Information transmission method and related device

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application is an information transmission method. In a single-downlink and multi-uplink transmission scenario (a first network device sending a downlink signal to a user equipment, and a second network device not sending a downlink signal to the user equipment), the user equipment determines, after having received first information sent by the first network device and by means of indication information carried by the first information, a target network device for receiving second information corresponding to the first information, and then sends the second information to the target network device, thereby ensuring normal communication between the user equipment and the target network device.

Description

An information transmission method and related equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411549805.1, filed on October 31, 2024, entitled "An Information Transmission Method and Related Equipment", 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 an information transmission method and related equipment. Background Technology

[0003] In the evolution of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) technology, in order to improve the coverage and capacity of the uplink (UL) and save energy on the network side, one network device is used for transmission of the downlink (DL) and multiple network devices are used for reception of the uplink UL.

[0004] In this application scenario, network devices trigger user equipment (UE) to complete random access via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order. The physical random access channel (PRACH) response from the UE based on the PDCCH order can be sent to any of the multiple network devices. However, the transmission power of the PRACH sent to different network devices varies. How to enable the UE to distinguish the receiver corresponding to the PRACH is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides an information transmission method and related equipment to enable the UE to identify the recipient corresponding to the responded information and ensure normal communication between the UE and the network equipment.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides an information transmission method. This method utilizes a terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device receives first information sent by a first network device, the first information including indication information. When the terminal device sends second information based on the first information, it can determine the target network device receiving the second information according to the indication information, and then send the second information to the target network device.

[0008] That is, through the technical solution provided in this application, in a scenario of single downlink and multiple uplink transmission (the first network device sends downlink signals to the terminal device, and the second network device does not send downlink signals to the terminal device), after receiving the first information sent by the first network device, the terminal device determines the target network device that receives the second information corresponding to the first information through the indication information carried by the first information, and then sends the second information to the target network device to ensure normal communication between the terminal device and the target network device.

[0009] In scenarios where a network device triggers a terminal device to initiate random access, the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access. In this scenario, the indication information can be the random access timing and / or the random access preamble. The random access preamble can be a non-contention-based preamble. That is, different network devices can correspond to different random access timings, thus allowing the target network device to be determined through the random access timing; different network devices can correspond to different random access preambles, thus allowing the target network device to be determined through the random access preamble.

[0010] When the indication information is a random access opportunity, the network device can inform the terminal device in advance that different network devices correspond to different random access opportunities. Specifically, the terminal device receives first configuration information sent by the first network device. This first configuration information includes a first set of random access opportunities corresponding to the first network device, and / or a second set of random access opportunities corresponding to the second network device. The first set of random access opportunities and the second set of random access opportunities are different; that is, there are no identical random access opportunities between the two sets.

[0011] When determining a target network device based on indication information, the terminal device can determine the target network device based on the indication information and the first configuration information. Specifically, if the random access opportunity indicated by the indication information belongs to a first set of random access opportunities, the first network device is determined to be the target network device. If the random access opportunity indicated by the indication information belongs to a second set of random access opportunities, the second network device is determined to be the target network device.

[0012] When the indication information is for random access, the first information can carry the indication information through the random access mask index information field.

[0013] When the indication information is a random access preamble, the network device can inform the terminal device in advance that different network devices correspond to different random access preambles. Specifically, the terminal device receives second configuration information sent by the first network device. This second configuration information includes a first random access preamble set corresponding to the first network and / or a second random access preamble set corresponding to the second network device. The first and second random access preamble sets are different; that is, the two sets do not contain the same random access preamble.

[0014] When determining a target network device based on indication information, the terminal device will determine the target network device based on the indication information and the second configuration information. Specifically, if the random access preamble indicated by the indication information belongs to the first random access preamble set, the first network device is determined to be the target network device. If the random access preamble indicated by the indication information belongs to the second random access preamble set, the second network device is determined to be the target network device.

[0015] Because different network devices and terminal devices have different path loss information, when a terminal device sends a second message to a target network device, it needs to first determine the transmission power corresponding to sending the second message, and then send the second message to the target network device based on the transmission power. Specifically, if the target network device is a first network device, the transmission power of the second message is determined based on the path loss information between the terminal device and the first network device, and the second message is sent to the first network device based on the transmission power.

[0016] If the target network device is the second network device, the transmission power of the second information is determined based on the path loss information between the terminal device and the first network device and the path loss offset corresponding to the second network device, and the second information is transmitted to the second network device based on this transmission power. Here, path loss offset refers to the difference between the path loss between the first network device and the terminal device and the path loss between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0017] In a second aspect of this application, an information transmission method is provided, which is applied to a first network device and includes: acquiring first information, the first information including indication information, the indication information being used to indicate a network device receiving second information corresponding to the first information; and sending the first information to a terminal device, such that the terminal device determines, based on the indication information, to send the second information to either the first network device or a second network device.

[0018] In some implementations, if the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access, the indication information is the random access timing, or the indication information is the random access preamble.

[0019] In some implementations, the method further includes sending first configuration information to a terminal device, the first configuration information including a first random access timing set corresponding to a first network device, and / or a second random access timing set corresponding to a second network device.

[0020] In some implementations, the first information carries indication information through the random access mask index information field.

[0021] In some implementations, obtaining the first information includes: if the first information is used to trigger a terminal device to initiate random access to a first network device, adding a first random access opportunity to the first information, wherein the set of first random access opportunities includes at least one first random access opportunity; if the first information is used to trigger a terminal device to initiate random access to a second network device, adding a second random access opportunity to the first information, wherein the set of second random access opportunities includes at least one second random access opportunity.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending second configuration information to a terminal device, the second configuration information including a first random access preamble set corresponding to a first network device, and / or a second random access preamble set corresponding to a second network device.

[0023] In some implementations, the first information carries indication information through the random access preamble index information field.

[0024] In some implementations, obtaining the first information includes: if the first information is used to trigger a terminal device to initiate random access to a first network device, adding a first random access preamble to the first information, wherein the set of first random access preambles includes at least one first random access preamble; if the first information is used to trigger a terminal device to initiate random access to a second network device, adding a second random access preamble to the first information, wherein the set of second random access preambles includes at least one second random access preamble.

[0025] Thirdly, this application provides a terminal device, which includes a transceiver and a processor; wherein the transceiver is used to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect; and the processor is used to perform other operations in the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect besides the receiving operation and the sending operation.

[0026] Fourthly, this application provides a network device, which includes a transceiver and a processor; wherein the transceiver is used to perform the receiving operation and the transmitting operation in the method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect; and the processor is used to perform other operations in the method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect besides the receiving operation and the transmitting operation.

[0027] Fifthly, this application provides a communication system including a terminal device and a network device. The terminal device is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any embodiment thereof, and the network device is used to execute the method described in the second aspect or any embodiment thereof.

[0028] Sixthly, this application provides a computer storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed, implements the method provided in any one of the first to second aspects of this application.

[0029] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to implement the method provided in any one of the embodiments of the first to second aspects of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of an exemplary communication system provided in this application;

[0031] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of another exemplary communication system provided in this application;

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an information transmission signaling provided in this application;

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network element provided in this application;

[0034] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be a limitation of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more," unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "one or more" refers to one, two, or more; "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0036] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0037] The "multiple" mentioned in the embodiments of this application refers to two or more. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order.

[0038] Currently, Rel-19 MIMO evolution considers supporting deployments where DL corresponds to a single transmission reception point (TRP) and UL corresponds to multiple TRPs (multi-TRPs). As shown in Figure 1, the UE receives the DL signal transmitted by TRP1, while the network side receives the UL signal transmitted by the UE through TRP1 and / or TRP2. The motivation for this deployment scenario includes: firstly, by deploying a secondary TRP (TRP2) to receive the UL signal, UL coverage and capacity can be improved; secondly, the secondary TRP does not transmit DL signals, thereby achieving energy saving on the network side.

[0039] In this context, a Transmission Point (TRP) can be viewed as a physical component or a logical functional unit of a base station. In Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, a TRP refers to a physical or logical point capable of data transmission and reception, supporting both data sending and receiving, thereby improving communication reliability and efficiency. The number and configuration of TRPs can be adjusted according to specific communication needs and network design to optimize coverage and capacity. A base station can contain one or more TRPs, which work together to ensure broad coverage and efficient data transmission. When a TRP functions solely as a signal transmission node, it can be called a transmission node; when it functions solely as a signal reception node, it can be called a reception node.

[0040] In the application scenario shown in Figure 1, since TRP2 does not transmit downlink data, the UE cannot directly obtain the corresponding path loss (PL) between the two. When the UE transmits the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and PRACH to TRP2, it needs to determine the corresponding transmission power, which depends on the PL information. To enable the UE to know the path loss of TRP2, the network sends a path loss offset (PL offset) to the UE. This PL offset reflects the difference between the path loss between TRP1 and the UE and the path loss between TRP2 and the UE. The UE determines the path loss between the two by receiving the downlink reference signal (DL-RS) sent by TRP1.

[0041] In the DL sTRP / UL mTRP deployment scenario, the network side supports triggering a non-contention PRACH mechanism through PDCCH order, and the PRACH triggered by PDCCH order can be sent to DL TRP (e.g., TRP1 in Figure 1) or UL TRP (e.g., TRP2 in Figure 1).

[0042] Random access (RA) is typically initiated by the UE. When the network detects uplink synchronization failure and there is pending data in the downlink media access control (MAC) buffer, the network notifies the UE to initiate an RA request to attempt to restore the uplink connection by issuing a PDCCH order. In other words, the network uses the PDCCH order to resynchronize with the UE. The PDCCH order is a special format of downlink control information (DCI).

[0043] In the current protocol, the PDCCH order that triggers PRACH is a DCI 1-0 that scrambles the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) using the cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and mainly includes the following information fields:

[0044] Random Access Preamble Index: Specifies a preamble;

[0045] Uplink / Supplementary uplink (SUL) indicator: For cells configured with SUL, this indicates whether the PRACH is located on a UL carrier or a SUL carrier;

[0046] Synchronization signal block (SSB) index: determines the set of random access occasions (RACH occasions) in which PRACH occurs;

[0047] PRACH mask index: Specifies a RACH occasion;

[0048] Cell indicator: Indicates the cell where the PRACH is located;

[0049] PRACH association indicator: For inter-cell UL multi-TRP scenarios, where multiple TRPs belong to different cells, this indicator indicates whether the PRACH is sent to the serving cell or another cell; for intra-cell UL multi-TRP scenarios, where multiple TRPs belong to the same cell, this indicator indicates whether the PRACH is sent to the serving TRP or another TRP.

[0050] Since the PRACH sent to DL TRP and the PRACH sent to UL TRP require different power control mechanisms, specifically: for the PRACH sent to DL TRP, the existing power control mechanism is used, that is: the transmission power of the PRACH is determined based on the PL measured by DL-RS of DL TRP; for the PRACH sent to UL TRP, an enhanced power control mechanism is used, that is: the transmission power of the PRACH is determined based on the PL measured by DL-RS of DL TRP and a PL offset.

[0051] Therefore, for PRACH triggered by a PDCCH order, there needs to be a way to indicate whether the PRACH is sent to the DL TRP or the UL TRP. Determining whether the PRACH is sent to the DL TRP or the UL TRP can be understood as follows:

[0052] (1) Determine whether the PRACH uses the DL TRP PRACH config or the UL TRP PRACH config.

[0053] (2) Determine whether the PRACH uses the PL-RS associated with the DL TRP to determine the transmission power or the PL offset associated with the UL TRP to determine the transmission power;

[0054] (3) Determine whether the PRACH uses the quasi co-location (QCL) reference signal (RS) associated with the DL TRP or UL TRP to determine the uplink transmit beam.

[0055] Among them, the PL-RS, PL offset, and QCL-RS associated with the DL / UL TRP can be the PL-RS, PL offset, and QCL-RS associated with the transmission configuration indication (TCI) state of the DL / UL TRP.

[0056] The current protocol configuration is for DL ​​mTRP & UL mTRP scenarios. The network side supports PDCCH order-triggered non-contention PRACH, and uses a 1-bit PRACH association field in the PDCCH order to indicate which TRP the PRACH is sent to. Specifically, this includes the following cases:

[0057] For the inter-cell M-TRP scenario, the PRACH association field indicates whether the PRACH is associated with the serving cell's physical cell identity (PCI) or the secondary cell's physical cell identity (PCI).

[0058] For intra-cell M-TRP scenarios, the PRACH association field indicates whether the PRACH is associated with the QCL-RS (i.e., the primary TRP) of the control resource set (CORESET) where the PDCCH order is located, or with the SSB (i.e., the secondary TRP) indicated by the SSB index field.

[0059] For DL ​​sTRP / UL mTRP deployments, in intra-cell scenarios (i.e., the UL carrier sent to the DL TRP and the UL carrier sending to the UL TRP belong to the same cell), since the PRACH sent to both the DL TRP and UL TRP shares the DL-RS sent by the DL TRP to determine the PL, and regardless of whether the PRACH is sent to the DL TRP or the UL TRP, the PDCCH order is sent by the DL TRP. This means that the QCL-RS of the CORESET where the PDCCH order is located and the SSB indicated by the SSB index field are the same RS, so the current protocol's indication method cannot distinguish between the DL TRP and the UL TRP. In other words, indicating whether the PRACH is sent to the DL TRP or the UL TRP implies using either the PL associated with the DL TRP to determine the PRACH's transmission power, or using the PL offset associated with the UL TRP to determine the PRACH's transmission power.

[0060] Based on this, this application provides an information transmission method. In a DL sTRP / UL mTRP application scenario, the first information sent by the first network device to the terminal device includes indication information. This indication information can be used to determine the target network device receiving the second information corresponding to the first information, thereby sending the second information to the target network device. For example, the UE can determine whether the PRACH is sent to the DL TRP or the UL TRP based on the indication information, so as to determine the transmission power of the PRACH according to the path loss information corresponding to different TRPs, to ensure that the target TRP can receive the PRACH.

[0061] The communication system applicable to this application can be a fifth-generation (5G) communication system, a hybrid architecture of LTE and 5G, a 5G New Radio (5G NR) system, or any new communication system emerging in future communication developments. The communication system includes at least two devices, and these devices can exchange signals to achieve data interaction. Exemplarily, the devices included in the communication system may be, for example, a software-defined radio (SDR) terminal and a network element, where the network element may be a base station, etc. The following example illustrates a communication system including a software-defined radio terminal and a network element.

[0062] An example of a communication system is shown in Figure 2, which includes network element 1 and SDR terminal 2.

[0063] In the embodiments provided in this application, network element 1 can be any device located on the network side and having wireless transceiver capabilities, including but not limited to: base stations (gNodeB or gNB) or transmission receiving points / transmission reception points (TRPs) in new radio (NR). Network element 1 can be: macro base stations, micro base stations, pico base stations, small cells, relay stations, or balloon stations, etc. Network element 1 can include one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission reception points (TRPs). Network element 1 can also be a radio controller, centralized unit (CU), and / or distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Network element 1 can communicate with SDR terminal 2, or it can communicate with SDR terminal 2 through a relay station.

[0064] SDR terminal 2 can communicate with multiple network elements using different technologies. For example, SDR terminal 2 can communicate with network elements that support LTE networks, network elements that support 5G networks, and can also establish dual connections with both LTE and 5G network elements.

[0065] SDR Terminal 2 refers to a terminal that supports software-defined wireless communication protocols. Typically, the frequency band, air interface protocol, and functions of SDR Terminal 2 can be upgraded through software downloads and updates without requiring a complete hardware replacement. This gives SDR Terminal 2 high flexibility and upgradeability, enabling it to adapt to various communication environments and needs.

[0066] In the embodiments provided in this application, the SDR terminal 2 can be in various forms, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, an in-vehicle terminal device, a wireless terminal in self-driving technology, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. The SDR terminal 2 can be a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal.

[0067] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in this application, specific embodiments will be described below. For ease of explanation, Figure 1 will be used as an example, where TRP1 sends downlink data to the UE, and the UE sends uplink data to both TRP1 and TRP2.

[0068] Referring to Figure 3, which is a signaling interaction diagram of an information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown in Figure 3, the method includes:

[0069] S301: The first network device obtains the first information.

[0070] S302: The first network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0071] The first information can be a PDCCH order or other types of information, and the specific content carried is determined according to the actual application. This embodiment is not limited to a PDCCH order. The first information is used to trigger interaction between the terminal device and the network device, which can be a first network device or a second network device. The second network device does not send downlink information to the terminal device, but can receive uplink information sent by the terminal device.

[0072] In this application, when the network side detects that a random access procedure needs to be triggered by a terminal device, the first network device obtains first information and sends the first information to the terminal device to trigger the terminal device to initiate a random access procedure. The first network device is used to send downlink data to the terminal device; for example, the first network device is TRP1 in Figure 1.

[0073] The first information includes indication information, which is used to instruct the target network device to receive the second information associated with the first information. The second information can be the response information corresponding to the first information. In the scenario shown in Figure 1, the indication information is used to determine whether the PRACH response from the UE based on the PDCCH order sent by TRP1 is sent to TRP1 or TRP2. Specifically, when the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access, the indication information can indicate the timing of the random access or indicate the random access preamble, which can be a non-contention preamble.

[0074] In this embodiment, if the indication information indicates a random access timing, the network side can pre-configure different network devices corresponding to different random access timings to distinguish different network devices through the random access timing. In this case, the first network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device. The first configuration information includes a first random access timing set corresponding to the first network device, and / or a second random access timing set corresponding to the second network device. The first random access timing set includes at least one first random access timing, and the second random access timing set includes at least one second random access timing; the first random access timing and the second random access timing are not the same. Specifically, the first configuration information may only include the correspondence between the first random access timing set and the first network device, or it may only include the correspondence between the second random access timing set and the second network device, or it may include both of the above correspondences simultaneously.

[0075] To avoid additional signaling overhead, this indication information can be carried in the random access mask index field of the first information. As mentioned above, the PRACH Mask index in the PDCCH order is used to specify a random access occasion (RACH occasion), so the target network device can be determined through the RACH occasion indicated by this information field.

[0076] Specifically, for each SSB (Synchronization Signal Block), different subsets of RACH occasions in its corresponding RACH occasions set are assigned to DL TRP and UL TRP respectively. Then, the DL TRP and UL TRP are indicated by the PRACH Mask index. In this implementation, if the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access to the first network device, a first random access opportunity is added to the first information; if the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access to the second network device, a second random access opportunity is added to the first information.

[0077] If the indication information indicates a random access preamble, the network side can pre-configure different random access preambles for different network devices to distinguish them. In this case, the first network device sends second configuration information to the terminal device. This second configuration information includes a first random access preamble set corresponding to the first network device, and / or a second random access preamble set corresponding to the second network device. Specifically, the first random access preamble set includes at least one first random access preamble, and the second random access preamble set includes at least one second random access preamble. The first and second random access preambles are different. Specifically, the second configuration information may only include the correspondence between the first random access preamble set and the first network device, or only include the correspondence between the second random access preamble set and the second network device, or it may include both correspondences simultaneously.

[0078] To avoid additional signaling overhead, this indication information can be carried in the random access preamble index field of the first information. As mentioned above, the preamble index in the PDCCH order is used to specify a preamble, so the target network device can be determined through the preamble indicated by this information field.

[0079] Specifically, different non-contested preamble subsets in the non-contested preambles set correspond to the DL TRP and UL TRP, respectively. Then, the DL TRP and UL TRP are indicated by the preamble index. In this implementation, if the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access to the first network device, a first random access preamble is added to the first information; if the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access to the second network device, a second random access preamble is added to the first information.

[0080] The first network device may obtain the first information from other network devices or generate it itself; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0081] S303: The terminal device receives the first information and determines the target network device according to the indication information in the first information.

[0082] S304: The terminal device sends a second message to the target network device to initiate random access to the target network device.

[0083] In this embodiment, after receiving the first information, the terminal device obtains the indication information by parsing the first information, and determines the target network device based on the indication information and the configuration information issued by the network side.

[0084] Specifically, if the random access opportunity indicated by the indication information belongs to the first random access opportunity set, and since the first random access opportunity set corresponds to the first network device, the first network device is determined to be the target network device. That is, if the random access opportunity indicated by the indication information is the first random access opportunity, then the first network device is the target network device.

[0085] If the random access opportunity indicated by the indication information belongs to the second random access opportunity set, and since the second random access opportunity set corresponds to the second network device, the second network device is determined to be the target network device. That is, if the random access opportunity indicated by the indication information is the second random access opportunity, then the second network device is the target network device.

[0086] For example, if the RACH occasion indicated by the PRACH Mask index field belongs to a subset of the RACH occasions corresponding to the DL TRP, then the PRACH is sent to the DL TRP, and the DL TRP is the target network device; if the RACH occasion indicated by the PRACH Mask index field belongs to a subset of the RACH occasions corresponding to the UL TRP, then the PRACH is sent to the UL TRP, and the UL TRP is the target network device.

[0087] If the random access preamble indicated by the indication information belongs to the first random access preamble set, and since the first random access preamble set corresponds to the first network device, the first network device is determined to be the target network device. That is, if the random access preamble indicated by the indication information is the first random access preamble, then the first network device is the target network device.

[0088] If the random access preamble indicated by the indication information belongs to the second random access preamble set, and since the second random access preamble set corresponds to the second network device, the second network device is determined to be the target network device. That is, if the random access preamble indicated by the indication information is the second random access preamble, then the second network device is the target network device.

[0089] For example, if the non-contention preamble indicated by the preamble index belongs to a subset of the non-contention preambles corresponding to the DL TRP, then the PRACH is sent to the DL TRP, and the DL TRP is the target network device; if the non-contention preamble indicated by the preamble index belongs to a subset of the non-contention preambles corresponding to the UL TRP, then the PRACH is sent to the UL TRP, and the UL TRP is the target network device.

[0090] It should be noted that in some implementations, the target network device can be determined using both the random access timing and the random access preamble. That is, the terminal device simultaneously extracts the random access timing and the random access preamble from the first information. If the extracted random access timing is the first random access timing and the extracted random access preamble is also the first random access preamble, then the first network device is determined to be the target network device. If the extracted random access timing is the second random access timing and the extracted random access preamble is also the second random access preamble, then the second network device is determined to be the target network device.

[0091] Since different network devices have different path losses, after identifying the target network device, the terminal device will determine the transmission power of the second information based on the path loss information corresponding to the network device, so as to ensure that the second information can be received by the target network device and realize random access to the target network device.

[0092] Specifically, if the target network device is the first network device, the transmission power of the second information is determined based on the path loss information between the terminal device and the first network device, and the second information is sent to the first network device based on the transmission power.

[0093] Since the first network device can send downlink data to the terminal device, the terminal device can determine the path loss PL between the two based on the DL-RS signal sent by the first network device. Therefore, when the terminal device sends PRACH to the first network device, it can determine the transmission power of PRACH based on PL.

[0094] If the target network device is the second network device, the transmission power of the second information is determined based on the path loss information between the terminal device and the first network device and the path loss offset corresponding to the second network device, and the second information is sent to the second network device based on the transmission power.

[0095] Since the second network device does not send downlink data to the terminal device, the terminal device cannot determine the path loss PL between them based on the DL-RS signal sent by the second network device. However, the first network device can send a path loss offset to the terminal device, which reflects the difference between the path loss between the first network device and the terminal device and the path loss between the second network device and the terminal device. Based on this, the terminal device, knowing the path loss between the first network device and the terminal device, can determine the transmission power of the PRACH sent to the second network device based on the path loss offset.

[0096] As can be seen, in the DL sTRP / UL mTRP deployment scenario, for PRACH triggered by the PDCCH order, the UE can determine whether to send the PRACH to the DL TRP or ULTRP based on the indication information carried in the PDCCH order. Moreover, by reusing the original information field of the PDCCH order to carry the indication information, no additional signaling overhead is added.

[0097] The hardware implementation methods of network devices and terminal devices will be further introduced below with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0098] Referring to Figure 4, a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a network element is shown. This network element can be used to execute the methods performed by network element 1 in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 and the first network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 3. The network element shown in Figure 4 includes at least one processor 111, at least one memory 112, at least one transceiver 113, at least one network interface 114, and one or more antennas 115. The processor 111, memory 112, transceiver 113, and network interface 114 are connected, for example, through a bus. In this embodiment, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment is not limited to these. The antenna 115 is connected to the transceiver 113. The network interface 114 is used to enable the network element to connect with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 114 may include a network interface between the network element and network elements in the core network, such as the S1 interface. The network interface may also include a network interface between the network element and other network elements, such as the X2 or Xn interface.

[0099] Specifically, the processor 111 shown in Figure 4 can perform the network element processing actions in the above method, the memory 112 can perform the storage actions in the above method, the transceiver 113 and the antenna 115 can perform the air interface transmission and reception actions in the above method, and the network interface 114 can perform the interaction actions with network elements or other network elements in the above method.

[0100] The processor in this application embodiment, such as processor 111, may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor, etc., which are various computing devices that run software. Each computing device may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing. The processor may be a separate semiconductor chip or integrated with other circuits into a single semiconductor chip. For example, it may form a SoC (System-on-a-Chip) with other circuits (such as encoding / decoding circuits, hardware acceleration circuits, or various bus and interface circuits), or it may be integrated as a built-in processor in an ASIC. The ASIC with the integrated processor may be packaged separately or packaged together with other circuits. In addition to including cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0101] The memory in the embodiments of this application may include at least one of the following types: read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions; random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices capable of storing information and instructions; or electrically erasable programmable-only memory (EEPROM). In some scenarios, the memory may also be a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0102] The memory 112 can exist independently and be connected to the processor 111. Optionally, the memory 112 can be integrated with the processor 111, for example, integrated into a single chip. The memory 112 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 111. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 111. For example, the processor 111 executes the computer program code stored in the memory 112 to implement the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0103] Transceiver 113 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals between network elements and other devices. Transceiver 113 can be connected to antenna 115. Transceiver 113 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 115 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 113 is used to receive the RF signals from the antennas, convert the RF signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and provide the digital baseband signals or IF signals to the processor 111 so that the processor 111 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 113 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 111, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 115. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of downmixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The order of the downmixing and IF conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of upmixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital IF signal to obtain a radio frequency signal. The order of the upmixing and IF conversion processes is also adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital IF signal can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0104] Figure 5 illustrates an example of the composition of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. This terminal device may be, for example, a mobile phone, a smart wearable device (such as a smartwatch), etc. Taking a mobile phone as an example, the terminal device may include a processor 310, an external memory interface 320, an internal memory 321, a display screen 330, a camera 340, antenna 1, antenna 2, a mobile communication module 350, and a wireless communication module 360, etc.

[0105] It is understood that the structure illustrated in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal device. In other embodiments, the terminal device may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0106] Processor 310 may include one or more processing units, such as: application processor (AP), modem processor, graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), controller, time-frequency codec, digital signal processor (DSP), baseband processor, and / or neural network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0107] It is understood that the interface connection relationships between the modules illustrated in this embodiment are merely illustrative and do not constitute a structural limitation on the terminal device. In other embodiments of this application, the terminal device may also employ different interface connection methods or combinations of multiple interface connection methods as described in the above embodiments.

[0108] The external storage interface 320 can be used to connect an external storage card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the terminal device. The external storage card communicates with the processor 310 through the external storage interface 320 to perform data storage functions. For example, music, time and frequency files can be saved on the external storage card.

[0109] Internal memory 321 can be used to store executable program code, including instructions. Processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the terminal device by running the instructions stored in internal memory 321. Internal memory 321 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system, at least one application program required for a function (such as sound playback, image playback, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the terminal device (such as time-frequency stream data), etc. Furthermore, internal memory 321 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, universal flash storage (UFS), etc. Processor 310 executes various functions and data processing of the terminal device by running instructions stored in internal memory 321 and / or instructions stored in memory located within the processor.

[0110] The wireless communication function of the terminal device can be implemented through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 350, wireless communication module 360, modem processor, and baseband processor.

[0111] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the terminal device can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch.

[0112] The mobile communication module 350 can provide solutions for wireless communication applications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G on terminal devices. The mobile communication module 350 may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 350 can receive electromagnetic waves via antenna 1, and perform filtering, amplification, and other processing on the received electromagnetic waves before transmitting them to a modem processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 350 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modem processor and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 may be housed in the processor 310. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 and at least some modules of the processor 310 may be housed in the same device.

[0113] In some embodiments, the terminal device initiates or receives call requests via the mobile communication module 350 and the antenna 1.

[0114] Furthermore, an operating system runs on top of the aforementioned components. Examples include iOS, Android, and Windows operating systems. Applications can be installed and run on this operating system. Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant content in any of the terminal devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0115] Furthermore, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform the information transmission method described in the above embodiments.

[0116] Furthermore, this application also provides a computer program product, which, when executed by one or more computing devices, allows the computing devices to execute any of the aforementioned communication methods. The computer program product can be a software installation package; when any of the aforementioned communication methods is required, the computer program product can be downloaded and executed on a computer.

[0117] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that this application can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware, or it can be implemented by special-purpose hardware including application-specific integrated circuits, special-purpose CPUs, special-purpose memory, special-purpose components, etc. Generally, any function performed by a computer program can be easily implemented by corresponding hardware, and the specific hardware structure used to implement the same function can also be diverse, such as analog circuits, digital circuits, or special-purpose circuits. However, for this application, software program implementation is more often the preferred implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, such as a computer floppy disk, USB flash drive, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, or optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, training equipment, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0118] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product.

[0119] The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program 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 may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, training device, or data center to another website, computer, training device, or data center 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 may be any available medium that a computer can store or a data storage device such as a training device 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., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives (SSDs)).

[0120] The system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

Claims

1. An information transmission method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a terminal device and includes: Receive first information sent by a first network device, the first information including indication information, the indication information being used to instruct a network device to receive second information associated with the first information; The target network device is determined based on the indication information, and the second information is sent to the target network device. The target network device is either the first network device or the second network device. The second network device does not send downlink information to the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access, the indication information is the random access timing, and / or the indication information is the random access preamble.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining the target network device based on the indication information includes: If the random access opportunity indicated by the indication information belongs to the first random access opportunity set, the first network device is determined to be the target network device, and the first random access opportunity set corresponds to the first network device; If the random access opportunity indicated by the indication information belongs to the second random access opportunity set, the second network device is determined to be the target network device, and the second random access opportunity set corresponds to the second network device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives first configuration information sent by the first network device, wherein the first configuration information includes the first random access timing set corresponding to the first network device and / or the second random access timing set corresponding to the second network device.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first information carries the indication information through the random access mask index information field.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining the target network device based on the indication information includes: If the random access preamble indicated by the indication information belongs to the first random access preamble set, the first network device is determined to be the target network device, and the first random access preamble set corresponds to the first network device. If the random access preamble indicated by the indication information belongs to the second random access preamble set, the second network device is determined to be the target network device, and the second random access preamble set corresponds to the second network device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method includes: The system receives second configuration information sent by the first network device, wherein the second configuration information includes the first random access preamble set corresponding to the first network device, and / or the second random access preamble set corresponding to the second network device.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first information carries the indication information through the random access preamble index information field.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Sending the second information to the target network device includes: If the target network device is the first network device, the transmission power of the second information is determined based on the path loss information between the terminal device and the first network device, and the second information is sent to the first network device based on the transmission power; If the target network device is the second network device, the transmission power of the second information is determined based on the path loss information between the terminal device and the first network device and the path loss offset corresponding to the second network device, and the second information is sent to the second network device based on the transmission power.

10. An information transmission method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first network device, including: Obtain first information, the first information including indication information, the indication information being used to instruct a network device to receive second information associated with the first information; The first information is sent to the terminal device so that the terminal device determines, based on the indication information, to send the second information to the first network device or the second network device.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, If the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access, the indication information is the random access timing, or the indication information is a random access preamble.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send first configuration information to the terminal device, the first configuration information including the first random access opportunity set corresponding to the first network device, and / or the second random access opportunity set corresponding to the second network device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first information carries the indication information through the random access mask index information field.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The acquisition of the first information includes: If the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access to the first network device, a first random access opportunity is added to the first information, and the first random access opportunity set includes at least one first random access opportunity. If the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access to the second network device, a second random access opportunity is added to the first information, and the set of second random access opportunities includes at least one second random access opportunity.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method includes: Send second configuration information to the terminal device, the second configuration information including the first random access preamble set corresponding to the first network device, and / or the second random access preamble set corresponding to the second network device.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first information carries the indication information through the random access preamble index information field.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The acquisition of the first information includes: If the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access to the first network device, a first random access preamble is added to the first information, and the first random access preamble set includes at least one first random access preamble. If the first information is used to trigger the terminal device to initiate random access to the second network device, a second random access preamble is added to the first information, and the set of the second random access preamble includes at least one second random access preamble.

18. A terminal device, characterized in that, include: A transceiver for performing the receiving and transmitting operations in any one of claims 1-9; A processor for performing operations other than the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

19. A network device, characterized in that, include: A transceiver for performing the receiving and transmitting operations in the method of any one of claims 10-17; A processor for performing operations other than the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method of any one of claims 10-17.

20. A communication system, characterized in that, This includes terminal equipment and network equipment; The terminal device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-9; The network device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 10-17.

Images