Communication method, and apparatus, program product and medium

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method, and an apparatus, a program product and a medium. The method comprises: a terminal apparatus receiving first information from a network apparatus corresponding to a second cell, wherein the first information indicates a first resource, and the first resource is used for accessing any of at least two cells; and on the basis of the first resource, initiating a random access to a network apparatus corresponding to a first cell among the at least two cells. Resources used for accessing at least two cells are the same. In this way, when a terminal apparatus does not receive an SIB1 and a synchronization signal of a first cell, the terminal apparatus can initiate a random access to the first cell on the basis of a first resource, thereby solving the problem of it being impossible to access the first cell, and thus improving the success rate of the terminal apparatus accessing the cell.

Description

A communication method, apparatus, program product, and medium

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411448854.6, filed on October 16, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method, Apparatus, Program Product and Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, program product and medium. Background Technology

[0004] In New Radio (NR) technology, when a terminal device is camped on one cell, it can receive system information from another cell, including System Information Block 1 (SIB1). The terminal device can then initiate random access to that cell based on the random access information in the SIB1. SIB1 can be transmitted periodically or on demand.

[0005] The periodic transmission period of SIB1 on demand is relatively longer than the periodic transmission period, which helps reduce power consumption on the network side. However, it may prevent terminal devices from accessing the cell. For example, a terminal device may initially be camped on cell A, but due to reasons such as moving too fast, it may move to cell B before receiving SIB1 from cell B. Since the terminal device does not yet have SIB1 from cell B, it cannot access cell B. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, program product, and medium to solve the problem of terminal devices being unable to access a cell.

[0007] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to a terminal device. The terminal device side can refer to the terminal device itself, or a module within the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Modules within the terminal device include, for example, a processor, a communication module, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions. Chips include, for example, a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip. For simplicity, the following description uses the execution of this method by a terminal device as an example. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information indicating a first resource, the first resource being used to access any one of at least two cells, and, based on the first resource, initiating random access to the first cell among the at least two cells.

[0008] Optionally, the terminal device may receive the first information from the network device corresponding to the second cell. The second cell may be the cell where the terminal device is currently camped, or a cell that the terminal device has previously camped or accessed, or a neighboring cell of the cell where the terminal device is currently camped, etc., without specific limitations. The second cell may belong to at least two cells, or may not belong to at least two cells, without specific limitations. The network device corresponding to the second cell can be understood as the network device where the second cell is located, or the network device to which the second cell belongs, etc. The second cell is different from the first cell. The first resource can also be called random access resource. The first resource is used to access any one of the at least two cells. This can also be understood as the resources used to access at least two cells being the same, or the resources used to access at least two cells being shared. The first cell is one of the at least two cells. The terminal device initiating random access to the first cell can be replaced or understood as the terminal device initiating random access to the network device corresponding to the first cell. The network device corresponding to the first cell and the network device corresponding to the second cell may be the same or different, without specific limitations. The random access initiated by the terminal device can be four-step random access, two-step random access, or other random access methods evolved in the future, without specific limitations.

[0009] In this embodiment, even if the terminal device does not receive the SIB1 and synchronization signal from the first cell, it can still initiate random access to the first cell based on the first information received from a certain cell (any cell other than the first cell, such as the second cell). This solves the problem that the terminal device cannot access the first cell when it does not receive the SIB1 from the first cell, thus improving the success rate of the terminal device accessing the cell. Furthermore, the network device (such as the network device corresponding to the first or second cell) can appropriately extend the period for sending SIB1, reducing the overall transmission volume of the network device and thus lowering its power consumption.

[0010] In one possible implementation, at least two cells are located in a first area. The first area can be a physical area. The first area can be pre-configured or pre-defined, such as through protocol configuration, or it can be determined by the network device of the second cell, or it can be determined collaboratively by the network device and the terminal device of the second cell.

[0011] In this way, at least two cells are geographically close, which increases the likelihood that the terminal device has received the first information from the neighboring cells of the first cell before it is ready to access the first cell, thus increasing the likelihood that the terminal device can successfully access the first cell.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first area is a tracking area or a radio access network notification area (or a radio access network-based notification area). Optionally, the first area can also be defined by a network device.

[0013] The tracking area includes multiple cells. The notification area based on the radio access network can consist of one or more cells included in the core network registration area.

[0014] In this way, the tracking area or the radio access network notification area is pre-configured, eliminating the need for further area division and reducing the processing load on the network device. Furthermore, the first resource configured by the network device for the terminal device can be shared across multiple cells within the tracking area or the access network notification area, minimizing the network device's transmission load while ensuring the terminal device can successfully utilize the first resource to access the first cell.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first information further indicates a second resource, which is used for a paging terminal device in any of at least two cells.

[0016] In this way, the resources of at least two cell paging terminal devices can be the same. If the terminal device does not receive the SIB1 and synchronization signal from the first cell, the terminal device can directly use the second resource to receive the paging resources of the first cell, thus increasing the possibility that the terminal device will be paging by the first cell.

[0017] In one possible implementation, receiving the first information includes receiving a synchronization signal, the synchronization signal including the first information. For example, the first information is carried in the synchronization signal, or the first information reuses part or all of the resources of the synchronization signal.

[0018] In this way, the first information does not require additional resources and will not increase the system's resource overhead. Since the synchronization signal includes the first information, it also facilitates the terminal's reception and parsing of the first information.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a synchronization signal, the synchronization signal being used to achieve downlink synchronization, wherein: the time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the first information is the same as the time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal, and the frequency domain resource for transmitting the first information is different from the frequency domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal, or the time domain resource for transmitting the first information and the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal satisfy a first relationship. Optionally, the first relationship may be indicated by the first information, or it may be pre-configured or predefined, without specific limitations. The time unit may include, for example, a time slot or a symbol. The symbol may be, for example, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol.

[0020] The time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the first information is the same as the time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal. For example, the time slot for transmitting the first information is the same as the time slot for transmitting the synchronization signal, but the symbol for transmitting the first information may be different from the symbol for transmitting the synchronization signal.

[0021] In this way, the terminal device can determine the time domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal based on the time domain resources for transmitting the first information and the first relationship. This eliminates the need for the network device to separately configure the time domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal for the terminal device, thus avoiding excessive increase in the processing overhead of the network device.

[0022] In one possible implementation, based on a first resource, a random access is initiated to a first cell among at least two cells, comprising: sending a first message, the first message being used to wake up a network device, the network device including the first cell in its cell; and receiving a second message, the second message being used to respond to the first message, and the second message including the physical cell identifier of the first cell.

[0023] In this way, the terminal device can determine the cell it is accessing as the first cell based on the second message from the network device.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first message includes a random access preamble, which is determined based on a first resource.

[0025] Thus, the first message is used to initiate random access and wake up network devices, simplifying the interaction between terminal devices and network devices.

[0026] In one possible implementation, after sending the first message, the method further includes: receiving SIB1 of a first cell, wherein SIB1 of the first cell includes information about a third resource used for accessing the first cell. For example, the terminal device can access the first cell based on the first resource and the third resource. Optionally, the second relationship is indicated by a synchronization signal, or is pre-configured or predefined, such as protocol pre-configuration.

[0027] Thus, the first resource may include a portion of the resources used to access the first cell, while the third resource may include another portion of the resources used to access the first cell, which can relatively reduce the amount of data in the first information.

[0028] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to the network device side corresponding to a second cell (hereinafter referred to as the second network device side). The second network device side can refer to the second network device itself, or a module within the second network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions. Modules in the second network device may be, for example, processors, communication modules, or circuits or chips responsible for communication functions in a terminal device. Chips may include modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or SoC chips or SIP chips containing modem cores. The method includes: sending first information, the first information indicating a first resource, the first resource being a resource for accessing any one of at least two cells.

[0029] In one possible implementation, at least two cells are located in the first area.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first area is a tracking area or a radio access network notification area.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the first information further indicates a second resource, which is used for a paging terminal device in any of at least two cells.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the first resource indicates at least one root sequence, wherein: the number of at least one root sequence is the minimum of at least two numbers, the at least two numbers including the number of root sequences corresponding to at least two cells respectively; and / or, the index of at least one root sequence is the intersection of at least two index sets, the at least two index sets including the index sets of root sequences corresponding to at least two cells respectively.

[0033] In one possible implementation, sending the first information includes sending a synchronization signal, the synchronization signal including the first information.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a synchronization signal, the synchronization signal being used to achieve downlink synchronization, wherein: the time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the first information is the same as the time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal and the frequency domain resource for transmitting the first information is different from the frequency domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal, or the time domain resource for transmitting the first information and the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal satisfy a first relationship.

[0035] When the network device corresponding to the first cell and the network device corresponding to the second cell are the same network device, the second network device (or the first network device) may also perform the following possible implementations.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first message for waking up the network device; and sending a second message in response to the first message, including a physical cell identifier of a first cell accessing the network device.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the first message includes a random access preamble, which is determined based on a first resource.

[0038] In one possible implementation, after receiving the first message, the method further includes: sending the SIB1 of the first cell, the SIB1 of the first cell including information about a third resource used to access the first cell.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell satisfy a second relationship.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the second relationship is indicated by a synchronization signal or is pre-configured.

[0041] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to the network device side corresponding to a first cell (hereinafter referred to as the first network device side). The first network device side can refer to the first network device itself, or a module within the first network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions. Modules in the first network device may be, for example, processors, communication modules, or circuits or chips responsible for communication functions in a terminal device. Chips may include modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or SoC chips or SIP chips containing modem cores. The method includes: receiving a first message, the first message being used to initiate random access and wake up the network device; sending a second message, the second message being used to respond to the first message, and the second message including the physical cell identifier of the first cell accessing the network device.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the first message includes a random access preamble, which is associated with a first resource, which is a resource for accessing any one of at least two cells.

[0043] In one possible implementation, after receiving the first message, the method further includes: receiving SIB1 of a first cell, wherein SIB1 of the first cell includes information about a second resource used to access the first cell.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell satisfy a second relationship.

[0045] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device. The communication device can be a terminal device as described in the first aspect above, or a module (e.g., a chip system) configured in a terminal device. The communication device includes corresponding means or modules for performing the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof. For example, the communication device includes a communication unit (sometimes also called a communication module). Optionally, the communication device further includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module). The communication unit is used to perform transmit and receive operations, such as functions related to sending and receiving; the communication unit can be called a transceiver unit; optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. The processing unit is used to perform processing operations. Alternatively, the communication unit can be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit can be a transmitter and a receiver. Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module).

[0046] For example, the transceiver unit is used to receive first information and to initiate random access to the first cell.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the communication device may also implement the contents of any of the possible implementations in the first aspect described above, which will not be listed here.

[0048] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device. The communication device can be the second network device described in the second aspect above, or a module (e.g., a chip system) configured within the second network device. The communication device includes corresponding means or modules for performing the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. For example, the communication device includes a communication unit (sometimes also called a communication module). Optionally, the communication device further includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module). The communication unit is used to perform transmit and receive operations, such as functions related to sending and receiving; the communication unit can be called a transceiver unit; optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit is used to perform processing operations. Alternatively, the communication unit can be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit can be a transmitter and a receiver. Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module).

[0049] For example, the communication unit is used to send the first information.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the communication device may also implement any of the possible implementations in the second aspect described above, which will not be listed here.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device. The communication device can be the first network device described in the third aspect above, or a module (e.g., a chip system) configured within the first network device. The communication device includes corresponding means or modules for performing the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof. For example, the communication device includes a communication unit (sometimes also called a communication module). Optionally, the communication device further includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module). The communication unit is used to perform transmit and receive operations, such as functions related to sending and receiving; the communication unit can be called a transceiver unit; optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. The processing unit is used to perform processing operations. Alternatively, the communication unit can be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit can be a transmitter and a receiver. Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module).

[0052] For example, the communication unit is used to receive a first message and to send a second message.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the communication device may also implement the contents of any of the possible implementations in the third aspect described above, which will not be listed here.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device. The communication device includes one or more processors. The one or more processors are capable of executing computer programs or instructions stored in memory, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods described in any of the first to third aspects above.

[0055] Optionally, the communication device may include a memory, in which case the memory may be coupled to one or more processors, or the memory may be configured relatively independently of one or more processors. Alternatively, the memory may exist independently of the communication device.

[0056] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0057] In the specific implementation process, the communication device can be a chip, and the processor can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, and various logic circuits, etc. The specific implementation method of the processor is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0058] In one implementation, the communication device can be a wireless communication device, i.e., a computer device that supports wireless communication functionality. Specifically, the wireless communication device can be a terminal device such as a smartphone, or a network device such as a wireless access network device (e.g., a base station).

[0059] In another implementation, the communication device can be a component of a wireless communication device, such as an integrated circuit product like a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or communication chip. A SoC can also be called a System-on-a-Chip (SoC). A communication chip may include a baseband processing chip and a radio frequency (RF) processing chip. A baseband processing chip is sometimes referred to as a modem or baseband chip. An RF processing chip is sometimes referred to as an RF transceiver or RF chip. In physical implementation, some or all of the communication chip may be integrated within the SoC. For example, the baseband processing chip may be integrated into the SoC, while the RF processing chip may not be integrated. The interface circuit can be the RF processing chip in the wireless communication device, and the processor can be the baseband processing chip in the wireless communication device. The interface circuit can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0060] In another implementation, the communication device can be a chip system, which may consist of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. Chip systems may include, for example, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips.

[0061] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system. This communication system includes any of the communication devices discussed in the fourth aspect and any of the communication devices discussed in the fifth aspect. Optionally, the communication system further includes any of the communication devices discussed in the sixth aspect.

[0062] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip system. The chip system includes a processor. Optionally, the chip system may further include an interface (such as a communication interface). The processor can be used to implement the methods discussed in any of the first to third aspects above.

[0063] Optionally, the chip system also includes a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs (also called code or instructions). The processor is used to retrieve and run the computer programs from the memory, causing the device equipped with the chip system to perform any of the methods described in the first to third aspects above. Implementation methods of the chip system can be referred to the chip system content mentioned above, and will not be listed here.

[0064] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the methods described in the first aspect and possibly in any of the first to third aspects above.

[0065] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product. When the computer program product is executed, it causes a processor to perform the methods described in any of the first to third aspects above. The computer program product includes computer programs and / or instructions, etc.

[0066] Regarding the beneficial effects of any of the technical solutions in the second to eleventh aspects mentioned above, please refer to the discussion of the beneficial effects of the corresponding technical solutions in the first aspect, which will not be listed here again. Attached Figure Description

[0067] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0068] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a network device applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the chip architecture of a network device applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the scenario to which the embodiments of this application are applicable;

[0071] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figures 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams of two random access procedures provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0073] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a random access scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between the baseband high-level unit and the baseband low-level unit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0075] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between the centralized unit and the distributed unit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0076] Figures 11, 12 and 13 are schematic diagrams of the structures of three communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0077] The embodiments of this application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0078] The various embodiments of this application can be applied to satellite communication systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems or new radio (NR) systems, future evolution communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems, future evolution communication systems, or other communication systems. 5G communication systems include non-standalone (NSA) 5G communication systems and / or standalone (SA) 5G communication systems. Furthermore, the various embodiments of this application can also be applied to various converged communication systems, such as systems that integrate satellite communication systems and 5G communication systems.

[0079] The communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the architectural diagram of the communication system shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 1000 includes an access network (AN) 100. Optionally, the communication system may also include a core network (CN) 200 and an Internet 300. The access network 100 may include at least one network device (or network equipment, or network-side equipment), as shown in Figure 1 as 110a and 110b. 110a is a base station, and 110b is a micro-station. The communication system 1000 may also include at least one terminal device (or terminal equipment), as shown in Figure 1 as 120a to 120j. 120a, 120e, 120f, and 120j are mobile phones, 120b is a car, 120c is a gas pump, 120d is a home access point (HAP) deployed indoors or outdoors, 120g is a laptop computer, 120h is a printer, and 120i is a drone. The same terminal device or the same network device can provide different functions in different application scenarios. For example, the mobile phones in Figure 1 are 120a, 120e, 120f and 120j. Mobile phone 120a can access base station 110a, connect to car 120b, communicate directly with mobile phone 120e and access HAP. Car 120b can access HAP and communicate directly with mobile phone 120a. Mobile phone 120f can access micro-station 110b, connect to laptop 120g and printer 120h. Mobile phone 120j can control drone 120i.

[0080] A network device is a network-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. A network device can be a device, equipment, or module located on the network side of a communication system and possessing corresponding communication functions. A network device typically contains communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. The network device also contains program instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions, as well as corresponding program instructions. A network device can include core network devices and / or access network devices. An access network device can be a device in a radio access network (RAN) that provides wireless communication functions to terminal devices; it can be referred to as RAN equipment. The RAN can be an access network in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G, or future-oriented communication networks. The RAN can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a communication network combining two or more of the above.

[0081] RAN equipment can also be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc.

[0082] RAN equipment can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station. For example, it can be a central unit / control unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or equipment form used in the network device.

[0083] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open (O)-RAN system, CU can also be called an O-RAN central unit (O-CU), DU can also be called an O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an O-RAN central unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an O-RAN Central Unit User Plane (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an O-RU. Any of the units CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. RA equipment can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, or a donor node, etc.

[0084] In various embodiments of this application, the functions of the network device can be implemented by the network device itself, by modules (such as chips) within the network device, or by logic modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions. Alternatively, they can be implemented by a control subsystem that includes network device functions. This control subsystem, including network device functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities.

[0085] A terminal device is a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. Terminal devices can also be called terminal equipment, terminals, user interfaces (UEs), mobile stations, or mobile terminals. They can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, mobile stations (MS), subscriber units, cellular phones, smartphones, wireless data cards, personal digital assistant (PDA) computers, tablet computers, wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, or machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, etc. Terminal devices typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. They may also be configured with program instructions for performing these functions.

[0086] In various embodiments of this application, the means for implementing the functions of the terminal device may be implemented by the terminal device itself, or by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions.

[0087] Network devices and terminal devices can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network devices and terminal devices.

[0088] The roles of network devices and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile network device. For terminal devices 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal device 120i is a network device; however, for network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device. That is, 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a network device-to-network device interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, both network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with network device functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0089] Communication between base stations and terminal devices, between base stations, and between terminal devices can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0090] Figure 2 illustrates the architecture of a network device. This network device is, for example, any of the network devices shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, this network device includes a BBU and RRU / AAU / RRH.

[0091] The Baseband Unit (BBU) can be considered a control network element, supporting functions above the interface based on the eCPRI protocol (e.g., functions above the physical payer-high (PHY-high) layer, specifically including the radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control address (MAC) layer, and PHY-high layer functions. Specifically, the BBU can implement functions such as coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, and layer mapping, as well as decoding, descrambling, inverse discrete fourier transform (IDFT), and channel estimation / equalization. Optionally, the processing unit in the BBU used to implement baseband functions can be called a baseband high (BBH) unit.

[0092] RRU / AAU / RRH can be considered as an execution network element, which can support functions below the interface based on the CPRI protocol (e.g., functions below radio frequency functions). The processing unit in RRU / AAU / RRH used to implement baseband functions is called the baseband low (BBL) unit.

[0093] The RRU / AAU / RRH and BBU can communicate via an intermediate network element, which can possess various functions of the low physical layer (PHY-Low) (e.g., precoding, resource element (RE) mapping, RE inverse mapping, etc.). The intermediate network element is not specifically illustrated in Figure 2. Optionally, the intermediate network element can also be included in the network device; that is, both the BBU and the intermediate network element in Figure 2 belong to the network device. The high physical layer and the low physical layer are collectively referred to as the physical layer (PHY).

[0094] Taking the PHY function as an example, the access network device includes one or more of the following functions: coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding, resource element (RE) mapping, digital beamforming (BF), inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT) / adding cyclic prefix (CP), decoding, rate matching de-matching, descrambling, demodulation, inverse discrete Fourier transformation (IDFT), channel equalization (or channel estimation), RE de-mapping, digital BF, fast Fourier transform (FFT) / CP removal, digital to analog (DA) conversion, analog BF, analog to digital (AD) conversion, or analog BF.

[0095] The above-mentioned one or more functional modules can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. Physically, they can be discrete or integrated. It is understood that the functional modules mentioned above are merely examples, and the access network device may include more other modules (e.g., scheduling module, power control module, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) module, flow control module, mobility management module, or artificial intelligence (AI) module, etc.) depending on the design, or may not include a certain functional module shown in Figure 2 (e.g., excluding the digital BF module).

[0096] Optionally, the BBU may include a CU and / or a DU. The RRU / AAU / RRH includes a radio unit (RU), which may further include a radio frequency (RF) unit and an antenna. The DU and RU can communicate via a fronthaul (FH) interface. Fronthaul interfaces include, but are not limited to, a common public radio interface (CPRI) and / or an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI). The interface between the BBU and the RRU / AAU / RRH can also be called a fronthaul interface. To implement a fronthaul interface, the BBU and RRU / AAU / RRH can be connected via a fronthaul network, or the DU and RU can be connected via a fronthaul network. For example, fronthaul networks include, but are not limited to, direct fiber optic connections and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks.

[0097] Network devices can support one or more types of fronthaul interfaces. Different fronthaul interfaces correspond to DUs and RUs with different functions. As shown in Figure 2, if the fronthaul interface between the DU and RU is a CPRI, the DU is configured to implement one or more baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement one or more radio frequency functions. If the fronthaul interface between the DU and RU is an eCPRI, compared to the CPRI, some baseband functions of the downlink (UL) and / or uplink (DL) are moved from the DU to the RU. Different splitting methods between the DU and RU correspond to different types (Category, Cat) of eCPRI. Figure 2 shows six examples of eCPRI, represented by Cat A, Cat B, Cat C, Cat D, Cat E, and Cat F. These six types can also be represented as Options A to F, or Options 1 to 6, or other methods, without limitation. In addition, there may be other splitting methods between the DU and RU, that is, there may be other types of eCPRI.

[0098] Taking eCPRI Cat A as an example, for downlink transmission, layer mapping is used as the dividing line. DU is configured to implement one or more functions preceding layer mapping (i.e., coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, and layer mapping), while other functions following layer mapping (e.g., RE mapping, digital BF, or IFFT / CP addition) are implemented in RU. For uplink transmission, de-RE mapping is used as the dividing line. DU is configured to implement one or more functions preceding de-mapping (i.e., decoding, rate matching de-matching, descrambling, demodulation, IDFT, channel equalization, and de-RE mapping), while other functions following de-mapping (e.g., digital BF or FFT / CP removal) are implemented in RU.

[0099] Similarly, for eCPRI Cat B, Cat C, Cat D, Cat E, and Cat F, different DU and RU segmentation methods are used. The DU handles the segmentation point and the functions before it, while the RU handles the functions after it. The segmentation points for each type of eCPRI are shown in Figure 2 and will not be detailed further. For example, for eCPRI Cat B, RE mapping is used for downlink transmission segmentation, and de-RE mapping is used for uplink transmission segmentation. For uplink transmission, RE mapping and the functions before it are handled by the DU, while the functions after RE mapping and RF functions are handled by the RU. For downlink transmission, de-RE mapping and the functions before it are handled by the DU, while the functions after de-RE mapping and RF functions are handled by the RU.

[0100] The eCPRI segmentation method can be symmetrical for uplink and downlink, as shown in Figure 2 with eCPRI Cat B and Cat C; or, the eCPRI segmentation method can be asymmetrical for uplink and downlink, as shown in Figure 2 with eCPRI Cat A, Cat D, Cat E, and Cat F, without restriction. Optionally, different segmentation methods can be configured for different channels or different channel groups for uplink and / or downlink, i.e., different types of eCPRI can be configured. A channel group can include one or more channels.

[0101] Figure 3 illustrates the chip architecture of a network device. This network device can also be any of the network devices shown in Figure 1. Logically, the network device is divided into CU, DU, and RU. The CU is a platform that performs upper-layer L2 and L3 functions. Traffic between the CU and the core network can be carried through the backhaul interface. The DU performs L1 and some L2 functions. Traffic between the CU and DU can be carried through the midhaul interface. The RU performs L1 computation and RF digital functions. Traffic between the RU and DU can be carried through the fronthaul interface. An integrated DU includes the functions of both the DU and RU.

[0102] The hardware of a CU / DU includes a chassis platform, motherboard, peripherals, and cooling system. The motherboard contains processing units, memory, internal I / O interfaces, and external connection ports. The processing unit is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), such as an x86 or RAM-based CPU. The CU / DU hardware also includes hardware accelerators, which are designed with interfaces. Hardware functional components include: storage for software, hardware, and system debugging interfaces, and a single-board management controller.

[0103] DU systems are typically implemented using multi-core processors and one or more hardware accelerators. Parts of the DU protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the multi-core processor, while computationally intensive L1 and L2 functions can be offloaded to the hardware accelerator. The hardware accelerator can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) / graphics processing unit (GPU); alternatively, all L1 functions can be offloaded to the hardware accelerator, while other protocol stack components are implemented in software running on the processor; or the entire protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the processor. The hardware accelerator supports interconnection with x86 or non-x86 processors. Similarly, the accelerator has a multi-channel PCIe interface pointing to the CPU and external connections via GbE.

[0104] The RU consists of three parts: the open-RAN processing unit (OPU), the data processing unit (DPU), and the radio frequency processing unit (RF processing unit).

[0105] An OPU can be implemented through a RAN fronthaul (RAN FH) processing unit, a CPU, an FPGA, or an ASIC. For example, an OPU receives eCPRI frames from the O-RAN fronthaul and performs fronthaul interface operations, the lowest level L1 (encoding, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding), synchronization, beamforming, and resource unit mapping.

[0106] The DPU performs synchronization, digital downconversion (DDC) (e.g., digital downconversion in UL), digital upconversion (DDC) (e.g., digital upconversion in DL), crest factor reduction (CFR), and digital pre-distortion (DPD) to improve power amplifier efficiency by reducing the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) / adjacent channel power ratio (ACLR) of the RF front end. The DPU can be implemented using an FPGA or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0107] The RF processing unit includes a transceiver module, up / down converters, power amplifiers (PA), low-noise amplifiers (LNA), and transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) filters. The transceiver module can be used for all conversions between the analog and digital domains (digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), specifically, for example, RF sampling, using RF in up-conversion and down-conversion, frequency conversion by mixing intermediate frequency (IF) and local oscillator (LO), etc. Furthermore, the physical and logical partitions within the RF processing unit may not have specific boundaries.

[0108] Figure 4 illustrates a scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0109] As shown in Figure 4(1), the terminal device could previously reside in cell #1 of network device #1. Due to reasons such as the terminal device moving, the terminal device began to attempt to access cell #2 of network device #1. Figure 4 uses cell #1 and cell #2 of network device #1 as an example, but in reality, there is no limit to the number of cells included in the network device.

[0110] As shown in Figure 4(2), the terminal device can previously reside in cell #1 of network device #1, and then, due to reasons such as the movement of the terminal device, the terminal device begins to attempt to access cell #2 of network device #2. Figure 4 uses cell #1 of network device #1 and cell #2 of network device #2 as examples, but in reality, there is no limit to the number of cells included in the network device.

[0111] The following section uses the scenario shown in Figure 4(2) as an example to introduce the process of a terminal device accessing a cell in an NR communication system.

[0112] Step 1: The terminal device receives the synchronization signal from network device #2. The synchronization signal indicates the time and frequency resources of system information blocks (SIB1) in cell #2.

[0113] Step 2: The UE receives SIB1 from network device #2 based on the time-frequency resources of SIB1 in cell #2. SIB1 carries the resources for accessing cell #2, so the terminal device can initiate random access to cell #2 based on these resources to camp on cell #2.

[0114] Network device #2 sends a synchronization signal every 20 milliseconds (ms). The terminal device needs to receive the synchronization signal to obtain downlink synchronization and simultaneously acquire the time-frequency resources of SIB1 in receiving cell #2. Network device #2 also sends SIB1 every 160 ms. After receiving SIB1, the terminal device can obtain access information for that cell from it. However, this results in network device #2 sending synchronization signals and SIB1 very frequently.

[0115] To address this, an on-demand SIB1 transmission mechanism is proposed. Under this mechanism, SIB1 is transmitted primarily according to demand, with a slightly extended transmission period. Correspondingly, the synchronization signal period can also be appropriately extended, such as to 320ms, 640ms, or 1280ms, effectively reducing the power consumption of the network device. However, when the network device extends the synchronization signal transmission period, if the terminal device moves too quickly, it may move to another cell within the time frame of two synchronization signal transmissions. In this case, the terminal device cannot camp without receiving the synchronization signal and SIB1 from the other cell. For example, if the terminal device initially camps in cell #1 of network device #1, but the synchronization signal transmission period of cell #2 of network device #2 is longer, the terminal device will still not receive the synchronization signal and SIB1 from cell #2 when it moves to cell #2, thus preventing it from camping in cell #2.

[0116] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication scheme in which the resources used for accessing at least two cells are identical, such as both including a first resource. Thus, after receiving first information indicating the first resource, the terminal device can access either of the at least two cells based on the first resource, thereby avoiding situations where the terminal device cannot camp on a cell due to excessively fast movement. For example, the at least two cells include cell #1 and cell #2. If the terminal device receives the first information in cell #1, even if it does not receive SIB1 from cell #2, it can still access cell #2 based on the first resource, thus avoiding situations where the terminal device cannot camp on cell #2.

[0117] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of this application, all steps indicated by dashed lines are optional steps.

[0118] The network devices involved in the various embodiments of this application are, for example, any network device (such as a base station) involved in FIG1, any network device involved in FIG2, or at least one of CU, DU, RU, BBH or BBL involved in FIG2, the network device involved in FIG3, or at least one of CU, DU or RU involved in FIG3, the network device involved in FIG4, network device #1 or network device #2, etc. The terminal devices involved in the various embodiments of this application are, for example, any terminal device involved in FIG1, or any terminal device involved in FIG4, etc. The first cell is, for example, cell #2 in FIG4, and the second cell is, for example, cell #1 in FIG4. As the standards continue to evolve, the above-mentioned devices, cells, etc. may have other names or more functions, which are not specifically limited.

[0119] In addition, in the various embodiments of this application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns," that is, "one or more." "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0120] In this application embodiment, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information to indicate A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A. In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or agreed upon in advance. For example, the instruction of specific information can also be achieved by using the arrangement order of various information in advance (e.g., protocol stipulation), thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information to be sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0121] In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission by other units or modules via the air interface. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY by other units or modules via the air interface. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between a network device and a terminal device, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0122] In addition, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily," "for example," "likely," "optional," "possible implementation," "possible mode of implementation," or "possible design" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding / relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0123] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the communication method. The steps involved in Figure 5 are described below.

[0124] S501, the network device corresponding to the second cell sends first information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the network device corresponding to the second cell.

[0125] The network device corresponding to the second cell can be understood or replaced as the network device to which the second cell belongs or the network device where the second cell is located. For simplicity, the network device corresponding to the second cell will be referred to as the second network device below. The second cell may be a cell that the terminal device previously camped or accessed. For example, when the terminal device previously camped or accessed the second cell, it received the first information from the network device corresponding to the second cell. Alternatively, the second cell may be the cell that the terminal device is currently camped in. For example, when the terminal device is camped in the second cell, it received the first information from the network device corresponding to the second cell. Alternatively, the second cell may be a neighboring cell of the cell that the terminal device is camped in. For example, when the terminal device is camped in the third cell, it received the first information from the network device corresponding to the second cell. No specific limitation is made on the second cell.

[0126] The first information indicates the first resource. The first resource is used to access any one of at least two cells, or in other words, all resources used to access at least two cells are the first resource, or the resources used to access at least two cells are the same and are all the first resource. This application embodiment uses at least two cells including the first cell as an example. The first resource can be understood as or replaced by a random access channel (RACH) resource, referring to a resource used for random access. That is, the terminal device can use the first resource to access any one of the at least two cells through random access. The at least two cells may belong to the same network device or different network devices; this is not specifically limited. These at least two cells may or may not include a second cell; this is not specifically limited. This application embodiment uses at least two cells including the first cell as an example.

[0127] Optionally, at least two cells can belong to the same region, such as both belonging to or located in the first region. The first region can be a physical region, without limitation. The first region can also be called a geographical region, wave position, or other names, without limitation. The first region can have at least one of the following attributes: shape, outline, size, radius, area, geographical location, etc. In addition, the "first region" can also have an altitude attribute, that is, the first region can be understood as a region at a given altitude or altitude range. For example, the first region can refer to a region on the ground with an altitude of 0km or within an altitude range of 0km ± 2km, or a region with a certain average altitude, or a region at a specific altitude, such as an altitude of 10km or a region within an altitude range of 10km ± 3km.

[0128] The first region can be one of multiple regions. The shapes, outlines, sizes, radii, and areas of different regions within these multiple regions may or may not be the same. The geographical locations of these different regions may differ. These different regions may or may not overlap.

[0129] In one possible implementation, the shape of the region can be defined by a protocol or by a network device. The same network device can also define multiple region shapes. Similarly, the size, radius, and area of ​​the region can also be defined by a protocol or by a network device. A network device can also define multiple region sizes, multiple region radii, or multiple region areas.

[0130] For example, the area could be a tracking area (TA). In this case, if at least two cells are located within a single TA, then those at least two cells are located within the first area. Another example is a radio access network-based notification area (RAN-based notification area). In this case, if at least two cells are located within a single RAN notification area, then those at least two cells are located within the first area.

[0131] In another possible implementation, the Earth's surface can be divided into multiple regions, and these regions can be indexed (e.g., numbered). The terminal device and network device can agree on the numbering method for these regions (e.g., starting from 1 or 0) and the correspondence between regions and indexes. Alternatively, the protocol can define the numbering method for these regions and the correspondence between regions and indexes. Based on the region indexes, information such as the region's geographical location can be determined. Optionally, the multiple regions can completely cover the Earth's surface, such as any location on the Earth's surface belonging to a certain region; or, the multiple regions can also cover partial geographical locations on Earth, without specific limitations.

[0132] For example, the Earth's surface can be divided using a latitude and longitude grid of a single granularity, such as a 1-degree granularity grid. Alternatively, the Earth's surface can be divided using multiple granularity grids; for instance, a 1-degree granularity grid can be used to divide a portion of the Earth's surface or administrative region, while a 2-degree granularity grid can be used to divide another portion. Furthermore, for a network device (such as a second network device), the projection of one beam of the second network device onto the ground can be considered as a region. In reality, there are various ways to implement and / or divide regions, and this application does not specifically limit these methods.

[0133] In this embodiment, the first region includes at least two cells, but some regions that include the first region may only include one cell, and no specific limitation is made in this regard.

[0134] The following provides an example of the content of the first resource. The first resource may include the resources shown in A1 to A3 below, which will be described in detail below.

[0135] A1. The temporal resources of the first resource refer to the temporal resources of random access. The temporal resources of the first resource may include the contents shown in A1-1 and A1-2 below. Optionally, the temporal resources may also include the contents shown in A1-3 and / or A1-4 below.

[0136] A1-1. The location of a random access channel opportunity (RACH occasion, RO) in the time domain. The location of RO in the time domain can also be described as the location of the time-domain RO.

[0137] RO refers to the opportunity for a physical random access channel (PRACH) or the opportunity to transmit PRACH. It includes the time-domain resources and frequency-domain resources for the transmission of a random access preamble (or simply preamble, preamble sequence, or random access preamble sequence) or PRACH. For example, RO includes an index of time-domain resources (such as time slots) used for PRACH transmission, and an index of frequency-domain resources (such as resource blocks (RBs) or resource elements (REs)).

[0138] The temporal location of the RO includes, for example, at least one of the frame, sub-frame, slot, or symbol in which the RO is located. For instance, if the first information includes an index of at least one of the frame, sub-frame, slot, or symbol in which the RO is located, then the first information is equivalent to indicating the temporal location of the RO.

[0139] Optionally, the first information may include a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration index cell, which indicates the location of the RO in the time domain, or in other words, the physical random access channel configuration index cell carries information about the location of the RO in the time domain.

[0140] A1-2. Frame structure, or frame structure allocation. Frame structure is used to determine the structure of various types of frames, such as the ratio of the number of each type of frame and their relative positions. Types of frames include, for example, uplink (UP) frames, downlink (DL) frames, or special frames.

[0141] For example, the first information includes information about the frame structure, which is equivalent to the first information indicating the frame structure.

[0142] For example, the frame structure might be UDDD or DSUUU, where D represents a downlink frame, U represents an uplink frame, and S represents a special frame. Uplink frames are generally used to transmit uplink data, downlink frames are generally used to transmit downlink data, and special frames may be used to transmit either uplink or downlink data.

[0143] If the first information does not indicate the frame structure, the frame structure may optionally be pre-configured or pre-defined in the terminal device, such as being pre-defined in the terminal device through a protocol, or it may be indicated by the synchronization signal of the second cell, etc., without limitation.

[0144] A1-3. Mapping relationship between synchronization signals and ROs. For example, a terminal device can select the RO corresponding to a synchronization signal based on this mapping relationship, based on the synchronization signal received from a second network device.

[0145] The synchronization signal involved in the various embodiments of this application can be one or more of the following: synchronization signal (SS), synchronization signal block (SSB), or synchronization signal and physical boardcast channel block (SS / PBCH block / SSB). The synchronization signal involved in the embodiments of this application can also be replaced with synchronization signal, synchronization signal block (SSB), or synchronization signal and PBCH block (SS / PBCH block / SSB), etc., and there is no limitation thereto.

[0146] For example, the first information includes information about the mapping relationship between the synchronization signal and RO, which is equivalent to the first information indicating the mapping relationship. For example, synchronization signal 1 is associated with RO1 and RO2, synchronization signal 2 is associated with RO3 and RO4, and so on.

[0147] If the first information does not indicate the mapping relationship between the synchronization signal and the RO, the mapping relationship may optionally be pre-configured or pre-defined in the terminal device, such as being pre-defined in the terminal device through a protocol, or it may be indicated by the synchronization signal of the second cell, etc., without limitation.

[0148] A1-4. Random Access Response (RAR) Receive Window, or simply RAR window. The RAR receive window is used to indicate the time-domain location at which the network device sends the RAR.

[0149] For example, the first information includes at least two of the following: the start time, end time, or length of the RAR reception window. This is equivalent to the first information indicating the RAR window. Optionally, the first information may also include information about the period of the RAR reception window.

[0150] If the first information does not indicate the frame structure, the frame structure may optionally be pre-configured or pre-defined in the terminal device, such as being pre-defined in the terminal device through a protocol, or it may be indicated by the synchronization signal of the second cell, etc., without limitation.

[0151] The frequency domain resources of the first resource are introduced below.

[0152] A2. The frequency domain resources of the first resource refer to the frequency domain resources for random access. The frequency domain resources of the first resource may include the contents of A2-1 to A2-3 below.

[0153] A2-1, Subcarrier Spacing (SCS), and Frequency Domain Bandwidth. Frequency domain bandwidth refers to the total bandwidth occupied by the RO in the frequency domain.

[0154] A2-2. The position of RO in the frequency domain can also be called the position of RO in the frequency domain. The position of RO in the frequency domain can include the number of ROs in the frequency domain and the starting position of RB.

[0155] A2-3. Number of RO repetitions in the frequency domain. The number of RO repetitions in the frequency domain indicates the number of times the RO can be multiplexed in the frequency domain. Optionally, the first information includes message1 (msg1) - a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) cell.

[0156] The aforementioned time-domain resources and frequency-domain resources can be collectively referred to as time-frequency resources, or random access time-frequency resources.

[0157] A3. Random Access Preamble Configuration: This configuration is used to generate a random access preamble. The random access preamble configuration may include the contents shown in A3-1 and A3-2 below.

[0158] A3-1. Number of Random Access Preambles. The number of random access preambles refers to the total number of random access preambles that the terminal device can use.

[0159] A3-2, Configuration related to the random access preamble format. A3-2 may specifically include at least one of the following contents from A3-2-1 to A3-2-4.

[0160] A3-2-1, Random Access Preamble Sequence Format.

[0161] A3-2-2, Cyclic Shift Ncs. The cyclic shift determines how many random access preambles a root index can generate. Optionally, the cyclic shift is determined by the cell radius. Examples of how the second network device determines the cyclic shift for different cell radii are given below.

[0162] Case 1: At least two cells have the same radius.

[0163] In this case, the cyclic shift is the same for each cell, and therefore the number of root sequences used by each cell is also the same. For example, if the cyclic shift is 46 and the random access preamble length is 839, then the number of random access preambles generated by a single root sequence is the floor of 839 / 46, which is 18. Therefore, the required number of root sequences is the floor of 64 / 18, which is 4.

[0164] Scenario 2: At least two residential areas have different radii.

[0165] In this scenario, theoretically, the cyclic shift values ​​between cells are different, resulting in a different number of root sequences used by each cell. However, in this embodiment, to ensure that at least two cells have the same root sequence, the second network device can determine the number of root sequences to be the minimum of the two possible values, essentially choosing the minimum number of root sequences. The minimum two values ​​include the number of root sequences determined based on each of the at least two cells. For example, if cell 1 requires 4 root sequences and cell 2 requires 6 root sequences, this means the minimum two possible values ​​of the root sequences include 4 and 6. Therefore, the terminal device can determine 4 as the number of root sequences for at least two cells.

[0166] A3-2-3, Root Sequence Index. In this embodiment, at least two cells have the same root sequence index, thus ensuring that the random access preamble generated by the terminal device can be demodulated for at least two cells. The following provides examples of how the second network device determines the cyclic shift for different cell radii.

[0167] Case 1: At least two cells have the same radius.

[0168] If at least two cells have the same cell radius, and therefore require the same number of root sequences, then the second network device will configure the same set of root sequence indices for both cells. For example, if the number of root sequences is 4, then the set of root sequence indices can be configured to be 10 to 13.

[0169] Scenario 2: At least two of the cells have different radii.

[0170] When at least two cells have the same cell radius, the intersection of the index sets of these at least two root sequences can be used as the index set of the root sequences of these at least two cells. The index set of these at least two root sequences includes the index set of the root sequences determined based on these at least two cells respectively, or it can be understood that the index set of the root sequence indicated by the first resource is the intersection of the index sets of the root sequences corresponding to the at least two cells respectively.

[0171] For example, if the number of root sequences in cell 1 is 4 and the index set of the root sequences is 10 to 13, and the number of root sequences in cell 2 is 6 and the index set of the root sequences is 10 to 15, then the index set of the root sequences of the first resource indicator is 10 to 13.

[0172] A3-2-4. Restricted Set Configuration. The restricted set configuration is used to limit the cyclic shift value of low-speed and high-speed cells. Low-speed cells are those with a speed lower than a first speed, and high-speed cells are those with a speed higher than a second speed. The second speed can be higher than the first speed.

[0173] For example, when at least two cells include either low-speed or high-speed cells, the second network device can filter or determine the random access preamble configuration of the first resource indication based on a restriction set configuration. For instance, root sequences with indices 816 to 837 are preferentially assigned to high-speed cells, and root sequences with indices 0 to 815 are preferentially assigned to low-speed cells. If at least two cells are low-speed cells, then the index set of the root sequences for the first resource indication is between 0 and 815.

[0174] To facilitate paging of the terminal device by the first cell or the network device corresponding to the first cell, in one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the second resource. In this embodiment, the example is a terminal device initiating random access to the first cell. The meaning of the network device corresponding to the first cell can be referred to in the previously discussed content on the second network device, and will not be listed here again. For simplicity, the network device corresponding to the first cell will be referred to as the first network device below. The first network device and the second network device may be the same network device or different network devices; this is not limited.

[0175] For example, if the first cell is cell #1 in Figure 4(1) and the second cell is cell #2 in Figure 4(2), then the first network device and the second network device can be the same network device. Alternatively, if the first cell is cell #1 in Figure 4(1) and the second cell is cell #2 in Figure 4(2), then the first network device and the second network device can be different network devices.

[0176] The second resource is used for paging terminal devices in any of the at least two cells, or for paging terminal devices in the network devices corresponding to any of the at least two cells.

[0177] Optionally, the second resource includes resources for the paging physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or resources for the paging physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The paging PDCCH resources are used by the terminal device to receive DCI. The paging PDSCH resources are used by the terminal device to receive paging messages from network devices (such as the first network device). The paging PDCCH resources and paging PDSCH resources are described below.

[0178] The resources for paging PDCCH include the contents shown in B1 and B2 below.

[0179] B1. The temporal resources of the PDCCH mainly include the temporal resources of the downlink control information (DCI). The temporal resources of the paging DCI include, for example, at least one of the following: frame structure, paging DCI location, paging message configuration, or the start position of the paging occasion (PO). A paging frame (PF) may include one or more POs, which can be a subframe. A PO refers to the paging-radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI) and may be a subframe on a PDCCH that sends an addressing paging message.

[0180] The content of the frame structure can be referred to the frame structure discussed earlier, and will not be listed here again. For example, the first information includes Time Division Duplexing (TDD) - UL - DL - Configuration Common. The location of the paging DCI is, for example, the paging search space. The configuration of the paging message includes, for example, the paging period, the number and offset of PFs, and the number of POs in the PF. The offset of the paging frame indicates the time offset of the paging frame itself.

[0181] B2. Paging PDCCH frequency domain resources, which mainly include the frequency domain resources of Paging DCI. The frequency domain resources of Paging DCI include, for example, at least one of a frequency band list, frequency point A, and carrier configuration. The frequency band list, for example, indicates on which frequencies the terminal device receives Paging DCI. Frequency point A indicates the starting position of the initial bandwidth part (BWP). The carrier configuration is used to indicate a carrier list with different subcarrier spacings.

[0182] The resources of a paging PDSCH include the time-domain resources and the frequency-domain resources of the paging PDSCH.

[0183] PDSCH time-domain resources include, for example, at least one of K0, mapping type, start symbol, or length. K0 refers to the time slot offset between the paging DCI and its scheduled PDSCH. Mapping type refers to the mapping type of the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) in the PDSCH, including, for example, type A and type B. Under type A, the position of the DMRS in the PDSCH is relatively fixed. Under type B, the position of the DMRS floats with the PDSCH.

[0184] The frequency domain resources used by the paging PDSCH are the same as those used by the initial BWP, or in other words, the frequency domain resources of the paging PDSCH are the same as those of the initial BWP. The frequency domain resources of the initial BWP are fixed, which ensures that all network devices send paging PDSCHs with the same frequency domain resources. A BWP is a continuous spectrum resource allocated by the network device to a terminal device. The initial BWP is a common resource allocated per cell, and each terminal device uses the same initial BWP.

[0185] The second network device may send the first information via broadcast, multicast, or unicast, without any specific limitation.

[0186] In one possible design, the second network device can carry (or transmit) the first information in the synchronization signal, so that sending the synchronization signal by the second network device is equivalent to sending the first information. For example, the first information is carried in the bitmap of the synchronization signal, or, for example, some or all of the resources used to transmit the synchronization signal are used to transmit the first information; or, in other words, the resources used to transmit the first information are reused to reuse some or all of the resources used to transmit the synchronization signal. Transmission includes sending and / or receiving.

[0187] In another possible design, the second network device uses time-division multiplexing to transmit the first information and the synchronization signal. That is, the time unit for transmitting the time-domain resources of the first information is the same as the time unit for transmitting the synchronization signal, but the frequency-domain resources for transmitting the first information are different from those for transmitting the synchronization signal. For example, if the time unit is a time slot, and the time unit for transmitting the time-domain resources of the first information is the same as the time unit for transmitting the synchronization signal, it means that the time slot for transmitting the time-domain resources of the first information is the same as the time slot for transmitting the synchronization signal. However, the symbol of the time-domain resources for transmitting the first information can be different from the symbol of the synchronization signal.

[0188] In another possible design, the time-domain resources for transmitting the first information and the time-domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal satisfy a first relationship. Here, the synchronization signal refers to the synchronization signal of the second cell. This first relationship can be determined and indicated to the terminal device by the second network device, or it can be determined through negotiation between the terminal device and the second network device, or it can be pre-configured or pre-defined, such as being pre-defined in the second network device through a protocol. The embodiments of this application do not limit the method of determining the first relationship.

[0189] The content of a first relation can be of various kinds, as illustrated below.

[0190] For example, the first relationship indicates a first duration interval between the time-domain resources for transmitting the first information and the time-domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal. The first duration interval between the time-domain resources for transmitting the first information and the time-domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal can be a first duration interval between the start time of transmitting the first information and the start time of transmitting the synchronization signal, or a first duration interval between the end time of transmitting the first information and the start time of transmitting the synchronization signal, or a first duration interval between the end time of transmitting the first information and the end time of transmitting the synchronization signal.

[0191] The first duration can be determined by the second network device and indicated to the terminal device, or it can be pre-configured or pre-defined in both the second network device and the terminal device, such as through protocol pre-definition. The first duration can be, for example, N time units, where N is a positive number. A time unit refers to a unit of time-domain resources, such as a frame, subframe, time slot, symbol, or mini-time slot.

[0192] For example, the first relationship indicates that the time-domain resources for transmitting the first information and the time-domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal are located in the same time unit. Specifically, it indicates that the time-domain resources for transmitting the first information and the time-domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal are located in the same time slot.

[0193] For example, the first relationship indicates that the time-domain resources for transmitting the first information and the time-domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal are spaced apart by a first duration, and indicates that the time-domain resources for transmitting the first information and the time-domain resources for transmitting the synchronization signal are located within the same time unit.

[0194] The above are examples of the content of the first relation, but in reality, the content of the first relation is not limited.

[0195] S502. The terminal device initiates random access to the network device corresponding to the first cell based on the first resource. The network device corresponding to the first cell is hereinafter referred to as the first network device.

[0196] This embodiment of the application describes the process using at least two cells, including a first cell, as an example. After receiving first information from a second network device, the terminal device can initiate random access to the first network device, or the first cell, based on first resources. Alternatively, before initiating random access to the first network device, the first network device can send a paging PDCCH to the terminal device based on paging PDCCH resources. The first network device can send a paging message to the terminal device, and the terminal device can receive the paging message based on paging PDSCH resources. In this way, it is equivalent to the first network device paging the terminal device, and thus the terminal device can initiate random access to the first network device. Furthermore, this embodiment of the application uses the example of the terminal device initiating random access to one of the at least two cells.

[0197] For example, the terminal device can send a first message based on the RO indicated by the first resource. This first message can be used to wake up the network device; this embodiment of the application uses waking up the first network device as an example. The first message is also used to initiate random access. For example, the first message includes a random access preamble, which is used to request the initiation of random access. For example, the terminal device determines the random access preamble based on the random access preamble configuration indicated by the first resource.

[0198] After receiving the first message, the first network device can send a second message to the terminal device. The second message is used in response to the first message, or in other words, in response to random access. Since the first resource can be used to access any of at least two cells, to help the terminal device clearly identify which cell it intends to access, the second message can include the physical cell identity (PCI) of the first cell. Thus, based on the PCI in the first message, the terminal device can determine that it is accessing the first cell. This is equivalent to the terminal device initiating random access.

[0199] The second message can be used by the terminal device to align the DMRS sequence with the first network device. The second message can be a message carrying the PCI of the first cell (such as a proprietary message), a synchronization signal of the first cell, or a tracking reference signal (TRS). TRS is a type of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0200] In one possible design, the terminal device initiates a four-step random access method. The first message could be an example of msg1, and the second message could be an example of a RAR message. In this case, the second message could also include the random access preamble number, timing adjustment information (e.g., timing advance, TA), resource indication information, and a temporarily allocated cell radio network temporary identifier (CRNTI) (or, for example, a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (TC-RNTI)), as well as uplink resources allocated to the terminal device, as indicated by the resource indication information.

[0201] The following example, using the random access flowchart shown in Figure 6, illustrates the four-step random access process initiated by a terminal device. Figure 6 can also be understood as one implementation method for a terminal device to initiate random access.

[0202] S601, the terminal device sends a first message to the network device corresponding to the first cell (hereinafter referred to as the first network device). Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first message from the terminal device. This first message can be used as an example of msg1.

[0203] The first message is used to wake up the first network device, whose cell includes the first cell. Optionally, the first message is also used to request random access, such as if the first message includes a random access preamble, which is determined based on the first resource. The contents of the first cell, the first message, the random access preamble, the first resource, and the random access preamble determined based on the first resource can be referred to in Figure 5 above for the contents of the first cell, the first message, the random access preamble, the first resource, and the random access preamble determined based on the first resource, respectively; repeated parts will not be listed again.

[0204] S602, the first network device sends a second message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second message from the first network device. This second message can be an example of msg2.

[0205] The second message is equivalent to a response to the first message, or in other words, a response to random access. The second message includes the physical cell identifier of the first cell. The content of the second message can be referred to in Figure 5 above; repeated details will not be listed here.

[0206] S603, the terminal device sends an uplink message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the uplink message from the terminal device. This uplink message can be exemplified as msg3.

[0207] For example, the second message includes resource indication information. The content of the resource indication information can be found in the resource indication information described in Figure 5, and will not be listed here. The terminal device sends an uplink message based on the uplink resource indicated by the resource indication information. This uplink message may be, for example, an RRC reconstruction information request, an RRC establishment request, or an RRC resume request. Optionally, the uplink message may also carry the CRNTI indicated by the second message.

[0208] S604. The first network device sends a conflict resolution message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the conflict resolution message from the first network device. This conflict resolution message can be exemplified as msg4.

[0209] Optionally, if two terminal devices choose the same random access preamble to send a first message to the first network device, these two terminal devices may simultaneously send uplink messages to the first network device, resulting in a collision. When the base station detects uplink resources, it can only detect uplink data sent by one terminal device. The first network device can truncate the first X bits of the uplink message and carry the truncated X bits in a collision resolution message, which is then sent to the terminal device. X is a positive integer. The terminal device receives the collision resolution message and determines whether the content carried by the X bits matches the uplink message sent by the terminal device. If the content carried by the X bits matches the uplink message sent by the terminal device, the terminal device successfully accesses the first cell. If the content carried by the X bits does not match the uplink message sent by the terminal device, the terminal device fails to access the first cell, and can then re-initiate the random access procedure.

[0210] In another possible design, the terminal device initiates random access as a two-step random access. In this case, the first message can be an example of msgA, and the second message can be an example of msgB. No specific restrictions are imposed on this.

[0211] Under this design, the first message may include not only the random access preamble but also an uplink message. The content of this uplink message can be referred to in S603, and will not be listed here. The second message can refer to the content of the conflict resolution message discussed in S604 above, and will not be listed here.

[0212] Steps S603 to S604 are optional and are shown as dashed lines in Figure 6.

[0213] If the first information includes only a portion of the resources required for random access to any one of at least two cells, or if the first resource is only a portion of the resources required for random access to any one of at least two cells, then after the terminal device sends the first message to the first network device, the first network device can send the SIB1 of the first cell to the terminal device. The SIB1 of the first cell includes information about the third resource. This third resource is used to access the first cell, or in other words, the terminal device can access the first cell based on the first resource and the third resource. For example, the first resource includes the location of the RO in the time domain, the frame structure, and the frequency domain resources. The third resource includes the RAR receive window. Another example is that the first resource includes the location of the RO in the time domain, the frame structure, the mapping relationship between the synchronization signal and the RO, and the frequency domain resources. The third resource includes the RAR receive window, etc. Yet another example is that the third resource includes the time-frequency resources of msg3 during the random access process sent by the terminal device, etc.

[0214] For example, the time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell satisfy a second relationship. This second relationship may be determined and indicated to the terminal device by the first network device, or it may be determined through negotiation between the terminal device and the first network device, or it may be pre-configured or pre-defined, such as being pre-defined in the first network device through a protocol. This application embodiment does not limit the method by which the terminal device obtains the second relationship. The content of the second relationship can be various, and examples are given below.

[0215] For example, the second relationship indicates a second time interval between the time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell. This second time interval can be between the start time of the time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the start time of the time-domain resources for transmitting the first cell, or it can be between the end time of the time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the start time of the time-domain resources for transmitting the first cell, or it can be between the end time of the time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the end time of the time-domain resources for transmitting the first cell. The relationship between the second time interval and the first time interval discussed above can be arbitrary and not limited; for example, the second time interval can be greater than the first time interval, less than the first time interval, or equal to the first time interval.

[0216] The second duration can be determined by the first network device and indicated to the terminal device, or it can be pre-configured or pre-defined in both the first network device and the terminal device, such as through protocol pre-definition. The second duration can be, for example, M time units, where M is a positive number; for instance, the second duration could be one time slot or two time slots. The content of the time units can be referred to the time unit content discussed earlier, and will not be listed here again.

[0217] For example, the second relationship indicates that the time domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell are located in the same time unit. Specifically, it indicates that the time domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell are located in the same time slot.

[0218] For example, the second relationship indicates that the time domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell are separated by a second time interval, and indicates that the time domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell are located in the same time unit.

[0219] Optionally, the order in which the first network device sends SIB1 and the second message can be arbitrary. For example, the first network device may send SIB1 first, then send the second message. Alternatively, the first network device may send the second message and SIB1 simultaneously. Or, the first network device may send the second message first, then send SIB1. For example, if the third resource indicated by SIB1 includes a RAR receive window, the first network device may send SIB1 first, then send the second message. Or, for example, if the third resource indicated by SIB1 includes the time-frequency resource of msg3, then the order in which the first network device sends SIB1 and the second message can be arbitrary.

[0220] The above are examples of the content of the second relation, but in reality, the content of the second relation is not limited.

[0221] Figure 7 illustrates the random access procedure involved when the first network device sends SIB1. The steps involved in Figure 7 are described below.

[0222] The following example, using the random access flowchart shown in Figure 7, illustrates the four-step random access process initiated by a terminal device. Figure 7 can also be understood as one implementation method for a terminal device to initiate random access.

[0223] S701, the terminal device sends a first message to the network device corresponding to the first cell (hereinafter referred to as the first network device). Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first message from the terminal device. This first message can be used as an example of msg1.

[0224] The first message is used to wake up the first network device, whose cell includes the first cell. Optionally, the first message is also used to request random access, such as if the first message includes a random access preamble, which is determined based on the first resource. The contents of the first cell, the first message, the random access preamble, the first resource, and the random access preamble determined based on the first resource can be referred to in Figure 5 above for the contents of the first cell, the first message, the random access preamble, the first resource, and the random access preamble determined based on the first resource, respectively; repeated parts will not be listed again.

[0225] S702, the first network device sends a second message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second message from the first network device. This second message can be exemplified as msg2.

[0226] The second message is equivalent to a response to the first message, or in other words, a response to random access. The second message includes the physical cell identifier of the first cell. The content of the second message can be referred to in Figure 5 above; repeated details will not be listed here.

[0227] S703, the first network device sends SIB1 to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives SIB1 from the first network device.

[0228] For example, if the time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell satisfy a second relationship, then the terminal device can determine the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell based on the second relationship, and receive the SIB1 from the first network device based on the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell. SIB1 indicates a third resource, the content of which can be seen in the description of the third resource in Figure 5, and will not be listed here.

[0229] The order in which the first network device sends SIB1 and the second message can be arbitrary and is not specifically limited.

[0230] S704, the terminal device sends an uplink message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the uplink message from the terminal device. This uplink message can be exemplified as msg3.

[0231] For example, the second message includes resource indication information. The content of the resource indication information can be found in the resource indication information described in Figure 5, and will not be listed here. The terminal device sends an uplink message based on the uplink resource indicated by the resource indication information. This uplink message may be, for example, an RRC reconstruction information request, an RRC establishment request, or an RRC recovery request. Optionally, the uplink message may also carry the CRNTI indicated by the second message.

[0232] S705, the first network device sends a conflict resolution message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the conflict resolution message from the first network device. This conflict resolution message can be exemplified as msg4.

[0233] The content of the conflict resolution message and the content of the terminal device's determination of whether the access was successful can be referred to the content of the conflict resolution message and the content of the terminal device's determination of whether the access was successful as described in Figure 6 above, and will not be listed here.

[0234] Steps S703 to S705 are optional and are shown as dashed lines in Figure 7.

[0235] The following example, using the random access scenario diagram shown in Figure 8, illustrates the communication method involved in Figure 5. Figure 8 uses the terminal device (UE), the second cell (cell #1), the second network device (base station #1), the first cell (cell #2), and the first network device (base station #2) as examples. Base station #2 includes not only cell #2 but also cell #3.

[0236] For example, a UE receives a first message from base station #1 in cell #1. This first message indicates that a first resource can be used to access cells #2 and #3. After the UE moves into the range of cell #2, base station #2 can page the UE. The UE can then send a first message to base station #2, and base station #2 can send a second message to the UE, carrying the PCI of cell #2. Consequently, the UE can camp on cell #2. In this way, even if the UE does not receive the SIB1 from cell #2, it can still access cell #2, reducing the probability that the UE cannot camp on cell #2.

[0237] If the UE continues to move, for example, to cell #3, the terminal device can still utilize the first resource to send a first message to base station #2. Base station #2 can then send a second message to the UE, which carries the PCI of cell #3. Consequently, the UE can camp on cell #3. This way, even if the UE does not receive the SIB1 from cell #3, it can still access cell #3, reducing the probability that the UE cannot camp on cell #3.

[0238] When the first network device and the second network device are the same network device, the terminal device initiates random access to the first network device, which means the terminal device initiates random access to the second network device. In this case, the first network device and the second network device involved in the embodiments of this application can be replaced by each other.

[0239] The following example illustrates the interaction process between the BBH unit and the BBL unit of a network device when implementing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0240] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the interaction between the BBH unit and the BBL unit provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0241] S901, the BBL unit of the network device feeds back the rules to the BBH unit.

[0242] When a network device starts up or reconfigures, its BBL unit feeds back rules to the BBH unit via the eCPRI interface. The signaling sent via the eCPRI interface is new signaling, and this signaling definition includes rules. Rules can define channel processing capabilities and channel switching rules, etc. The advantage of signaling that defines rules is that it facilitates interconnection between BBH and BBL units from different vendors, and products from the same vendor also facilitate decoupling the design between the BBH and BBL units.

[0243] For example, the BBL unit of the first network device feeds back the rules to the BBH unit of the first network device. And, for example, the BBL unit of the second network device feeds back the rules to the BBH unit of the second network device.

[0244] S902, the BBH unit sends a task to the BBL unit. Correspondingly, the BBL unit receives the task from the BBH unit.

[0245] The BBH unit determines the processing capacity margin of the BBL unit based on the channel scheduling results within the current processing cycle, and allocates tasks to the BBL unit according to the processing capacity margin. The processing cycle can be determined by the BBH unit based on the actual situation, and can be in the millisecond or second range.

[0246] For example, the BBH unit of the second network device can instruct the BBL unit of the second network device to forward the first message. Similarly, the BBH unit of the first network device can instruct the BBL unit of the first network device to forward the second message. The contents of the first message and the second message can be referred to the contents of the first message and the second message discussed in Figure 5 above, respectively.

[0247] The S903 and BBL units send the results to the BBH unit via the eCPRI interface. Correspondingly, the BBH unit receives the results from the BBL unit. These results represent the processing outcome of the task in S902.

[0248] For example, the BBL unit of the second network device can forward the first information to the terminal device and feed back the result to the BBH unit of the second network device, which indicates that the first information has been forwarded.

[0249] For example, the BBL unit of the first network device can forward the second message to the terminal device and feed back the result to the BBH unit of the first network device, which indicates that the second message has been forwarded.

[0250] The following example illustrates the interaction process between the DU and RU of a network device when implementing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0251] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of the interaction between DU and RU provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0252] S1001, the RU of the network device feeds back the rules to the DU of the network device.

[0253] When a network device starts up or reconfigures, the RU (Resource Utility) of the network device feeds back rules to the DU (Dedicated Utility) through the eCPRI interface. The signaling sent through the eCPRI interface is new signaling, and this signaling definition includes rules. Rules can be used to define channel processing capabilities and channel switching rules, etc. The advantage of signaling that defines rules is that it facilitates the interconnection of DUs and RUs from different vendors, and products from the same vendor also facilitate the decoupling of the design between DUs and RUs.

[0254] For example, the RU of the first network device feeds back the rules to the DU of the first network device. And, for example, the RU of the second network device feeds back the rules to the DU of the second network device.

[0255] S1002, DU sends a task to RU. Correspondingly, RU receives the task from DU.

[0256] The DU determines the RU's processing capacity margin based on the channel scheduling results within the current processing cycle, and allocates tasks to the RUs according to this margin. The processing cycle can be determined by the DU based on the actual situation, and can be in the millisecond or second range.

[0257] For example, the DU of the second network device can instruct the RU of the second network device to forward the first information. For example, the DU of the first network device can instruct the RU of the first network device to forward the content of the second message. The content of the first information and the second message can be referred to the content of the first resource and the second message discussed in Figure 5 above, respectively.

[0258] S1003 and RU send the results to DU via the eCPRI interface. Correspondingly, DU receives the results from RU. These results represent the processing outcome of the task in S1002.

[0259] For example, the RU of the second network device can send the first information to the terminal device and feed back the result to the DU of the second network device, which indicates that the first information has been forwarded.

[0260] For example, the RU of the first network device can send the second message to the terminal device and feed back the result to the DU of the first network device, which indicates that the second message has been forwarded.

[0261] The above are examples of the interactions between components in network devices with different architectures. In reality, there can be various architectures for network devices, and the interactions between the components in network devices differ depending on the architecture.

[0262] Based on the same inventive concept, this application provides a communication device. The following describes any of the communication devices shown in Figures 11 to 13. This communication device may be, for example, any network device (such as a base station) involved in Figure 1, any network device involved in Figure 2, at least one of the CU, DU, RU, BBH, or BBL involved in Figure 2, the network device involved in Figure 3, or at least one of the CU, DU, or RU involved in Figure 3, the network device involved in Figure 4, network device #1, or network device #2, any terminal device involved in Figure 1, or any terminal device involved in Figure 4, or a module within these devices, etc., without specific limitation.

[0263] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described in the embodiments above. In one possible design, the communication device 1100 includes a processing unit 1110 and a communication unit 1120. The communication unit 1120 is used to perform transmit and receive operations, such as functions related to sending and receiving; the communication unit 1120 may be referred to as a transceiver unit; optionally, the communication unit 1120 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit 1110 is used to perform processing operations. Alternatively, the communication unit 1120 may be a transmitter and a receiver, or a transmitter and a receiver. Optionally, the communication device 1100 may also include a storage unit 1130. The storage unit 1130 is used to store the device's program code or data. The storage unit 1130 is indicated by a dashed box in Figure 11 as an optional unit.

[0264] In the first embodiment, the communication device 1100 can be the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5 above, the communication module in the terminal device, or the circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions, or it can implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5. For example, the communication device 1100 is the communication module in the terminal device, or the circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions.

[0265] In the above embodiments, the communication unit 1120 is used to perform the receiving of first information involved in S901, and the communication unit 1120 is used to perform the initiation of random access involved in S902.

[0266] The communication device 1100 can also perform other steps executed by the terminal device in the method implementation shown in Figure 5 above, which will not be listed here. Optionally, the communication device 1100 can also perform other steps executed by the terminal device involved in Figure 6 or Figure 7 above, which will not be listed here.

[0267] In the second embodiment, the communication device 1100 can be the second network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5, the communication module in the second network device, or the circuit or chip in the second network device responsible for communication functions, or it can implement the functions of the second network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5. For example, the communication device 1100 can be the communication module in the second network device, or the circuit or chip in the second network device responsible for communication functions.

[0268] In the above embodiment, the communication unit 1120 is used to perform the step of sending the first information involved in S501.

[0269] The communication device 1100 can also perform other steps executed by the second network device in the method implementation shown in Figure 5 above, which will not be listed here. Optionally, the communication device 1100 can also perform other steps executed by the second network device involved in the figures above, 7, 9 or 10, which will not be listed here.

[0270] In a third embodiment, the communication device 1100 may be the first network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5, a communication module in the first network device, or a circuit or chip in the first network device responsible for communication functions, or may implement the functions of the first network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5. For example, the communication device 1100 may be a communication module in the first network device, or a circuit or chip in the first network device responsible for communication functions.

[0271] In the above embodiment, the communication unit 1120 is used to perform the random access step initiated by the receiving terminal device involved in S502.

[0272] The communication device 1100 can also perform other steps executed by the first network device in the method implementation shown in Figure 5 above, which will not be listed here. Optionally, the communication device 1100 can also perform other steps executed by the first network device involved in the figures above, 7, 10 or 9, which will not be listed here.

[0273] In one possible design, when the communication device 1100 is a terminal device, a communication module within a terminal device, an access network device, or a communication module within an access network device, the function of the processing unit 1110 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The function of the communication unit 1120 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0274] In one possible design, when the communication device 1100 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a terminal device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in an access network device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 1110 can be implemented by a circuit system including one or more processors or processor cores in the aforementioned chip. The function of the communication unit 1120 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0275] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0276] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more DSPs, or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0277] In one example, storage unit 1130 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0278] The communication device shown in Figure 12 will be described below. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes a processor 1210. Optionally, the communication device 1200 also includes an interface circuit 1220 and a memory 1230. The processor 1210 and the interface circuit 1220 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1220 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. The memory 1230 is used to store instructions executed by the processor 1210, or to store input data required by the processor 1210 to run instructions, or to store data generated after the processor 1210 runs instructions. The interface circuit 1220 and the memory 1230 are optional modules and are shown in Figure 12 with dashed boxes. In addition, Figure 12 shows one processor 1210 and one memory 1230 as an example, but the number of processors 1210 and memory 1230 is not actually limited.

[0279] The communication device 1200 is used to implement the method embodiment shown in FIG5. Optionally, the processor 1210 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1110, and the interface circuit 1220 is used to implement the functions of the communication unit 1120.

[0280] For example, the communication device 1200 can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device, the first network device, or the second network device in the method implementation shown in FIG5. The communication device 1200 can also be used to implement the functions of the terminal device involved in FIG6 or FIG7, or it can also implement the functions of the first network device involved in FIG6, FIG7, FIG9, or FIG10, or it can also implement the functions of the second network device involved in FIG6, FIG7, FIG9, or FIG10.

[0281] When the communication device 1200 described above is a chip applied to a device (such as the terminal device or network device mentioned above), the device chip implements the functions of the device in the above method embodiments. The device chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the device, the information being sent to the device by other devices; or, the device chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the device, the information being sent to other devices by the device. Here, the communication device 1200 can be a baseband chip of a device, or a DU or other modules. The DU here can be a DU under an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0282] The processor 1210 can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. Furthermore, the memory involved in the various embodiments of this application can include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM). The memory can also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drives (HDDs), or solid-state drives (SSDs).

[0283] The communication device shown in Figure 13 will be described below. As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 1300 includes a processor 1310 and a transceiver 1330. The processor 1310 can also be called a processing unit, processing board, processing module, processing device, etc. The implementation of the processor 1310 can be referred to the content of the processor 1210 in Figure 12 above. The transceiver 1330 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. The transceiver 1330 includes a transmitter 1331, a receiver 1332, and an antenna 1333. Optionally, the transceiver 1330 may also include radio frequency circuits and input / output devices, etc., which are not specifically limited.

[0284] Optionally, the device in transceiver 1330 used to implement the receiving function is considered a receiving module, and the device in transceiver 1330 used to implement the transmitting function is considered a transmitting module. That is, transceiver 1330 includes a receiver and a transmitter. A transceiver may sometimes be called a transceiver unit, transceiver module, or transceiver circuit, etc. A receiver may sometimes be called a receiver unit, receiving module, or receiving circuit, etc. A transmitter may sometimes be called a transmitter, transmitting module, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0285] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may also include a memory 1320, which may store computer program code and / or data.

[0286] The processor 1310 is mainly used for processing communication protocols and data, controlling the communication device 1300, executing software programs, and processing software program data. The memory 1320 is mainly used for storing software programs and data. The radio frequency (RF) circuit is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna 1333 is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0287] When data needs to be transmitted, the processor 1310 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit then processes the baseband signal and transmits it outward as an electromagnetic wave through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device 1300, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts it into a baseband signal, and outputs it to the processor. The processor 1310 converts the baseband signal back into data and processes it. For ease of explanation, Figure 13 only shows one memory 1320, processor 1310, and transceiver 1330. In actual terminal products, there may be one or more processors 1310 and one or more memories 1320. The memory 1320 may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device. The memory 1320 may be independent of the processor 1310 or integrated with it; there is no limitation on this.

[0288] In this embodiment, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver functions are considered as communication units of the communication device 1300, and the processor with processing functions is considered as processing units of the communication device 1300. The processor 1310 is used to execute the processing actions on the terminal device side, the first network device side, or the second network device side in the method embodiment described in FIG5 above, and the transceiver 1330 is used to execute the transceiver actions on the terminal device side, the first network device side, or the second network device side in the above embodiment.

[0289] When the communication device 1300 is a chip, the chip includes a processor and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor can be a processing module integrated on the chip, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit. Optionally, the chip may also include a memory. In the above method embodiments, the transmitting operation of the terminal device or network device can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0290] This application provides a communication system. The communication system includes a terminal device and a second network device. Exemplarily, the terminal device can implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the second network device can implement the functions of the second network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5. Optionally, the communication system further includes a first network device, which can implement the functions of the first network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5.

[0291] Optionally, the terminal device can also be used to implement the functions of the terminal device involved in FIG6 or FIG7, the second network device can also implement the functions of the second network device involved in FIG6, FIG7, FIG9 or FIG10, and the first network device can also implement the functions of the first network device involved in FIG6, FIG7, FIG9 or FIG10.

[0292] This application provides a chip system comprising a processor and an interface. The processor is used to call and execute instructions from the interface. When the processor executes the instructions, it implements the method embodiment shown in FIG5. Optionally, the steps involved in FIG6, 7, 9, or 10 can also be implemented.

[0293] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs or instructions that, when run, implement the method embodiment shown in FIG5 above. Optionally, the steps involved in FIG6, 7, 9, or 10 can also be implemented.

[0294] This application provides a program product that, when executed, enables a processor to implement the method embodiment shown in FIG5. Optionally, the steps involved in FIG6, 7, 9, or 10 may also be implemented. The program product is, for example, a computer program product, specifically, a computer program and / or instructions. The processor is, for example, a processor running in a computer.

[0295] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a network apparatus, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access, or a data storage device such as a server or data center integrating one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0296] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0297] The various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be based on its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Receive first information, the first information indicating a first resource, the first resource being used to access any one of at least two cells; Based on the first resource, a random access is initiated to the first cell of the at least two cells.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Both of the at least two cells are located in the first region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first area is either a tracking area or a wireless access network notification area.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first information also indicates a second resource, which is used for a paging terminal device in any of the at least two cells.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The receiving of the first information includes: A synchronization signal is received, the synchronization signal including the first information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a synchronization signal, which is used to achieve downlink synchronization, wherein: The time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the first information is the same as the time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal, and the frequency domain resource for transmitting the first information is different from the frequency domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal, or the time domain resource for transmitting the first information satisfies a first relationship with the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Based on the first resource, a random access is initiated to the first cell of the at least two cells, including: Send a first message, the first message being used to wake up the network device, the cell of the network device including the first cell; A second message is received, which is used in response to the first message, and the second message includes the physical cell identifier of the first cell.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first message includes a random access preamble, which is determined based on the first resource.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, After sending the first message, the method further includes: The system information block SIB1 of the first cell is received. The SIB1 of the first cell includes information about a third resource, which is used to access the first cell.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell satisfy a second relationship.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The second relationship is indicated by a synchronization signal or is pre-configured.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Send a first message, the first message indicating a first resource, the first resource being a resource for accessing any one of at least two cells.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, Both of the at least two cells are located in the first region.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first area is either a tracking area or a wireless access network notification area.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, The first information also indicates a second resource, which is used for a paging terminal device in any of the at least two cells.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12-15, characterized in that, The first resource indicates at least one root sequence, wherein: The number of the at least one root sequence is the minimum of at least two numbers, where the at least two numbers include the number of root sequences corresponding to the at least two cells respectively; and / or, The index of the at least one root sequence is the intersection of at least two index sets, and the at least two index sets include the index sets of the root sequences corresponding to the at least two cells respectively.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, characterized in that, The sending of the first information includes: A synchronization signal is sent, the synchronization signal including the first information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, characterized in that, The method further includes: A synchronization signal is sent, which is used to achieve downlink synchronization, wherein: The time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the first information is the same as the time unit of the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal, and the frequency domain resource for transmitting the first information is different from the frequency domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal, or the time domain resource for transmitting the first information satisfies a first relationship with the time domain resource for transmitting the synchronization signal.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12-18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a first message, which is used to wake up the network device; A second message is sent in response to the first message, and includes the physical cell identifier of the first cell accessing the network device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The first message includes a random access preamble, which is determined based on the first resource.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein, After receiving the first message, the method further includes: The system information block SIB1 of the first cell is sent. The SIB1 of the first cell includes information about a third resource, which is used to access the first cell.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The time-domain resources for transmitting the second message and the time-domain resources for transmitting the SIB1 of the first cell satisfy a second relationship.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, The second relationship is indicated by a synchronization signal or is pre-configured.

24. A communications device, characterized by include: A module or unit for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1-11; or, A module or unit for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 12-23.

25. A communications device, characterized by The device includes one or more processors, which are configured to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-11, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 12-23.

26. A computer program product, characterised in that, When the computer program product is executed, it causes the processor to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-11, or the method as described in any one of claims 12-23.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-11, or the method as described in any one of claims 12-23.

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