Communication method, communication apparatus, communication system and storage medium

Abstract

The present application is applied to the technical field of communications. Disclosed in the embodiments are a communication method, a communication apparatus, a communication system and a storage medium, which are used for improving the access performance. The method in the embodiments of the present application comprises: receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB), wherein the first SSB comprises indication information, the indication information being used for determining time domain resources in which N system information block (SIB) search spaces are located, and N being an integer greater than 1; and on the basis of the indication information, receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling the first SIB. In the embodiments of the present application, one wide beam SSB is associated with N narrow beam SIBs, so that each SIB can use a narrower beam, thereby obtaining a better demodulation performance, and further reducing access latency. In addition, parameters used for determining SIB search spaces are carried in the indication information, so that a terminal device can determine corresponding SIB search spaces on the basis of the parameters. Therefore, an SIB-R message can be received at an accurate time-frequency resource position to obtain cell-level system information, thereby completing a subsequent access procedure.

Description

Communication methods, communication devices, communication systems and storage media

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202411495709.3, filed on October 23, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Communication Device, Communication System and Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device, communication system and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] In non-terrestrial networks (NTN), satellite communication has a wider coverage area than terrestrial cellular networks, and also features long communication distance, high deployment flexibility, and is not affected by geographical environment, natural disasters and climate conditions.

[0004] In a communication system, a terminal device needs to complete an initial access procedure before accessing the network. During this initial access procedure, the terminal device receives a synchronization signal block (SSB) for downlink synchronization and obtains the cell's system messages through a master information block (MIB). After successfully receiving and parsing the MIB, the terminal device further receives a system information block (SIB) based on the scheduling information in the MIB. The SIB provides the device with various configuration information and parameters required for network access, enabling the terminal device to initiate a random access procedure to access the network based on the SIB.

[0005] Therefore, for satellite communication systems, how to enable terminal devices to obtain SIB messages in a timely and accurate manner, complete subsequent access procedures, and thus reduce access latency is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, and storage medium, which enable terminal equipment to obtain better demodulation performance when receiving SIBs, thereby reducing access latency and improving access performance.

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of this method may be a first device, which may be a terminal device, a component or device applied to the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Taking a terminal device as an example, in this method, the terminal device receives a first SSB from L SSBs, where the first SSB is the SSB corresponding to the terminal device. The first SSB carries indication information, which is used by the terminal device to determine the time-domain resources where the N SIB search spaces are located, where N is an integer greater than 1. The N SIB search spaces include multiple physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs), and the terminal device receives the PDCCH for scheduling the first SIB based on the indication.

[0008] Based on the first aspect of this application, by associating a wide beam SSB with N narrow beam SIBs, each SIB can use a narrower beam, thereby achieving better demodulation performance and reducing access latency.

[0009] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces are located. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs.

[0010] In this embodiment of the application, the network device carries parameters for determining the SIB search space in the indication information, so that the terminal device can determine the corresponding SIB search space according to the parameters, thereby receiving the SIB-R message at the accurate time-frequency resource location, obtaining cell-level system information, and then completing the subsequent access process.

[0011] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search space relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs. L is the number of configured SSBs. The configured SSB includes a first SSB.

[0012] In this embodiment of the application, the network device carries parameters for determining the SIB search space in the indication information, so that the terminal device can determine the corresponding SIB search space according to the parameters, thereby receiving the SIB-R message at the accurate time-frequency resource location, obtaining cell-level system information, and then completing the subsequent access process.

[0013] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the N SIB search spaces are located is determined according to at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located in the configuration SSB, the number of time slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the time slot offset, and N.

[0014] In this embodiment, the terminal device determines the system frame number where the N SIB search spaces are located, thereby enabling it to identify the N SIB search spaces in the corresponding system frame, obtain SIB-R messages, acquire cell-level system information, and complete the subsequent access process.

[0015] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the SIB search space is located is SFN. SIB-R The system frame number satisfies:

[0016] Among them, SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the initial SSB is located. Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset The system frame offset, slot offset This represents the time slot offset.

[0017] In this embodiment, the terminal device determines the system frame number where the N SIB search spaces are located, thereby enabling it to identify the N SIB search spaces in the corresponding system frame, obtain SIB-R messages, acquire cell-level system information, and complete the subsequent access process.

[0018] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces is determined according to at least one of the following: the number of slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the slot offset, and N.

[0019] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device determines the time slot number of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces, thereby enabling it to detect the corresponding PDCCH in the N time slots, and then obtain the corresponding SIB-R message based on the PDCCH to complete the access process.

[0020] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space is n. SIB-R The time slot number satisfies:

[0021] in, Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset The system frame offset, slot offset is the time slot offset, and mod is the modulo operation.

[0022] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device determines the time slot number of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces, thereby enabling it to detect the corresponding PDCCH in the N time slots, and then obtain the corresponding SIB-R message based on the PDCCH to complete the access process.

[0023] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame offset is determined according to the number L of configured SSBs, wherein the configured SSBs include a first SSB, and the system frame offset satisfies in, K represents the number of time slots within a system frame, and K represents the number of time slots occupied by a single SSB.

[0024] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes a parameter index, which is used to indicate the value of at least one of the system frame offset, time slot offset, and N.

[0025] In this embodiment of the application, the network device sends a parameter index, which enables the terminal device to determine the value of a specific parameter based on the parameter index, thus saving signaling overhead.

[0026] Based on the first aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the first SSB is transmitted via a first beam, the first SIB is transmitted via a second beam, and the coverage area of ​​the first beam is greater than the coverage area of ​​the second beam.

[0027] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of this method can be a second device, which can be a network device, a component or device applied to the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device (e.g., a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU)). Taking a network device as an example, in this method, the network device sends a first SSB, which includes indication information. The indication information is used to search for the time-domain resources where N SIBs reside, where N is an integer greater than 1. The network device sends a PDCCH for scheduling the first SIB based on the indication information.

[0028] Based on the second aspect of this application, the network device associates N narrow beam SIBs with a wide beam SSB, so that each SIB can use a narrower beam, thereby enabling the terminal device to obtain better demodulation performance.

[0029] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces are located. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs.

[0030] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search space relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs. L is the number of configured SSBs. The configured SSB includes a first SSB.

[0031] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the N SIB search spaces are located is determined according to at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located in the configuration SSB, the number of time slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the time slot offset, and N.

[0032] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the SIB search space is located is SFN. SIB-R The system frame number satisfies:

[0033] Among them, SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the initial SSB is located. Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset For system frame offset, slot offset This represents the time slot offset.

[0034] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the slot offset, and N.

[0035] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space is n. SIB-R The time slot number satisfies:

[0036] in, Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset For system frame offset, slot offset is the time slot offset, and mod is the modulo operation.

[0037] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame offset is determined according to the number L of configured SSBs, wherein the configured SSBs include a first SSB, and the system frame offset satisfies in, K represents the number of time slots within a system frame, and K represents the number of time slots occupied by a single SSB.

[0038] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes a parameter index, which indicates the value of at least one of the system frame offset, time slot offset, and N.

[0039] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, N SIBs cover N different regions.

[0040] Based on the second aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the first SSB is transmitted via a first beam, the first SIB is transmitted via a second beam, and the coverage area of ​​the first beam is greater than the coverage area of ​​the second beam.

[0041] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0042] The interface module is used to receive the first synchronization signal block (SSB), which includes indication information.

[0043] The processing module is used to determine the temporal resources where the search space of N system message blocks (SIBs) is located based on the indication information, where N is an integer greater than 1;

[0044] The interface module is also used to receive the downlink physical control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling the first SIB based on indication information.

[0045] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces are located. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs.

[0046] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search space relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs. L is the number of configured SSBs. The configured SSB includes the first SSB.

[0047] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the N SIB search spaces are located is determined according to at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located in the configuration SSB, the number of time slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the time slot offset, and N.

[0048] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the SIB search space is located is SFN. SIB-R The system frame number satisfies:

[0049] Among them, SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the initial SSB is located. Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset The system frame offset, slot offset This represents the time slot offset.

[0050] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the slot offset, and N.

[0051] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space is n. SIB-R The time slot number satisfies:

[0052] in, Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset The system frame offset, slot offset is the time slot offset, and mod is the modulo operation.

[0053] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame offset is determined according to L, and the system frame offset satisfies in, K represents the number of time slots within a system frame, and K represents the number of time slots occupied by a single SSB.

[0054] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes a parameter index, which is used to indicate the value of at least one of the system frame offset, time slot offset, and N.

[0055] Based on the third aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the first SSB is transmitted via a first beam, the first SIB is transmitted via a second beam, and the coverage area of ​​the first beam is greater than the coverage area of ​​the second beam.

[0056] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0057] The processing module is used to generate instruction information;

[0058] The interface module is used to send the first SSB. The first SSB includes indication information, which is used to search for the temporal resources of the N SIB search space, where N is an integer greater than 1.

[0059] The interface module is also used to send a PDCCH for scheduling the first SIB based on the indication information.

[0060] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces are located. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs.

[0061] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search space relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs. L is the number of configured SSBs. The configured SSB includes the first SSB.

[0062] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the N SIB search spaces are located is determined according to at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located in the configuration SSB, the number of time slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the time slot offset, and N.

[0063] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the SIB search space is located is SFN. SIB-R The system frame number satisfies:

[0064] Among them, SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the initial SSB is located. Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset For system frame offset, slot offset This represents the time slot offset.

[0065] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the slot offset, and N.

[0066] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space is n. SIB-R The time slot number satisfies:

[0067] in, Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset For system frame offset, slot offset is the time slot offset, and mod is the modulo operation.

[0068] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the system frame offset is determined according to the number L of configured SSBs, wherein the configured SSBs include a first SSB, and the system frame offset satisfies in, K represents the number of time slots within a system frame, and K represents the number of time slots occupied by a single SSB.

[0069] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the indication information includes a parameter index, which indicates the value of at least one of the system frame offset, time slot offset, and N.

[0070] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, N SIBs cover N different regions.

[0071] Based on the fourth aspect of this application, in some possible implementations, the first SSB is transmitted via a first beam, the first SIB is transmitted via a second beam, and the coverage area of ​​the first beam is greater than the coverage area of ​​the second beam.

[0072] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be a first device or a second device, or a component applied to the first device or the second device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software (e.g., CU, DU, or RU) capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device or the second device. The communication device includes:

[0073] A processor for executing a program that causes the communication device to perform the method as described in the first or second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0074] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory; the memory is used to store programs.

[0075] The sixth aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and at least one processor being interconnected via a line, the at least one processor being used to run computer programs or instructions to perform the communication method described in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0076] The communication interface in the chip can be an input / output interface, pins, or circuits.

[0077] In one possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory storing instructions. The memory can be an internal storage unit of the chip, such as a register or cache, or it can be a storage unit of the chip itself, such as a read-only memory or random access memory.

[0078] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, including a communication device that performs the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and a communication device that performs the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0079] An eighth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect above.

[0080] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0081] Figure 1 is a diagram of the ground network architecture in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 2 is a diagram of the non-terrestrial network architecture in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 3 illustrates a possible application scenario of the communication method in this application embodiment;

[0084] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the initial access and service data transmission phases of NR in this embodiment of the application.

[0085] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the compact SSB in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the communication method in this application;

[0087] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the compact SIB in this application;

[0088] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0089] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0090] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0091] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0092] This application provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, and storage medium, which enable terminal equipment to obtain better demodulation performance when receiving SIBs, thereby reducing access latency and improving access performance.

[0093] The embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, with technological advancements and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0094] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms are interchangeable where appropriate; this is merely a way of distinguishing objects with the same attributes in the description of embodiments of this application. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to those processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0095] First, some technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced.

[0096] 1) Remaining system information block (SIB-R):

[0097] SIB-R includes the remaining system information in the existing SIB1, excluding the system information in the aforementioned information blocks. That is, the system information in this embodiment carries the information necessary for the terminal device to initiate random access, reducing the amount of information carried compared to SIB1 and thus improving transmission performance. For example, with the same time-frequency resources, reducing the number of transmitted bits is equivalent to reducing the transmission code rate, thereby improving transmission performance. For example, reducing the number of transmitted bits can also reduce the occupied time-frequency resources, thereby reducing resource overhead and improving performance. Furthermore, by reducing frequency domain resource usage, transmission performance can be further improved using methods such as power aggregation.

[0098] 2) Search space:

[0099] Search space is a method for transmitting control information at the physical layer. In new radio (NR) systems, search space is defined as searching within a specific set of resource blocks to locate and transmit control information. Search space contains multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs), and its size and range can be adjusted using different parameters. SIB search space refers to the common search space (CSS), such as Type 0-PDCCH CSS, used for transmitting system-level control information, such as SIB1.

[0100] 3) Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH):

[0101] The PDCCH is the channel used in NR systems to transmit downlink control information (DCI). The DCI contains scheduling information that instructs terminal devices how to receive downlink data (such as SIBs) or send uplink data. SIB messages (such as SIB1) are typically carried on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). To obtain SIBs from the PDSCH, the terminal device first needs to find the DCI that schedules the SIBs through the PDCCH. The terminal device searches for the PDCCH within a specified search space and demodulates the found PDCCH. If demodulation is successful, the terminal device can obtain the DCI and thus know how to receive and demodulate the SIB messages carried on the PDSCH.

[0102] 4) Beam:

[0103] A beam is a communication resource. A beam can be wide, narrow, or other types of beams, and the technology used to form a beam can be beamforming technology or other techniques. Beamforming technology can specifically be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, and hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology. Different beams can be considered different resources.

[0104] In the NR protocol, a beam can be referred to as a spatial domain filter, spatial filter, spatial domain parameter, spatial parameter, spatial domain setting, spatial setting, quasi-colocation (QCL) information, QCL assumption, or QCL indication, etc. The beam can be indicated by the transmission configuration indicator state (TCI-state) parameter or by the spatial relation parameter. Therefore, in this application, the beam can be replaced by spatial domain filter, spatial filter, spatial parameter, spatial parameter, spatial setting, spatial setting, QCL information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, TCI-state (including uplink TCI-state and downlink TCI-state), or spatial relation, etc. These terms are also equivalent to each other. The beam can also be replaced with other beam-related terms, which are not limited herein.

[0105] The beam used to transmit signals can be referred to as a transmission beam (Tx beam), a spatial domain transmission filter, a spatial transmission filter, a spatial domain transmission parameter, a spatial transmission parameter, a spatial domain transmission setting, or a spatial transmission setting. The transmission beam can also be called a downlink beam. In this application, the transmission beam, downlink beam, channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS), TCI State, downlink / joint transmission configuration number state (DLorjointTCI state), synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB), and tracking reference signal (TRS) can be interchanged.

[0106] The beam used to receive signals can be referred to as a reception beam (Rx beam), a spatial domain reception filter, a spatial reception filter, a spatial domain reception parameter, a spatial reception parameter, a spatial domain reception setting, or a spatial reception setting. The uplink transmit beam can be indicated by any of the following: spatial relation, uplink TCI-state, or sounding reference signal (SRS) resource (indicating the transmit beam using that SRS). The receive beam can also be referred to as the uplink beam. In this application, the receive beam, uplink beam, uplink transmission configuration number state (UL TCI state), DLorjointTCI state, sounding reference signal (SRS), CSI-RS, SSB, and TRS can be interchanged.

[0107] The transmitting beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted through an antenna, while the receiving beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of a wireless signal received from an antenna.

[0108] Furthermore, the beam can be a wide beam, a narrow beam, or other types of beam. The beamforming technology can be beamforming technology or other technologies. Specifically, beamforming technology can be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, hybrid digital beamforming technology, or hybrid analog beamforming technology, etc.

[0109] Beams are generally associated with resources. For example, during beam measurement, network devices measure different beams using different resources. The terminal devices provide feedback on the measured resource quality, allowing the network devices to determine the quality of the corresponding beam. During data transmission, beam information is also indicated through its corresponding resources. For instance, network devices use the TCI field in downlink control information (DCI) to indicate the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam information of the terminal devices.

[0110] In one possible implementation, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics are considered as a single beam. A beam may include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, and probe signals, etc. The one or more antenna ports forming a beam can also be considered as a set of antenna ports.

[0111] 5) QCL:

[0112] Quasi-co-location is used to indicate that multiple resources share one or more identical or similar communication characteristics. For multiple resources with quasi-co-location, identical or similar communication configurations can be used. For example, if two antenna ports have quasi-co-location, the large-scale channel characteristics of one port transmitting one symbol can be inferred from the large-scale channel characteristics of the other port transmitting one symbol. Large-scale characteristics can include: delay spread, average delay, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, receive parameters, terminal equipment receive beam number, transmit / receive channel correlation, receive angle of arrival, spatial correlation of receiver antennas, angel-of-arrival (AoA), average angle of arrival, AoA spread, etc. Specifically, the co-location indicator is used to indicate whether at least two sets of antenna ports have a co-location relationship, including: the co-location indicator indicates whether the channel state information reference signals transmitted by at least two sets of antenna ports originate from the same transmission point, or the co-location indicator indicates whether the channel state information reference signals transmitted by at least two sets of antenna ports originate from the same beamgroup.

[0113] Please refer to Figure 1. The network architecture on which the communication method in this embodiment is based is briefly described below:

[0114] Figure 1 is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0115] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G, 5G, or future mobile communication system. RAN 100 can also be an open-radio access network (ORAN), a cloud-radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0116] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0117] In one possible scenario, access network equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, macro base station, micro base station, wireless relay node, donor node, radio controller in CRAN scenario, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be access network equipment in 5G mobile communication system. For example, a next-generation NodeB (gNB), TRP, or TP in an NR system; or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) in a base station in a 5G mobile communication system; or, access network equipment can also be network nodes constituting a gNB or transmission point. Examples include centralized units (CU), distributed units (DU), centralized unit control planes (CU-CP), centralized unit user planes (CU-UP), or radio units (RU), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). Alternatively, access network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment, etc. For example, the access network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). It should be understood that the aforementioned TRP can be a device or module located on the network side of the aforementioned communication system and having corresponding communication functions.The TRP typically contains communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. The TRP can also be configured with program instructions for the corresponding communication functions.

[0118] It should be noted that CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU can also be called an open centralized unit (O-CU) or an open CU, DU can also be called an open distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open centralized unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open centralized unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open radio unit (O-RU). This application does not limit the specific names. Any of the units CU, 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.

[0119] Optionally, for network elements in the ORAN system, each network element can implement the protocol layer functions shown in Table 1 below.

[0120] Table 1

[0121] It should be noted that in the ORAN system, the access network equipment in this application can be one or more network elements listed in Table 1 above.

[0122] The architecture of the CU and DU of the access network equipment is described below. An access network equipment includes at least one CU and at least one DU. Optionally, the access network equipment may also include at least one RU.

[0123] The following description uses an access network device consisting of one CU and one DU as an example. The CU has some core network functions and can include CU-CP and CU-UP. The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the CU may be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (e.g., RRC and / or SDAP layers). The DU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC, MAC, and / or physical (PHY) layers). Alternatively, the CU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer (e.g., RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC, MAC, and / or PHY layers).

[0124] When a CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when a CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0125] The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the AMF in a 5G system. The AMF is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover.

[0126] CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices.

[0127] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For example, based on latency, functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0128] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0129] It should be noted that the access network equipment can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, chip system, module, or control unit in the aforementioned device or apparatus; this application does not impose any specific limitation. It should also be noted that in this application, the term "access network equipment" can refer to the access network equipment itself, or to the chip, functional module, or integrated circuit within the access network equipment that performs the method provided in this application; this application does not impose any specific limitation.

[0130] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-CPs, CU-UPs, or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0131] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0132] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart homes, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. Terminals typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. Terminals can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0133] Please refer to Figure 2. The following is a brief description of the non-terrestrial network architecture on which the communication method in this embodiment is based:

[0134] Ground mobile terminals access the network via a new air interface. Network equipment is deployed on satellites and connected to the ground core network via wireless links. Simultaneously, wireless links exist between satellites to facilitate signaling interaction and user data transmission between network devices. The various network elements in Figure 2 and their interfaces are described below:

[0135] Terminal: Mobile devices that support the New Radio interface, typically such as mobile phones and tablets. They can access satellite networks via the air interface and initiate services such as making calls and accessing the internet.

[0136] Network equipment primarily provides wireless access services, allocates wireless resources to access terminals, and provides reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols. Network equipment deployed on satellites is called an NTN node.

[0137] Core Network: Handles user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, billing, and other services. It consists of multiple functional units, which can be divided into control plane and data plane functional entities. The Access and Mobility Management Unit (AMF) is responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. The User Plane Unit (UPF) is responsible for managing user plane data transmission, traffic statistics, and other functions.

[0138] Ground station: Responsible for forwarding signaling and service data between satellite base stations and the core network. A ground station is a network device deployed on the ground. Ground stations used for distributing and collecting satellite communication service data, or for exchanging data within the satellite communication network and routing data to external networks, are called gateway stations. A gateway station can be a network device, a component of a network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0139] New Radio: The wireless link between a terminal and a base station.

[0140] Xn interface: The interface between base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as handover.

[0141] NG interface: The interface between the base station and the CN, mainly used for exchanging non-access stratum (NAS) signaling of the core network and user service data.

[0142] The terminal device in Figure 2 can be located within the beam or cell coverage area of ​​the network device. The terminal device can communicate with the network device via the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL). For example, in the UL direction, the terminal device can send uplink data to the network device via the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); in the DL direction, the network device can send downlink data to the terminal device via the PDSCH. The terminal device can be a terminal device supporting the new radio interface, which can access the network device through the air interface and initiate services such as calls and internet access. For example, the network device can be a RAN device mounted on a flight platform. When the RAN device is mounted on the flight platform, it moves synchronously with the flight platform. The RAN device and the flight platform can be considered as a single unit; in this case, the flight platform can be regarded as the RAN device, or it can be described as the flight platform operating in regenerative mode, meaning the flight platform possesses the functions of the RAN device. Furthermore, the communication link between the flight platform and the terminal device can be called a service link. When the communication system includes multiple flight platforms, the flight platforms can communicate with each other via the Xn interface. In practical applications, network devices can also be RAN devices distributed on the flight platform based on DU, or directly serve as the flight platform; no specific limitation is made here.

[0143] The aforementioned flight platform can be a satellite, drone, or other aircraft. For example, the flight platform may include geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, non-geostationary orbit satellites, low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium-earth orbit (MEO) satellites, geosynchronous orbit satellites, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system platforms, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), hot air balloons, or high-orbit satellites, etc., and is not specifically limited here. This application uses a satellite as the flight platform for illustration.

[0144] Low-Earth orbit (LEO) and medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites can have their own orbital paths, and multiple satellites typically work together to provide communication over a fixed area. High-Earth orbit (GEO) satellites are generally stationary, and one or a few high-Earth orbit satellites provide communication over a fixed area.

[0145] Furthermore, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other future communication technologies. The network architecture and service scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application. As those skilled in the art will understand, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0146] Figure 3 illustrates an application scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application. In a satellite communication system, a terminal device needs to complete an initial access process before accessing the network. During the initial access phase, the satellite, acting as a network device, needs to scan all beams sequentially and configure random access resources for the terminal device. The random access process generally refers to the process from when the terminal device sends a random access preamble (or simply preamble) to attempt to access the network device until a basic signaling connection is established between the terminal device and the network device. Currently, network devices can broadcast different SSBs for different communication areas and distinguish them by their index numbers. Generally, different SSB index numbers represent downlink synchronization signals in different beam directions, covering and serving different areas. After receiving the SSB, the terminal device completes timing synchronization and confirms the time-frequency position of SIB1 according to the information in the SSB, and completes the parsing of SIB1 to obtain cell information. It then detects SIB19 based on the search space configured in SIB1 and completes data parsing to obtain the satellite's ephemeris information. After obtaining cell information and / or ephemeris information, the terminal device sends a random access preamble on the corresponding uplink resources based on the configuration information and the SSB index number. For the network device, the received random access preamble and the corresponding uplink resources can be used to determine the area where the terminal device is located and establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0147] In current NR technology, the initial access and service data transmission phases are clearly defined:

[0148] Figure 4 illustrates the process flow for the initial access and service data transmission phases of NR. The figure uses a four-step random access process as an example, but in actual use, it can also be applied to a two-step random access process. Specifically, the flow is as follows:

[0149] During the initial access phase, network devices (e.g., gNBs) use a wide beam to transmit the SSB synchronization channel, and other channels are associated with the SSB beam;

[0150] Step 1: The terminal device receives SIB1 from the SSB and obtains cell information, random occasion (RO) resource configuration information, etc. from SIB1. Further, the terminal device determines the RO resource it will use based on the SSB index and RO resource configuration information, and initiates a random access request by sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) on the RO resource associated with the SSB.

[0151] Step 2: The network device receives the above PRACH and sends a random access response (RAR) to the terminal device. The RAR schedules the terminal device to send message 3 (Msg3) in the random access process on the corresponding time and frequency resources to initiate a radio resource control (RRC) setup request.

[0152] Step 3: After receiving Msg3, the network device sends message 4 (Msg4) during the random access process to the terminal device to establish RRC (RRCSetup);

[0153] Step 4: After receiving message 4 (Msg4), the terminal device sends message 5 (Msg5) during the random access process, thereby completing the initial access process.

[0154] In this configuration, when the terminal device receives an SSB, all SSBs are transmitted within the first X system frames within an SSB cycle. For example, as shown in Figure 5, assuming there are 32 SSBs, and each SSB occupies one time slot, then the 32 SSBs can occupy 32 time slots, and these 32 SSBs are transmitted within two system frames. This allows the terminal to receive all SSBs in the time domain during the SSB search, determine the optimal SSB, reduce access latency, and enable earlier access.

[0155] However, for consecutive SSBs, if the terminal device cannot accurately receive the SIB-R to obtain uplink and downlink resource configurations, it will affect access performance.

[0156] Based on this, this application provides a method. Referring to Figure 6, a communication method in this application includes:

[0157] 601. The network device sends the first SSB to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first SSB from the network device.

[0158] The network device sends L SSBs to the terminal device using a wide beam. The L SSBs include a first SSB, which is the SSB corresponding to the terminal device. The first SSB includes indication information used to determine N SIB search spaces. These N SIB search spaces can be understood as a single search space for N SIBs, or as N search spaces for N SIBs; the specific interpretation is not limited here.

[0159] Optionally, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. Here, N represents one wide-beam SSB associated with N narrow-beam SIBs. As shown in Figure 7, assuming there are 16 SSBs, when one wide-beam SSB is associated with 2 narrow-beam SIBs (i.e., N is 2), there are 32 SIBs. That is, for L SSBs, there are L*N SIBs. These L*N SIBs are located in consecutive system frames, forming a compact SIB-R.

[0160] In this embodiment, by associating a wide-beam SSB with N narrow-beam SIBs, each SIB can utilize a narrower beam, resulting in better demodulation performance. Simultaneously, since the L*N SIBs are located on consecutive system frames, the terminal device can acquire the SIBs promptly, thereby reducing access latency.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame (e.g., SFN#0 in Figure 7), and the time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces reside. For example, if the first SSB is SSB#12 in Figure 7 and N is 2, then the SIBs corresponding to the first SSB are SIB#24 and SIB#25. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset between the system frame (SFN#2) in which SIB#24 resides and SFN#0, and the time slot offset is used to indicate the offset between the time slot of SIB#24 and the starting time slot of the system frame (SFN#2) in which SIB#4 resides.

[0162] In another possible implementation, the system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame (e.g., SFN#0 in Figure 7), and the time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search space relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space. For example, if the first SSB is SSB#12 in Figure 7 and N is 2, then the SIBs corresponding to the first SSB are SIB#24 and SIB#25. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset between the system frame (SFN#1) where SIB#0 is located and SFN#0, and the time slot offset is used to indicate the offset between the time slot where SIB#0 is located and the starting time slot of the system frame (SFN#1) where SIB#0 is located.

[0163] Optionally, the indication information may also include the interval M of the SIB search space corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, in time slots.

[0164] It should be noted that the indication information can be a value of at least one of the system frame offset, time slot offset, M, and N, carried in the first SSB. Optionally, the indication information can also be carried in the MIB-E.

[0165] The indication information can also be a parameter index, which indicates the value of at least one of the system frame offset, slot offset, M, and N. Examples are shown in Table 2 below:

[0166] Table 2: Mapping relationship between parameter index and parameter

[0167] Terminal devices can obtain the mapping relationship between parameter indexes and at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, M, and N through network device pre-configuration or protocol pre-definition. The network device carries the parameter index in the indication information, and the terminal device can determine the value of the specific parameter based on the parameter index and the mapping relationship, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0168] The parameter index-parameter mapping relationship shown in Table 2 above is only an example. In practical applications, since the values ​​of some parameters can be fixed (e.g., the time slot offset and M in Table 2), the parameter index can be associated with the values ​​of some parameters. For example, see Table 3 below:

[0169] Table 3: Mapping relationship between parameter index and some parameters

[0170] In Table 3, the parameter index is associated with the system frame offset and N. The terminal device can determine the values ​​of the system frame offset and N based on Table 3 and the parameter index, with the default timeslot offset being 0 and M being 2. Table 3 can be one or more columns from Table 2, and there are no specific restrictions here.

[0171] The values ​​of the parameters in Tables 2 and 3 above are only examples. In practical applications, these parameters can be any value, and no specific restrictions are imposed here.

[0172] In this embodiment, the network device instructs the terminal device to provide parameters for determining the SIB search space, enabling the terminal device to determine the corresponding SIB search space based on the parameters. This allows the terminal device to receive SIB-R messages at accurate time-frequency resource locations, obtain cell-level system information, and subsequently complete the access process to obtain NTN network services.

[0173] After receiving the first SSB, the terminal device determines the system frame number of the N SIB search spaces and the timeslot number of the starting timeslot of the N SIB search spaces based on the indication information. The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the N SIB search spaces are located is determined based on at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located in the configuration SSB, the number of timeslots within a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the timeslot offset, and N. The timeslot number corresponding to the starting timeslot of the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of timeslots within a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the timeslot offset, and N.

[0174] In one possible implementation, if the system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame (e.g., SFN#0 in Figure 7), and the time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame containing the N SIB search spaces, then the system frame number of the N SIB search spaces can be represented as: SFN SIB-R =SFN SSB#0 +SFN offset

[0175] Among them, SFN SSB#0 SFN is the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the first SSB is located out of L SSBs. offset This is the system frame offset.

[0176] The slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space can be represented as: n SIB-R =slot offset

[0177] Among them, slot offset This represents the time slot offset.

[0178] As an example, SFN offset2, slot offset The value is 4, therefore the system frame number where the SIB search space resides is SFN. SIB-R =0+2=2, the slot number of the starting slot of the SIB search space is 4, that is, the starting slot of the SIB search space is slot #4 in SFN#2.

[0179] It should be noted that, in this implementation, the indication information can also directly indicate the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces and the system frame number where the N SIB search spaces are located. That is, the indication information carries the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces and the system frame number where the N SIB search spaces are located.

[0180] In another possible implementation, if the system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame (e.g., SFN#0 in Figure 7), and the time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search spaces, then the system frame number SFN of the N SIB search spaces is... SIB-R It can be represented as:

[0181] Among them, SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the first SSB is located out of the L SSBs. This refers to the number of time slots within a system frame. For example, when the sub-carrier spacing (SCS) is 30 kHz, 20. i is the index of the first SSB. M is the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs. SFN offset The system frame offset, slot offset This represents the time slot offset.

[0182] Taking the system frame shown in Figure 7 as an example, SFN SSB#0 If i is 0, and the first SSB is SSB#12, then i is 12, SFN offset =1, slot offset =0, The value is 20, slot offset If M is 0, M is 1, and N is 2, then according to the above formula, we can calculate: Therefore, the system frame number where the SIB search space is located is 2, i.e., SFN#2.

[0183] The slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space can be represented as:

[0184] Here, mod is the modulo operation.

[0185] Taking the system frame shown in Figure 7 as an example, SFN SSB#0 If i is 0, and the first SSB is SSB#12, then i is 12, SFN offset =1, slot offset =0, The value is 20, slot offset If M is 0, M is 1, and N is 2, then according to the above formula, we can calculate: Therefore, the slot number of the starting slot in the SIB search space is 4, which is slot #4 in SFN#2.

[0186] In another possible implementation, the time slot offset can be determined by t offset *2 u It means that t offset The unit is milliseconds (ms). The system frame number (SFN) of the SIB search space. SIB-R It can be represented as:

[0187] The slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space can be represented as:

[0188] Where u is an integer related to SCS, for example, u is 0 when SCS is 15kHz; u is 1 when SCS is 30kHz.

[0189] It should be noted that the system frame offset SFN offset The value is related to the number of SSBs, L. System frame offset SFN offset satisfy Where K is the number of time slots occupied by one SSB.

[0190] The terminal device determines the time-frequency resource where the SIB search space is located based on the system frame number and time slot number of the SIB search space. The SIB search space is used by the terminal device to detect the PDCCH used for scheduling the SIB. The PDCCH and SIB use the same beam; this can also be understood as the PDCCH and SSB having the same QCL relationship (as long as they have the same QCL relationship, they are considered to be on the same beam).

[0191] In this embodiment of the application, the network device indicates to the terminal device the method for determining the search space and defines corresponding parameters such as system frame offset, time slot offset, and wide and narrow beams, so that the terminal device can accurately receive SIB-R for continuous SSBs and thus obtain uplink and downlink resource configuration.

[0192] 602. The network device sends a PDCCH for scheduling the first SIB to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the PDCCH for scheduling the first SIB from the network device.

[0193] The network device receives a preamble from the terminal device, determines the first region among N different regions based on the preamble, identifies the first SIB based on the first region, and sends a PDCCH to the terminal device for scheduling the first SIB. The network device then transmits N SIBs using different beams in the N different regions.

[0194] One way for network devices to locate the first region is by receiving PRACH messages using multiple region-level narrow beams, thereby determining the region-level narrow beam where the terminal device is located. Since different region narrow beams correspond to different RO resources, the network device can also determine the region narrow beam where the terminal device is located based on the RO resources. Furthermore, because the terminal device can simultaneously report its location or the region narrow beam number it is in when sending PRACH messages, the network device can also determine the region-level narrow beam range where the terminal device is located based on the terminal device's location or the region narrow beam number it is in.

[0195] The terminal device detects the PDCCH in the search space based on the indication information carried by the first SSB in step 601. If a PDCCH used for scheduling the first SIB is detected, the terminal device demodulates the PDCCH to obtain the DCI. In practical applications, the terminal device can stop detecting after detecting the PDCCH used for scheduling the first SIB, or it can detect all PDCCHs in the search space; the specific method is not limited here. The terminal device completes the access process based on the DCI. Subsequent access processes can use four-step random access, two-step random access, etc.; the specific method is not limited here.

[0196] In this embodiment of the application, since SIB-R is a compact, centralized distribution, access latency is saved and access performance is improved.

[0197] The communication method in the embodiments of this application has been described above. The communication device in the embodiments of this application is described below. Referring to Figure 8, the communication device 800 can be used to execute the process performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device 800 can be a terminal device, a component or device applied to the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0198] The communication device 800 includes an interface module 801 and a processing module 802.

[0199] The processing module 802 is used for data processing. The interface module 801 can implement corresponding communication functions. The interface module 801 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0200] Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 802 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 800 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0201] The communication device 800 can be used to perform the actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, or a circuit or chip within a terminal device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 800 can be a terminal device or a component configurable on a terminal device. The processing module 802 is used to perform processing-related operations on the terminal device side in the above method embodiments. The interface module 801 is used to perform receiving-related operations on the terminal device side in the above method embodiments.

[0202] Optionally, interface module 801 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0203] It should be noted that the communication device 800 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 800 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by the communication device 800 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 800 is used to execute the actions performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in Figure 6; these will not be elaborated upon here.

[0204] For example, the communication device 800 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0205] Interface module 801 is used to receive a first synchronization signal block SSB, wherein the first SSB includes indication information;

[0206] Processing module 802 is used to determine the temporal domain resources where the search space of N system message blocks (SIBs) is located based on the indication information, where N is an integer greater than 1;

[0207] The interface module 801 is also used to receive the downlink physical control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling the first SIB based on indication information.

[0208] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces are located. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs.

[0209] In another possible implementation, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search space relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs. L is the number of configured SSBs. The configured SSB includes the first SSB.

[0210] In another possible implementation, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame containing the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame containing the starting SSB in the configuration SSB, the number of time slots within a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the time slot offset, N, and an integer related to the subcarrier spacing.

[0211] In another possible implementation, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the SIB search space is located is SFN. SIB-R The system frame number satisfies:

[0212] Among them, SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the initial SSB is located. Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset The system frame offset, slot offset This represents the time slot offset.

[0213] In another possible implementation, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the slot offset, N, and an integer related to the subcarrier spacing.

[0214] In another possible implementation, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space is n. SIB-RThe time slot number satisfies:

[0215] in, Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset The system frame offset, slot offset is the time slot offset, and mod is the modulo operation.

[0216] In another possible implementation, the system frame offset is determined based on L, and the system frame offset satisfies in, K represents the number of time slots within a system frame, and K represents the number of time slots occupied by a single SSB.

[0217] In another possible implementation, the indication information includes a parameter index, which indicates the value of at least one of the system frame offset, time slot offset, and N.

[0218] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0219] Optionally, when the communication device 800 is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, the processing module 802 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip. The interface module 801 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The interface module 801 may also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0220] Optionally, when the communication device 800 is a circuit or chip in a terminal device responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing module 802 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processing cores. The function of the interface module 801 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0221] The following is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 9, the communication device 900 can be used to execute the process performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device 900 can be a network device, or a component or device applied to a network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0222] The communication device 900 includes an interface module 901 and a processing module 902.

[0223] The processing module 902 is used for data processing. The interface module 901 can implement corresponding communication functions. The interface module 901 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0224] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 902 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 900 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0225] The communication device 900 can be used to perform the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be a network device or a communication module within a network device, or a circuit or chip within a network device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 900 can be a network device or a component configurable within a network device. The processing module 902 is used to perform processing-related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments. The interface module 901 is used to perform reception-related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments.

[0226] Optionally, interface module 901 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0227] It should be noted that the communication device 900 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme performed by the communication device 900 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 900 is used to perform the actions performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in Figure 6; these will not be elaborated upon here.

[0228] For example, the communication device 900 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0229] Processing module 902 is used to generate instruction information;

[0230] Interface module 901 is used to send a first SSB. The first SSB includes indication information, which is used to search for the time domain resources where the N SIB search space is located, where N is an integer greater than 1.

[0231] The interface module 901 is also used to send a PDCCH for scheduling the first SIB based on the indication information.

[0232] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces are located. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs.

[0233] In another possible implementation, the indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search space relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs. L is the number of configured SSBs. The configured SSBs include the first SSB.

[0234] In another possible implementation, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame containing the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame containing the starting SSB in the configuration SSB, the number of time slots within a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the time slot offset, N, and an integer related to the subcarrier spacing.

[0235] In another possible implementation, the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the SIB search space is located is SFN. SIB-R The system frame number satisfies:

[0236] Among them, SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the initial SSB is located. Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset For system frame offset, slot offset This represents the time slot offset.

[0237] In another possible implementation, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the slot offset, N, and an integer related to the subcarrier spacing.

[0238] In another possible implementation, the slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the SIB search space is n. SIB-R The time slot number satisfies:

[0239] in, Let be the number of time slots within a system frame, i be the index of the first SSB, M be the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN be the number of time slots within a system frame. offset For system frame offset, slot offset is the time slot offset, and mod is the modulo operation.

[0240] In another possible implementation, the system frame offset is determined based on the number L of configuration SSBs, including the first SSB, and the system frame offset satisfies... in, K represents the number of time slots within a system frame, and K represents the number of time slots occupied by a single SSB.

[0241] In another possible implementation, the indication information includes a parameter index, which indicates the value of at least one of the system frame offset, time slot offset, and N.

[0242] In another possible implementation, N SIBs cover N different regions.

[0243] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0244] The processing module 902 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. The interface module 901 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The interface module 901 can also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0245] The following describes a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device can be a network device or a terminal device in the above method embodiments, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device or terminal device in implementing the above methods. This communication device can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and for details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0246] The communication device may include one or more processors 1001, which are connected to a memory 1002, an input / output unit 1003, and a bus 1004. The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the communication device (e.g., base station, baseband chip, terminal, terminal chip, DU or CU, etc.), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0247] Optionally, the communication device may include one or more memories 1002, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1001 to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1002 may also store data. The processor 1001 and the memories 1002 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0248] Optionally, the communication device may also include a transceiver and an antenna. A transceiver, also called a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, is used to implement transmission and reception functions. A transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter; the receiver, also called a receiver circuit, is used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter, also called a transmitter or transmitting circuit, is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0249] In another possible design, the processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receive and transmit functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receive and transmit functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0250] In another possible design, the processor 1001 may optionally store instructions that, when executed, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The instructions may be stored in the processor 1001; in this case, the processor 1001 may be implemented in hardware.

[0251] In another possible design, the communication device may include a circuit that can perform the sending or receiving or communication functions of the network device or terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application embodiment can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0252] The communication device described in the above embodiments can be a network device or a terminal device, but the scope of the communication device described in the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device is not limited to FIG10. The communication device can be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be:

[0253] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0254] (2) A collection of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and instructions;

[0255] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0256] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0257] (5) Receivers, terminals, smart terminals, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.

[0258] (6) Others, etc.

[0259] For communication devices that can be chips or chip systems, please refer to the schematic diagram of the chip structure shown in Figure 11. The chip 1100 shown in Figure 11 includes a processor 1101 and an interface 1102. Optionally, it may also include a memory 1103. The number of processors 1101 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 1102 can be multiple.

[0260] For cases where the chip is used to implement the functions of the network device or terminal device in the embodiments of this application:

[0261] The interface 1102 is used to receive or output signals;

[0262] The processor 1101 is used to perform data processing operations of network devices or terminal devices.

[0263] In one possible implementation, the embodiments of this application can be applied to the baseband chip of a network device or terminal device. Transmitting / receiving can correspond to actions related to signal transmission or reception, and can be understood as transmitting / receiving radio frequency signals in the analog / intermediate frequency / radio frequency domain, or as initiating or controlling transmission / reception operations in the digital domain, or a combination of both. For example, when a device transmits or receives various signals, the processor in the device implements the transmission or reception by driving or controlling the radio frequency circuit. Therefore, during signal transmission and reception, the processor is the decision-maker or controller of the transmission and reception operation, while the radio frequency circuit is the specific executor of the transmission and reception; both, in conjunction with the antenna, can jointly realize the transmission and reception operation. The processor includes, but is not limited to, CPUs, DSPs, microprocessors, etc., and the radio frequency circuit includes, but is not limited to, radio frequency chips, radio frequency front-ends, PAs, LNAs, mixers, filters, duplexers, etc., and may also selectively include antennas integrated with the radio frequency circuit.

[0264] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the communication device given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0265] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor described above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0266] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAK are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0267] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0268] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0269] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0270] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0271] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0272] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0273] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0274] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive a first synchronization signal block (SSB), the first SSB including indication information, the indication information being used to determine the time domain resources where the search space of N system message blocks (SIBs) is located, where N is an integer greater than 1; Based on the indicated information, a downlink physical control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling the first SIB is received.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces are located. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the L*N SIB search space relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs. L is the number of configured SSBs. The configured SSBs include the first SSB.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the N SIB search spaces are located is determined based on at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located in the configured SSB, the number of time slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the time slot offset, and N.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The system frame number corresponding to the system frame in which the SIB search space is located is SFN. SIB-R The system frame number satisfies: Wherein, the SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located, the The number of time slots within a system frame, where i is the index of the first SSB, M is the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN offset The system frame offset, the slot offset This refers to the time slot offset.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the slot offset, and N.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The time slot number corresponding to the starting time slot of the SIB search space is n. SIB-R The time slot number satisfies: Among them, the The number of time slots within a system frame, where i is the index of the first SSB, M is the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN offset The system frame offset, the slot offset The time slot offset is denoted by , and mod is the modulo operation.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that, The system frame offset is determined based on the number L of configured SSBs, where the configured SSBs include the first SSB, and the system frame offset satisfies... Among them, the K represents the number of time slots within a system frame, where K is the number of time slots occupied by a single SSB.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that, The indication information includes a parameter index, which is used to indicate the value of at least one of the system frame offset, the time slot offset, and N.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first SSB is transmitted via a first beam, and the first SIB is transmitted via a second beam. The coverage area of ​​the first beam is greater than the coverage area of ​​the second beam.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a first SSB, the first SSB including indication information, the indication information being used for the time domain resources where the N SIB search spaces are located, where N is an integer greater than 1; Send a PDCCH for scheduling the first SIB based on the indication information.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the N SIB search spaces relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame in which the N SIB search spaces are located. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The indication information includes at least one of system frame offset, time slot offset, and N. The system frame offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search space relative to the reference system frame. The time slot offset is used to indicate the offset of the starting time slot of the N SIB search spaces relative to the starting time slot of the starting system frame of the L*N SIB search spaces. N is used to indicate that one SSB corresponds to N consecutive SIBs. L is the number of configured SSBs. The configured SSBs include the first SSB.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the N SIB search spaces are located is determined based on at least one of the following: the system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located in the configured SSB, the number of time slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the time slot offset, and N.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The system frame number corresponding to the system frame in which the SIB search space is located is SFN. SIB-R The system frame number satisfies: Wherein, the SFN SSB#0 The system frame number corresponding to the system frame where the starting SSB is located, the The number of time slots within a system frame, where i is the index of the first SSB, M is the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN offset The system frame offset, the slot offset This refers to the time slot offset.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that, The slot number corresponding to the starting slot of the N SIB search spaces is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of slots in a system frame, the index of the first SSB, the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, the system frame offset, the slot offset, and N.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The time slot number corresponding to the starting time slot of the SIB search space is n. SIB-R The time slot number satisfies: Among them, the The number of time slots within a system frame, where i is the index of the first SSB, M is the interval between the SIB search spaces corresponding to two adjacent SSBs, and SFN offset The system frame offset, the slot offset The time slot offset is denoted by , and mod is the modulo operation.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that, The system frame offset is determined based on the number L of configured SSBs, where the configured SSBs include the first SSB, and the system frame offset satisfies... Among them, the This represents the number of time slots within a system frame.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that, The indication information includes a parameter index, which is used to indicate the value of at least one of the system frame offset, the time slot offset, and N.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that, The N SIBs cover N different regions.

21. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 20, characterized in that, The first SSB is transmitted via a first beam, and the first SIB is transmitted via a second beam. The coverage area of ​​the first beam is greater than the coverage area of ​​the second beam.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 21.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor for executing a program that causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor for executing a program that causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 21.

26. A communication system, characterized in that, include: A communication device for performing any of the methods described in steps 1 to 10, and a communication device for performing any of the methods described in claims 11 to 21.

27. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed on a computer, they cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 21.

28. A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that, When it is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 21.

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