a base station (gNB), and in this case, the satellite can be regarded as a base station (gNB). The feeder link in FIG. 3 can be implemented through an NG interface, and in this case, the interface between the UE and the satellite can be an air interface.

[0093] It should be noted that the satellite in FIGS. 2 and 3 described above can be a GEO satellite, a MEO satellite, a LEO satellite, or other non-ground devices such as a HAPS and a drone.

[0094] With the development of communication technology, high-power terminal devices are introduced in some communication systems to improve the link budget and thus improve the user experience. Here, the communication system can not only be the NTN system described above, but also a ground communication system or other communication systems, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0095] Taking a satellite communication system as an example, the biggest feature of satellite communication is that the link budget is relatively poor. Therefore, high-power terminal devices can be introduced into the satellite communication system to improve the link budget. For example, the default transmission power of a current mobile phone is 23 dBm, but for satellite communication, the transmission power of the mobile phone is low, and the communication effect is not ideal. Therefore, terminal devices with higher transmission power, such as 26 dBm or even up to 31 dBm, can be introduced.

[0096] However, the high-power terminal device can affect the access performance of the low-power terminal device in the communication system, thereby causing the low-power terminal device to fail to access the network.

[0097] The impact of the high-power terminal device is described in detail below. The power control formula for the initial transmission of a physical random access channel (PRACH) (such as a random access sequence (preamble)) by a terminal device in the existing standard can be as shown in the following Formula 1: PPRACH,b,f,c (i) = min{P CMAX,f,c (i), P PRACH,target,f,c + PL b,f,c}

[0098] Wherein, P PRACH,b,f,c (i) represents the transmission power of PRACH (such as the transmission power of PRACH on the uplink resource b of the frequency point (or carrier frequency) f in the serving cell c), min represents the minimum value, P CMAX,f,c (i) represents the configured maximum transmission power (such as the maximum transmission power of the terminal device configured by the network side in the transmission occasion i on the frequency point (or carrier frequency) f in the serving cell c), P PRACH,target,f,c represents the target reception power (such as the target reception power of PRACH on the frequency point (or carrier frequency) f in the serving cell c), PL b,f,c represents the path transmission introduced power loss (which can also be referred to as path loss or road loss, such as the path loss introduced by the transmission on the uplink resource b of the frequency point (or carrier frequency) f in the serving cell c), P PRACH,target,f,c + PL b,f,c represents the reception power of the signal transmitted by the terminal device after passing through the path loss and received at the network side, which is the expected value (such as the target reception power) of the reception power. Since the transmission power of the terminal device cannot be greater than the configured maximum transmission power (i.e. P CMAX,f,c (i)), therefore, in the above formula, the transmission power of PRACH needs to be the minimum value between the two.

[0099] If the terminal device fails to initiate random access, for example, the terminal device does not receive feedback from the network side after transmitting PRACH, or the received feedback does not belong to its own feedback, or it does not receive or transmit successfully in the subsequent access step, etc., the terminal device will re-initiate random access. When the terminal device initiates random access again, the value of the target reception power (such as P PRACH,target,f,c ) in the above formula one will be improved accordingly, and every time the terminal device re-initiates random access, the target reception power will be improved by an offset based on the last time, in order to improve the probability of successful access of the terminal device. Of course, the improved power also has a certain upper limit, and at most it will not exceed the configured maximum transmission power.

[0100] For high-power terminal devices, the configured maximum transmission power will be correspondingly increased, and the transmission power of PRACH calculated by the above power control formula will also be correspondingly increased, so that when initiating random access, the transmission power of the high-power terminal device may also be higher than that of the low-power terminal device.

[0101] In this way, when the high-power terminal device and the low-power terminal device initiate random access on the same resource, due to the difference in transmission power, the high-power terminal device can have a greater impact on the low-power terminal device, resulting in a decline in the access performance of the low-power terminal device, and thus causing the low-power terminal device to fail to access the network.

[0102] To solve one or more of the above technical problems, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device. The communication method in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 4.

[0103] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 400 shown in FIG. 4 can include steps S410 and S420, which are specifically as follows.

[0104] S410, a first terminal device determines a first transmission power.

[0105] The power class of the first terminal device can be a first power class.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first power class can be a specific power value. For example, the first power class can be 31 dbm, and the first terminal device can refer to a terminal device with a maximum transmission power of 31 dbm.

[0107] Alternatively, the first power class can also be a power range. For example, the first power class can be 26 dbm to 31 dbm (which can include 26 dbm and 31 dbm), and the first terminal device can refer to a terminal device with a maximum transmission power within 26 dbm to 31 dbm; for another example, the first power class can be greater than 23 dbm, and the first terminal device can refer to a terminal device with a maximum transmission power greater than 23 dbm.

[0108] In some embodiments, a terminal device with a maximum transmission power greater than 23 dBm can be referred to as a high-power terminal device, and a terminal device with a maximum transmission power less than or equal to 23 dBm can be referred to as a low-power terminal device.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first transmission power can be the minimum value between a second transmission power and a third transmission power. The second transmission power can be the difference between the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device and a power backoff value, and the third transmission power can be the sum of the PRACH target reception power of the first terminal device and the power loss introduced by the PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device.

[0110] The maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device can be P CMAX,f,c(i) the maximum transmit power of the terminal device on the frequency (or carrier frequency) f in the serving cell c in the transmission occasion i as configured by the network side), it can be seen that the second transmit power is equivalent to P CMAX,f,c (i) minus △P. CMAX,f,c (i) minus △P.

[0111] The PRACH target receive power of the first terminal device can be P PRACH,target,f,c (i) the target receive power of the PRACH on the frequency (or carrier frequency) f in the serving cell c), the power loss introduced by the PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device can be PL b,f,c (i) the path loss introduced by the transmission on the uplink resource b on the frequency (or carrier frequency) f in the serving cell c), the third transmit power can be P PRACH,target,f,c + PL b,f,c .

[0112] That is, the first transmit power can be the minimum value between P CMAX,f,c (i) and P PRACH,target,f,c + PL b,f,c .

[0113] For example, the first transmit power can be obtained by the following Formula Two: P PRACH,b,f,c (i) = min{P CMAX,f,c (i) - △P, P PRACH,target,f,c + PL b,f,c .

[0114] Wherein, P PRACH,b,f,c (i) represents the transmit power of the PRACH (i.e., the first transmit power), and △P represents the power backoff value.

[0115] In some embodiments, in the case where it is determined according to the aforementioned Formula One that the first terminal device will initiate access with full power (i.e., using the maximum transmit power supported by the first terminal device), the first transmit power is the minimum value between the second transmit power and the third transmit power. That is, in the case where it is determined according to the aforementioned Formula One that the first terminal device will initiate access with full power (i.e., using the maximum transmit power supported by the first terminal device), the power backoff can be performed on the second transmit power.

[0116] In some embodiments, the power backoff value can be determined according to the first power level, that is, the power backoff value can be determined according to the capability of the transmit power of the first terminal device.

[0117] In this way, the higher the power of the high-power terminal device is backed off, the lower the power of the low-power terminal device is backed off, which helps to reduce the power difference of terminal devices of different power levels when accessing, thereby helping to reduce the power difference of signals received by the network side, and further helping to reduce the impact on other terminal devices accessing, and helping to improve the access performance of the terminal device.

[0118] For example, if the first terminal device is a terminal device with a maximum transmission power of 31dbm, the power backoff value can be 5dbm; if the first terminal device is a terminal device with a maximum transmission power of 26dbm, the power backoff value can be 3dbm.

[0119] S420, the first terminal device initiates a first access to the network device using a first transmission power.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first access can be an initial transmission of random access.

[0121] When the initial transmission of random access fails, a retransmission of random access can be initiated, and at the same time, the transmission power of the terminal device can be increased to improve the probability of success of the terminal device accessing (i.e. retransmission of random access). For example, an offset can be added to the target received power (such as P PRACH,target,f,c ) in the above formula two.

[0122] Since the transmission power of the terminal device is increased when retransmitting random access, the impact on other terminal devices accessing will be increased, therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, the retransmission of random access can be initiated on the first access resource to reduce the impact on other terminal devices and improve the access performance of other terminal devices.

[0123] In some embodiments, after the above S420, the method 400 can further include a step S424, which is specifically as follows:

[0124] S424, initiating a retransmission of the random access to the network device on the first access resource.

[0125] Wherein, the first access resource and the second access resource can be different resources, and the second access resource can be used for the second terminal device to initiate a second access.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first power level can be higher than the second power level, and the second power level is the power level of the second terminal device. For example, the first terminal device can be a high-power terminal device, and the second terminal device can be a low-power terminal device.

[0127] Optionally, the second power level can be a specific power value. For example, the second power level can be 23dbm, and the second terminal device can refer to a terminal device with a maximum transmission power of 23dbm.

[0128] Alternatively, the second power level can also be a power range. For example, the second power level can be 20 dbm to 23 dbm (may include 20 dbm and 23 dbm), and the second terminal device can refer to a terminal device with a maximum transmission power within 20 dbm to 23 dbm; for another example, the second power level can be less than or equal to 23 dbm, and the second terminal device can refer to a terminal device with a maximum transmission power less than or equal to 23 dbm.

[0129] In some embodiments, the first access resource can be an independent access resource, or in other words, a dedicated access resource of the first terminal device. Optionally, the first access resource can be indicated by the network side; or the first access resource can be configured by the user; or the first access resource can be specified by the protocol.

[0130] Optionally, the network side can indicate the first access resource. For example, before S424 described above, the method 400 can further include S422, specifically as follows:

[0131] S422, the network device sends first information to the first terminal device.

[0132] The first information can be used to indicate the first access resource.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first access resource can be an access resource that meets a preset condition. That is, all access resources can be unrestricted and can be used as access resources of the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and when part of the access resources meet a specific condition (i.e., meet the preset condition), they can be dedicated to the first terminal device for random access.

[0134] Optionally, the preset condition can include at least one of the following: a period of the access resource, a frequency domain range of the access resource, and a time domain range of the access resource. For example, an access resource with a period of 64 milliseconds (ms) can be dedicated to the first terminal device for random access.

[0135] In some embodiments, the power value of the terminal device can be limited when retransmitting the random access.

[0136] Optionally, the transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the retransmission can be a fourth transmission power, the transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the random access before the retransmission can be a fifth transmission power, and the difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power can be less than or equal to a first power threshold. The first terminal device can initiate at least one random access (such as one initial transmission, and / or one or more retransmissions) before the retransmission, and the fifth transmission power can be the transmission power used when initiating any random access.

[0137] For example, the terminal device can increase the sending power when initiating the first retransmission after the initial transmission of the random access fails, and can further increase the sending power when initiating the second retransmission after the first retransmission fails. The second retransmission succeeds. The first power threshold can refer to the threshold of the sending power increased each time, or can refer to the threshold of the total sending power increased.

[0138] In some embodiments, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can initiate random access on the same access resource. For example, the first terminal device can initiate the first access on the third access resource using the first sending power, where the third access resource can be used by terminal devices of multiple power levels to initiate network access, and the multiple power levels can include the first power level and the second power level.

[0139] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal devices of multiple power levels use the same access resource to initiate access, and there is no need to configure a dedicated access resource for the first terminal device, which can reduce the implementation complexity and help improve the compatibility of the system.

[0140] In some embodiments, a plurality of terminal devices with little difference in sending power can be superimposed on the same access resource. Optionally, the plurality of terminal devices can initiate the first access on the first access resource. The difference between the maximum sending powers of the plurality of terminal devices can be less than or equal to the second power threshold. The plurality of terminal devices can include the first terminal device.

[0141] For example, the difference between the maximum sending powers of the plurality of terminal devices can be within 3dBm or 6dBm, or the maximum sending powers of the plurality of terminal devices can be the same.

[0142] Optionally, the plurality of terminal devices with little difference in sending power can be divided into a group. For example, terminal devices with a maximum sending power of 23dbm can be grouped, terminal devices with a maximum sending power of 26dbm can be grouped, and terminal devices with a maximum sending power of 31dBm can be grouped.

[0143] In the embodiments of the present application, the plurality of terminal devices with little difference in sending power use the same access resource to initiate random access, which can realize the superposition of multiple users, thereby realizing resource multiplexing and improving the resource utilization rate.

[0144] In some embodiments, after the above S420, the method 400 can further include a step S426, which is specifically as follows:

[0145] S426, the network device sends second information to the first terminal device.

[0146] The second information can be used to indicate the first scheduling resource, and the first scheduling resource can be used for the terminal device of the first power level to transmit uplink data. For example, the first scheduling resource can transmit a message 3 (msg3). When multiple terminal devices with little difference in transmission power use the same access resource to initiate random access, the network side can determine the transmission power capability of the terminal device transmitting the signal according to the received signal, so that the multiple terminal devices with little difference in transmission power can use the same resource (i.e., the first scheduling resource) to transmit msg3, and multi-user superposition can be further implemented, thereby realizing resource multiplexing and improving resource utilization.

[0147] In the embodiment of the present application, the second transmission power is the difference between the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device and the power backoff value, which is equivalent to the second transmission power obtained by performing power backoff on the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device. The first transmission power is determined according to the second transmission power and the third transmission power, which helps to reduce the first transmission power. At this time, the first access is initiated using the first transmission power, which helps to reduce the impact on other terminal devices accessing, thereby helping to improve the access performance of the terminal device.

[0148] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 500 shown in FIG. 5 can include steps S510 and S520, which are as follows:

[0149] S510, the first terminal device determines a first access resource.

[0150] The power level of the first terminal device can be the first power level. For detailed description of the first power level, refer to the embodiment of the method 400 described above, which will not be repeated here. For example, the first terminal device can be a high-power terminal device.

[0151] The first access resource and the second access resource can be different resources, and the second access resource can be used for the second terminal device to initiate a second access.

[0152] The power level of the second terminal device can be the second power level. For detailed description of the second power level, refer to the embodiment of the method 400 described above, which will not be repeated here. For example, the second terminal device can be a low-power terminal device.

[0153] In some embodiments, the first access resource can be an independent access resource, or in other words, a dedicated access resource of the first terminal device. Optionally, the first access resource can be indicated by the network side; or the first access resource can be configured by the user; or the first access resource can be specified by a protocol.

[0154] Optionally, the network side can indicate the first access resource. For example, before S510, the method 500 can further include S504, specifically as follows:

[0155] S504, the network device sends first information to the first terminal device.

[0156] The first information can be used to indicate the first access resource.

[0157] In some embodiments, the first access resource can be an access resource satisfying a preset condition. That is, all access resources can be unrestricted and can be used as the access resource of the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and when part of the access resources meet a specific condition (i.e., satisfy the preset condition), they can be used exclusively for the first terminal device to perform random access.

[0158] Optionally, the preset condition can include at least one of the following: a period of the access resource, a frequency domain range of the access resource, and a time domain range of the access resource. For example, an access resource with a period of 64 milliseconds (ms) can be used exclusively for the first terminal device to perform random access.

[0159] S520, the first terminal device initiates first access to the network device on the first access resource.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first access can be the first initial transmission of random access.

[0161] In some embodiments, in the case where it is determined according to the foregoing formula one that the first terminal device initiates access with full power (i.e., using the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device), the first terminal device initiates first access to the network device on the first access resource.

[0162] That is, in the case where the third transmission power is greater than or equal to the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device, the first terminal device can initiate first access using the exclusive access resource. The third transmission power can be the sum of the PRACH target receive power of the first terminal device and the power loss introduced by the PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device.

[0163] In the embodiments of the present application, if the third transmission power is greater than or equal to the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device, the first terminal device initiates access with full power (i.e., using the maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device), and at this time, initiating first access on the first access resource can reduce the impact on other initial transmission terminal devices initiating random access when initiating access with full power, thereby improving the access performance of the terminal device.

[0164] In some embodiments, the first access can be a retransmission of random access. When the initial transmission of random access fails, the retransmission of random access can be initiated, and the transmit power of the terminal device can be increased to improve the probability of success of the terminal device accessing (i.e., the retransmission of random access).

[0165] Since the transmit power of the terminal device is increased when the retransmission of random access is initiated, the impact on other terminal devices accessing the network is increased. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, the retransmission of random access can be initiated on the first access resource to reduce the impact on other terminal devices and improve the access performance of other terminal devices.

[0166] In some embodiments, the power value of the terminal device increased when the retransmission of random access is initiated can be limited.

[0167] Optionally, the transmit power used by the first terminal device when initiating the retransmission can be a fourth transmit power, the transmit power used by the first terminal device when initiating the random access before the retransmission can be a fifth transmit power, and the difference between the fourth transmit power and the fifth transmit power can be less than or equal to the first power threshold. The first terminal device can initiate at least one random access (e.g., one initial transmission and / or one or more retransmissions) before the retransmission, and the fifth transmit power can be the transmit power used when initiating any random access.

[0168] For example, the terminal device can increase the transmit power when performing the first retransmission after the initial transmission of random access fails. If the first retransmission also fails, the terminal device can also increase the transmit power when performing the second retransmission, and the second retransmission can be successful. At this time, the first power threshold can refer to the threshold of the transmit power increased each time, or the threshold of the total transmit power increased.

[0169] In some embodiments, when the first access is a retransmission of random access, the first terminal device can also initiate the initial transmission of the random access. For example, before S510, the method 500 can further include S502, which is specifically as follows:

[0170] S502, the first terminal device can initiate a second access on a third access resource using a first transmit power.

[0171] In some embodiments, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can initiate random access on the same access resource.

[0172] The third access resource can be used by terminal devices of multiple power levels to initiate network access, and the multiple power levels can include the first power level and the second power level.

[0173] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal devices of multiple power levels use the same access resource to initiate access, and a dedicated access resource does not need to be configured for the first terminal device, which can reduce the implementation complexity and improve the compatibility of the system.

[0174] In some embodiments, the terminal devices with little difference in transmission power can be superimposed on the same access resource. Alternatively, the multiple terminal devices can initiate a first access on a first access resource. The difference between the maximum transmission powers of the multiple terminal devices can be less than or equal to a second power threshold. The multiple terminal devices can include the first terminal device.

[0175] For example, the difference between the maximum transmission powers of the multiple terminal devices can be within 3dBm or 6dBm, or the maximum transmission powers of the multiple terminal devices can be the same.

[0176] Alternatively, the terminal devices with little difference in transmission power can be divided into a group. For example, the terminal devices with a maximum transmission power of 23dbm can be grouped, the terminal devices with a maximum transmission power of 26dbm can be grouped, and the terminal devices with a maximum transmission power of 31dBm can be grouped.

[0177] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal devices with little difference in transmission power use the same access resource to initiate random access, which can realize the superposition of multiple users, thereby realizing resource multiplexing and improving the resource utilization rate.

[0178] In some embodiments, after S520, the method 500 can further include S522, specifically as follows:

[0179] S522, the network device sends second information to the first terminal device.

[0180] The second information can be used to indicate a first scheduling resource, and the first scheduling resource can be used for the terminal devices of the first power level to transmit uplink data. For example, the first scheduling resource can transmit a message 3 (msg3). When the terminal devices with little difference in transmission power use the same access resource to initiate random access, the network side can determine the transmission power capability of the terminal device transmitting the signal according to the received signal, so that the multiple terminal devices with little difference in transmission power can use the same resource (i.e., the first scheduling resource) to transmit msg3, which can further realize the superposition of multiple users, thereby realizing resource multiplexing and improving the resource utilization rate.

[0181] In the embodiments of the present application, the first access resource and the second access resource are different resources, and the first access is initiated on the first access resource, which can avoid affecting the access of the second terminal device, thereby improving the access performance of the terminal device.

[0182] The method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, and the device embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with FIG. 6 to FIG. 8. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiments corresponds to the description of the device embodiments, and therefore, the parts not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments.

[0183] FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 600 shown in FIG. 6 can be used in the first terminal device of the first power class in the foregoing embodiments. The communication device 600 can be the first terminal device, or a device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the first terminal device, or a device capable of being used in matching with the first terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the first terminal device.

[0184] As shown in FIG. 6, the communication device 600 includes a determination unit 610 and an access unit 620, which are specifically as follows.

[0185] The determination unit 610 is configured to determine a first transmission power, the first transmission power being a minimum value between a second transmission power and a third transmission power, the second transmission power being a difference between a maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device and a power backoff value, and the third transmission power being a sum of a physical random access channel (PRACH) target received power of the first terminal device and a power loss introduced by a PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device.

[0186] The access unit 620 is configured to initiate a first access to a network device using the first transmission power.

[0187] Optionally, the power backoff value is determined according to the first power class.

[0188] Optionally, the first access is an initial transmission of a random access.

[0189] Optionally, the access unit 620 is further configured to initiate a retransmission of the random access to the network device on a first access resource, the first access resource being different from a second access resource, and the second access resource being used for initiating a second access by the second terminal device.

[0190] Optionally, a transmission power used by the first terminal device for initiating the retransmission is a fourth transmission power, a transmission power used by the first terminal device for initiating the random access before the retransmission is a fifth transmission power, and a difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power is less than or equal to a first power threshold.

[0191] Optionally, the first power level is higher than a second power level, and the second power level is a power level of a second terminal device.

[0192] Optionally, the access unit 620 is specifically configured to initiate the first access to the network device using the first transmission power on a third access resource, and the third access resource is used for terminal devices of multiple power levels to initiate network access, and the multiple power levels include the first power level and the second power level.

[0193] Optionally, the apparatus 600 further includes a receiving unit 630 configured to receive first information transmitted by the network device, and the first information is used to indicate the first access resource.

[0194] Optionally, the first access resource is an access resource satisfying a preset condition, and the preset condition includes at least one of the following: a period of the access resource, a frequency domain range of the access resource, and a time domain range of the access resource.

[0195] Optionally, the apparatus 600 further includes a receiving unit 630 configured to receive second information transmitted by the network device, and the second information is used to indicate a first scheduling resource, and the first scheduling resource is used for terminal devices of the first power level to transmit uplink data.

[0196] FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 700 shown in FIG. 7 can be used for a first terminal device of a first power level in the foregoing embodiments, the first power level is higher than a second power level, and the second power level is a power level of a second terminal device. The communication apparatus 700 can be the first terminal device, or a device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the first terminal device, or a device capable of being used in matching with the first terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the first terminal device.

[0197] As shown in FIG. 7, the communication apparatus 700 includes a determining unit 710 and an access unit 720, and specifically as follows:

[0198] The determining unit 710 is configured to determine a first access resource, and the first access resource is different from a second access resource, and the second access resource is used for the second terminal device to initiate a second access.

[0199] The access unit 720 is configured to initiate a first access to a network device on the first access resource.

[0200] Optionally, the first access is a first initial transmission of random access.

[0201] Optionally, the access unit 720 is configured to: initiate the first access to the network device on the first access resource, in a case that a third transmission power is greater than or equal to a maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device, the third transmission power being a sum of a physical random access channel (PRACH) target received power of the first terminal device and a power loss introduced by a PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device.

[0202] Optionally, the first access is a retransmission of random access.

[0203] Optionally, a transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the retransmission is a fourth transmission power, a transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the random access before the retransmission is a fifth transmission power, and a difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power is less than or equal to a first power threshold.

[0204] Optionally, the access unit 720 is further configured to: initiate a second initial transmission of the random access to the network device on a third access resource, the third access resource being used for terminal devices of multiple power levels to initiate initial access, the multiple power levels including the first power level and the second power level.

[0205] Optionally, the apparatus 700 further includes a receiving unit 730 configured to: receive first information sent by the network device, the first information being used to indicate the first access resource.

[0206] Optionally, the first access resource is an access resource satisfying a preset condition, the preset condition including at least one of the following: a period of an access resource, a frequency domain range of an access resource, and a time domain range of an access resource.

[0207] Optionally, the apparatus 700 further includes a receiving unit 730 configured to: receive second information, the second information indicating a first scheduling resource, the first scheduling resource being used for terminal devices of the first power level to transmit uplink data.

[0208] FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed line in FIG. 8 indicates that the unit or module is optional. The apparatus 800 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiments. The apparatus 800 can be a chip or a communication apparatus.

[0209] The apparatus 800 can include one or more processors 810. The processor 810 can support the apparatus 800 to implement the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor 810 can be a general purpose processor or a special purpose processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can also be other general purpose processors, microprocessor units (MPU), microcontroller units (MCU), graphics processing units (GPU), artificial intelligence processors (AI processor) or neural network processors (NPU), digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0210] The apparatus 800 can also include one or more memories 820. The memory 820 stores programs, which can be executed by the processor 810, so that the processor 810 performs the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. The memory 820 can be independent of the processor 810 or integrated in the processor 810. In the embodiments of the present application, the memory 820 can include, but is not limited to, a cache, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc.

[0211] The apparatus 800 can further include a transceiver 830. The processor 810 can communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 830. For example, the processor 810 can perform data transceiving with other devices or chips through the transceiver 830.

[0212] It should be noted that the information interaction, execution process and the like between the above apparatus / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of the present application, and specific functions and brought technical effects can be referred to the method embodiments part, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, only the above-mentioned division of each functional unit and module is exemplified, and in actual application, the above-mentioned functions can be completed by different functional units and modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the apparatus is divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. Each functional unit and module in the embodiment can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or software. In addition, the specific name of each functional unit and module is only for easy distinction, and does not limit the protection scope of the present application. The specific working process of the unit and module in the system can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0214] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to implement steps in each of the above method embodiments.

[0215] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, the computer program product includes a computer program, when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to implement steps in each of the above method embodiments.

[0216] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, the chip includes a processor and a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the apparatus or device (such as a communication apparatus) installed with the chip executes steps in each of the above method embodiments.

[0217] The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the present application can implement all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods through a computer program to instruct relevant hardware to complete, and the computer program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of each method embodiment described above can be implemented. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or some intermediate forms. The computer readable storage medium at least includes any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code to the device, recording medium, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signal, telecommunication signal, and software distribution medium. For example, U disk, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, the computer readable storage medium can not be an electrical carrier signal and a telecommunication signal.

[0218] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus, and the parts not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0219] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0220] In the embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. The division of the modules or units is only a logical function division, and there can be another division in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0221] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may also be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme according to actual needs.

[0222] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments can still be modified, or some technical features can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining a first transmission power, the first transmission power being a minimum value between a second transmission power and a third transmission power, the second transmission power being a difference between a maximum transmission power supported by a first terminal device and a power backoff value, the third transmission power being a sum of a physical random access channel (PRACH) target received power of the first terminal device and a power loss introduced by a PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device; initiating a first access to a network device using the first transmission power.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method is applied to a first terminal device of a first power class, and the power backoff value is determined according to the first power class.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first access is an initial transmission of a random access.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The method further comprises: initiating a retransmission of the random access to the network device on a first access resource, the first access resource being different from a second access resource used for a second terminal device to initiate a second access.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, A transmission power used by the first terminal device to initiate the retransmission is a fourth transmission power, and a transmission power used by the first terminal device to initiate the random access before the retransmission is a fifth transmission power, a difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power being less than or equal to a first power threshold.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The first power class is higher than a second power class, and the second power class is a power class of the second terminal device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: initiating the first access to the network device on a third access resource using the first transmission power, the third access resource being used for terminal devices of a plurality of power classes to initiate network access, the plurality of power classes including the first power class and the second power class.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving first information sent by the network device, the first information being used to indicate the first access resource.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that, The first access resource is an access resource satisfying a preset condition, and the preset condition comprises at least one of the following: a period of an access resource, a frequency domain range of an access resource, and a time domain range of an access resource.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving second information sent by the network device, the second information being used to indicate a first scheduling resource, and the first scheduling resource being used for terminal devices of the first power class to transmit uplink data. 11.A communication method applied to a first terminal device of a first power class, the first power class being higher than a second power class which is a power class of a second terminal device, the method comprising: transmitting, by the first terminal device, a first signal to the second terminal device; receiving, by the first terminal device, a second signal from the second terminal device; and determining, by the first terminal device, whether the second terminal device is in a coverage enhancement (CE) mode based on the first signal and the second signal. The method comprises: determining a first access resource, the first access resource being different from a second access resource used for a second terminal device to initiate a second access; initiating a first access to a network device on the first access resource.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The first access is a first initial transmission of a random access.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The method further comprises: initiating the first access to the network device on the first access resource in a case where a third transmission power is greater than or equal to a maximum transmission power supported by the first terminal device, the third transmission power being a sum of a physical random access channel (PRACH) target received power of the first terminal device and a power loss introduced by a PRACH path transmission of the first terminal device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, The first access is a retransmission of a random access.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the retransmission is a fourth transmission power, the transmission power used by the first terminal device when initiating the random access before the retransmission is a fifth transmission power, and a difference between the fourth transmission power and the fifth transmission power is less than or equal to a first power threshold.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further includes: initiating, on a third access resource, a second initial transmission of the random access to the network device, the third access resource being used for terminal devices of a plurality of power levels to initiate initial access, the plurality of power levels including the first power level and the second power level.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving first information transmitted by the network device, the first information being used to indicate the first access resource.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that, The first access resource is an access resource satisfying a preset condition, and the preset condition includes at least one of the following: a period of an access resource, a frequency domain range of an access resource, and a time domain range of an access resource.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving second information, the second information indicating a first scheduling resource, and the first scheduling resource being used for terminal devices of the first power level to transmit uplink data.

20. A communications device, characterized by comprise: a method for performing any one of claims 1-19.

21. A communications device, characterized by comprise: at least one processor and a memory, the at least one processor being coupled with the memory, and the memory being used to store a computer program, the computer program being executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-19.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored thereon a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-19.

23. A computer program product, characterised in that, comprise: a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-19.

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