Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and an apparatus, which can be applied to satellite communication, such as an NTN. A terminal receives first information, wherein the first information is used for indicating a plurality of resources, the plurality of resources are used for sending a first message, and the first information is further used for indicating whether the use of a DSA transmission mode is allowed. When the first information indicates that the use of the DSA transmission mode is allowed, the terminal repeatedly sends the first message by means of M resources or N groups of resources among the plurality of resources, wherein both M and N are integers greater than or equal to 2. In the embodiments of the present application, the first information can indicate whether the use of a DSA is allowed, so that the use of the DSA is more in line with the current network environment, and the control of the DSA by a network is also enhanced. In the DSA transmission mode, the terminal can repeatedly send the first message, thereby improving the coverage of the first message.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411598004.4, filed on November 8, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0004] Satellite communication has advantages such as wide coverage, long communication distance, high reliability, high flexibility and high throughput. It is not affected by geographical environment, climate conditions and natural disasters, and has been widely used in aviation communication, maritime communication, military communication and other fields.

[0005] In satellite communication scenarios, the distance between user equipment (UE) and satellite is relatively large, resulting in poor signal quality, which requires further solutions. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for saving transmission resources.

[0007] Firstly, a first communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal-side device, also referred to as a terminal device or terminal. This terminal device is, for example, a terminal equipment, or a component of a terminal equipment, such as a communication module, circuitry or chips responsible for communication functions (e.g., modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or system-on-chip (SoC) chips containing modem cores, or system-in-package (SIP) chips, chip systems, or processors, etc.) or other functional modules that can implement the functions of the terminal equipment. This chip system or functional module, for example, is disposed within the terminal equipment, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal equipment. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information indicating multiple resources for sending a first message, the first information further indicating whether diversity slotted aloha (DSA) transmission mode is allowed, the first message being an RRC connection request message, an RRC establishment request message, an RRC connection recovery request message, or an RRC data early transmission request message; if the first information indicates that the DSA transmission mode is allowed, repeatedly sending the first message through M resources or N groups of resources from the multiple resources, wherein M and N are both integers greater than or equal to 2.

[0008] This application provides a DSA mechanism, under which a terminal can repeatedly send RRC connection request messages or RRC connection recovery request messages. Using DSA can improve the success rate of network devices receiving RRC connection request messages or RRC connection recovery request messages; however, excessive use of DSA may cause system performance degradation. Considering this, the use of DSA can be restricted. This application embodiment uses first information to indicate whether DSA is allowed, making the use of DSA more suitable for the current network environment and enhancing network control over DSA. Furthermore, the terminal can send the first message through DSA transmission, in which the terminal can repeatedly send the first message, thereby improving the coverage of the first message. Even with poor signal quality, repeated transmission can improve the success rate of network devices receiving the first message.

[0009] In one optional implementation, the first information is further used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message can be retransmitted or the maximum number of retransmissions; or, the first information is further used to indicate the maximum number of times the message can be retransmitted or the maximum number of retransmissions corresponding to the DSA transmission method. This maximum number of times the message can be retransmitted or the maximum number of retransmissions may correspond to the DSA transmission method, and the terminal will use this maximum number of times the message can be retransmitted or the maximum number of retransmissions if it uses the DSA transmission method. Alternatively, this maximum number of times the message can not correspond to the DSA transmission method, for example, it can be configured by the network device, which is more flexible.

[0010] In one optional implementation, the maximum number of repeated transmissions corresponds to a first coverage enhancement level, or the number of repeated transmissions corresponds to a first coverage enhancement level. For example, different coverage enhancement levels may correspond to the same or different maximum number of repeated transmissions, or different coverage enhancement levels may correspond to the same or different number of repeated transmissions, so that the maximum number of repeated transmissions or the number of repeated transmissions can meet the requirements of the corresponding coverage enhancement level.

[0011] In one optional implementation, the first information is used to indicate whether the DSA transmission mode is allowed, including: the first information indicating the maximum number of times the first message can be retransmitted, wherein a maximum number of retransmissions of 1 indicates that the DSA transmission mode is not allowed, or a maximum number of retransmissions greater than 1 indicates that the DSA transmission mode is allowed; or, the first information indicating the number of times the first message can be retransmitted, wherein a retransmission number of 1 indicates that the DSA transmission mode is not allowed, or a retransmission number greater than 1 indicates that the DSA transmission mode is allowed. The first information can implicitly indicate whether the DSA transmission mode is allowed by indicating the maximum number of retransmissions or the number of retransmissions, thus enabling the first information to indicate multiple contents with a single piece of information (information indicating the maximum number of retransmissions or the number of retransmissions), and also saving the transmission overhead of the first information.

[0012] In one optional implementation, the first information is further used to indicate the maximum number of consecutive transmissions or the maximum number of consecutive transmissions of the first message. The terminal can transmit the first message continuously or intermittently, making the transmission method more flexible.

[0013] In one optional implementation, the maximum number of consecutive transmissions corresponds to a first coverage enhancement level, or the number of consecutive transmissions corresponds to a first coverage enhancement level. For example, different coverage enhancement levels may correspond to the same or different maximum number of consecutive transmissions, or different coverage enhancement levels may correspond to the same or different number of consecutive transmissions, so that the maximum number of consecutive transmissions or the number of consecutive transmissions can meet the requirements of the corresponding coverage enhancement level.

[0014] In one alternative implementation, the first information is system information, or the first information is included in system information. Alternatively, the first information may also be other broadcast or unicast messages, or the first information may also be included in other broadcast or unicast messages.

[0015] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving a contention resolution message, the contention resolution message being scrambled using a first RNTI, wherein the first RNTI is determined based on a terminal identifier included in the first message; or, the first RNTI is an RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission mode; or, the first RNTI is determined based on the first parameter and the terminal identifier included in the first message; or, the first RNTI is determined based on the M resources or the N groups of resources. The first RNTI can be used to scramble the contention resolution message, and / or to scramble fourth information, the fourth information being able to schedule the contention resolution message. In this embodiment, when a terminal uses DSA, it can use one RNTI or multiple RNTIs. Regardless of whether one or more RNTIs are used, the one or more RNTIs can be determined in one of the ways described above, which is quite flexible.

[0016] In one optional implementation, the first RNTI is the RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission method, including: the first RNTI being a unique RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission method; or, the first RNTI being one of multiple RNTIs corresponding to the DSA transmission method. If a DSA transmission method can correspond to a unique RNTI, then the first RNTI is that RNTI. Alternatively, if a DSA transmission method can correspond to multiple RNTIs, then the first RNTI is, for example, an RNTI selected by the terminal from these multiple RNTIs. For example, the terminal can select it randomly, or it can select it according to a certain strategy; there are no restrictions on this.

[0017] In one optional implementation, the first RNTI is determined based on the M resources or the N groups of resources, including: the different resources included in the M resources or the N groups of resources have the same time-domain location and / or the same frequency-domain location, and the first RNTI is determined based on the time-domain location and / or the frequency-domain location; or, the RNTIs associated with the different resources included in the M resources or the N groups of resources are all the first RNTI. For example, the terminal can determine the first RNTI based on the time-domain location and / or frequency-domain location of the selected resource, or it can determine the first RNTI based on the RNTI associated with the selected resource, which is a flexible approach.

[0018] In an optional implementation, the method further includes sending second information, the second information indicating one or more of the following: whether it has the capability to simultaneously detect multiple RNTIs, the first message using the DSA transmission method, or the method for determining the first RNTI. The terminal can indicate its capability through the second information, and / or indicate the method for determining the first RNTI, etc., so that the network device can determine the first RNTI in the same way, thereby improving the terminal's detection success rate.

[0019] In one optional implementation, the second information is further used to indicate the number of times the first message is repeated, or the second information is further used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message can be repeated. The terminal can use the second information to inform the network device of the number of repetitions, etc., so that the network device can detect the first message.

[0020] In one optional implementation, the first message is repeatedly sent through M resources out of the plurality of resources; the method further includes: starting a first timer after the initial transmission of the first message, and restarting the first timer after each retransmission of the first message, the first timer being used to monitor contention resolution messages; or, starting a first timer after each transmission of the first message, the first timer being used to monitor contention resolution messages. For example, the terminal can use one first timer, and the terminal can restart the first timer after each retransmission of the first message. Optionally, in the scenario where the terminal uses one first timer, the terminal can also use only one RNTI. This approach has lower requirements on the terminal's capabilities, making the embodiments of this application applicable to more terminals. Alternatively, the terminal can also use multiple first timers, and the terminal can start the first timer corresponding to the transmission resource used each time the first message is sent. Optionally, in the scenario where the terminal uses multiple first timers, the terminal can also use multiple RNTIs. This approach is more flexible.

[0021] In one optional implementation, starting a first timer after the initial transmission of the first message and restarting the first timer after each retransmission of the first message includes: when the terminal does not have the capability to simultaneously detect multiple RNTIs, starting the first timer after the initial transmission of the first message and restarting the first timer after each retransmission of the first message; starting the first timer after each transmission of the first message includes: when the terminal has the capability to simultaneously detect multiple RNTIs, starting the first timer after each transmission of the first message. For example, if the terminal does not support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the terminal can use one RNTI, and in this scenario, the terminal can also use only one first timer. Alternatively, if the terminal supports simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the terminal can use multiple RNTIs, and in this scenario, the terminal can also use only multiple first timers. For example, the terminal can determine, based on its capabilities, whether to use one or more RNTIs and / or one or more first timers, so that the terminal's operating mechanism is consistent with its capabilities.

[0022] In one optional implementation, the first message is repeatedly sent through N groups of resources among the plurality of resources; the method further includes: starting a first timer after sending the first message on a first group of resources among the N groups of resources, and restarting the first timer after sending the first message on each of the remaining N-1 groups of resources, the first timer being used to monitor contention resolution messages; or, starting a first timer respectively after sending the first message on each of the N groups of resources, the first timer being used to monitor contention resolution messages.

[0023] In one optional implementation, after sending the first message on the first group of resources in the N groups of resources, a first timer is started, and after sending the first message on each of the remaining N-1 groups of resources, the first timer is restarted, including: when the terminal does not have the capability to support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, starting the first timer after sending the first message on the first group of resources in the N groups of resources, and restarting the first timer after sending the first message on each of the remaining N-1 groups of resources; and after sending the first message on each of the N groups of resources, starting the first timer respectively, including: when the terminal has the capability to support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, starting the first timer respectively after sending the first message on each of the N groups of resources.

[0024] For information on the technical effects of the two implementation methods described above, please refer to the description of the technical effects of the corresponding implementation methods in the preceding text.

[0025] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: if the first information indicates that the DSA transmission method is not allowed and / or the terminal does not support the DSA transmission method, sending the first message through one of the plurality of resources or repeatedly sending the first message through a group of resources. If the first information indicates that the DSA transmission method is not allowed, and / or the terminal does not support the use of the DSA transmission method (e.g., the terminal's capabilities are not supported, or the terminal's behavior is restricted), the terminal may not use the DSA transmission method. For example, the terminal may select one resource or a group of resources from the plurality of resources to send the first message.

[0026] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: after sending the first message on the one resource or a set of resources, starting or restarting a first timer, the first timer being used to monitor contention resolution messages. When not using DSA transmission, the terminal may also start or restart the first timer after sending the first message to detect or monitor contention resolution messages.

[0027] In one alternative implementation, the contention resolution message is scrambled using a first RNTI, wherein the first RNTI is determined based on the single resource or the set of resources. Without using DSA transmission, the first RNTI can be determined based on the resource used to send the contention resolution message, and the network device can also determine the first RNTI based on that resource, ensuring consistency between the RNTI determined by the network device and the terminal.

[0028] Secondly, a second communication method is provided, which can be applied to a second device. The second device is, for example, a network-side device, also referred to as a network device. This network device is, for example, a network equipment, or a component of a network equipment, such as a communication module, processor, circuit, or chip system (or chip) or other functional module applicable to the network equipment. This chip system or functional module can implement the functions of the network equipment, and may be, for example, disposed within the network equipment, or may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network equipment. The network equipment can be a non-ORAN architecture or an ORAN architecture; or, the network equipment can be a CU, DU, or RU under an ORAN architecture. The network equipment is, for example, located on the ground, or the network equipment is, for example, a non-ground device such as a satellite or an airborne vehicle, or located on a non-ground device such as a satellite or an airborne vehicle. The network equipment includes, for example, access network equipment and / or core network equipment. The method includes: sending first information, the first information indicating multiple resources for sending a first message, the first information further indicating whether DSA transmission mode is permitted; and detecting the first message on the multiple resources.

[0029] In one optional implementation, the first information is further used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message can be repeatedly sent or the number of times it can be repeatedly sent; or, the first information is further used to indicate the maximum number of times it can be repeatedly sent or the number of times it can be repeatedly sent corresponding to the DSA transmission method.

[0030] In one optional implementation, the maximum number of repeated transmissions corresponds to the first coverage level, or the number of repeated transmissions corresponds to the first coverage level.

[0031] In one optional implementation, the first information is used to indicate whether the DSA transmission mode is allowed, including: the first information is used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message is retransmitted, wherein the maximum number of retransmissions is 1, indicating that the DSA transmission mode is not allowed, or the maximum number of retransmissions is greater than 1, indicating that the DSA transmission mode is allowed; or, the first information is used to indicate the number of times the first message is retransmitted, wherein the number of retransmissions is 1, indicating that the DSA transmission mode is not allowed, otherwise indicating that the DSA transmission mode is allowed.

[0032] In an optional implementation, the first information is further used to indicate the maximum number of consecutive transmissions or the number of consecutive transmissions of the first message.

[0033] In one optional implementation, the maximum number of consecutive transmissions corresponds to a first coverage level, or the number of consecutive transmissions corresponds to a first coverage level.

[0034] In one alternative implementation, the first information is system information.

[0035] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: detecting the first message on M resources or N groups of resources among the plurality of resources, wherein M and N are both integers greater than or equal to 2; and sending a contention resolution message.

[0036] In one alternative implementation, the number of contention resolution messages is 1.

[0037] In one optional implementation, the contention resolution message is scrambled using a first RNTI, wherein the first RNTI is determined based on the identifier of the terminal included in the first message; or, the first RNTI is the RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission mode; or, the first RNTI is determined based on the first parameter and the identifier of the terminal included in the first message; or, the first RNTI is determined based on the M resources or the N groups of resources.

[0038] In one optional implementation, the first RNTI is the RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission mode, including: the first RNTI is a unique RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission mode; or, the first RNTI is one of a plurality of RNTIs corresponding to the DSA transmission mode.

[0039] In one optional implementation, the first RNTI is determined based on the M resources or the N groups of resources, including: the different resources included in the M resources or the N groups of resources have the same time-domain position and / or the same frequency-domain position, and the first RNTI is determined based on the time-domain position and / or the frequency-domain position; or, the RNTI associated with the different resources included in the M resources or the N groups of resources are all the first RNTI.

[0040] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate the determination method of the first RNTI, or to indicate that the first message used the DSA transmission method.

[0041] In one optional implementation, the second information is further used to indicate the number of times the first message is repeatedly sent, or the second information is further used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message is repeatedly sent.

[0042] For the technical effects of the second aspect or its various alternative implementations, please refer to the description of the technical effects of the first aspect or its corresponding implementations.

[0043] Thirdly, a communication device is provided. The communication device can be the terminal-side device described in the first aspect above. The communication device possesses the functions of the terminal-side device described above. For example, the communication device has the functions described in the first aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to performing the operations involved in the first aspect above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The communication device is, for example, a terminal device, or a component of a terminal device, such as a communication module, circuit or chip (or chip system), or other functional module applicable to a terminal device. This chip system or functional module can realize the functions of the terminal device, and is, for example, disposed in the terminal device. In one optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module). A transceiver unit can perform both sending and receiving functions. When the transceiver unit performs the sending function, it can be called a sending unit (sometimes also called a sending module), and when it performs the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called the transceiver unit and can perform both sending and receiving functions; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a collective term for these functional modules.

[0044] In one optional implementation, the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to receive first information, which indicates multiple resources for sending a first message. The first information also indicates whether DSA transmission mode is allowed. The first message is an RRC connection request message, an RRC establishment request message, an RRC connection recovery request message, or an RRC data early transmission request message. The transceiver unit (or the sending unit) is configured to repeatedly send the first message through M resources or N groups of resources among the multiple resources when the first information indicates that DSA transmission mode is allowed, wherein M and N are both integers greater than or equal to 2.

[0045] In an alternative embodiment, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module), and the processing unit is configured to couple with the storage unit and execute programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the terminal-side device described in the first aspect above.

[0046] Fourthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device can be a network-side device as described in the second aspect above. The communication device possesses the functions of the aforementioned network-side device. For example, the communication device can implement the functions described in the second aspect above. For instance, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to performing the operations involved in the second aspect above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The communication device is, for example, a network device or a component of a network device, such as a communication module, processor, chip system (or chip or circuit), or other functional module applicable to a network device. This chip system or functional module can implement the functions of the network device, and is, for example, disposed within the network device. In one optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module). For details on the implementation of the transceiver unit, please refer to the description in the fifth aspect.

[0047] In one optional implementation, the transceiver unit (or the sending unit) is configured to send first information, the first information being used to indicate multiple resources, the multiple resources being used to send a first message, the first information also being used to indicate whether DSA transmission mode is allowed, the first message being an RRC connection request message, an RRC establishment request message, an RRC connection recovery request message, or an RRC data early transmission request message; the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to detect the first message on the multiple resources.

[0048] In an alternative embodiment, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module), and the processing unit is configured to couple with the storage unit and execute programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the network-side device described in the second aspect above.

[0049] Fifthly, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising a memory and one or more processors. The memory is used to store part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the first aspect above. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, such that, when executed, the apparatus implements the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect above.

[0050] In one possible design, the device may further include interface circuitry, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices or components via the interface circuitry.

[0051] In one possible design, the device may also include the memory.

[0052] The aforementioned device may be a terminal, or a communication module in the terminal, or a chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module.

[0053] A sixth aspect provides an apparatus comprising a memory and one or more processors. The memory is used to store part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the second aspect above. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, such that, when executed, the apparatus implements the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second aspect above.

[0054] In one possible design, the device may further include interface circuitry, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices or components via the interface circuitry.

[0055] In one possible design, the device may also include the memory.

[0056] The aforementioned device may be a network device, a communication module in a network device, or a chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip that contains a modem module.

[0057] A seventh aspect provides a communication system including a network-side device, wherein the network-side device is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect above. For example, the network-side device may be implemented using the apparatus described in the fourth or sixth aspect.

[0058] Optionally, the communication system further includes a terminal-side device, wherein the terminal-side device is used to perform the method described in the first aspect above. For example, the terminal-side device can be implemented using the device described in the third or fifth aspect.

[0059] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the methods performed by the network-side device or terminal-side device in the above aspects to be implemented.

[0060] Ninthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, causes the methods described in the above aspects to be implemented.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, a chip system is provided, including a processor and an interface, the processor being configured to call and execute instructions from the interface to enable the chip system to implement the methods described above. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figures 1 and 2A to 2C are schematic diagrams of several application scenarios of the embodiments of this application;

[0063] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figures 4 to 9 are several schematic diagrams of the UE running the first timer in the embodiments of this application;

[0065] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0067] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0068] In this application embodiment, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns," that is, "one or more." "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0069] The ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. Furthermore, the numbering of steps in the various embodiments described in this application is only to distinguish different steps and is not used to limit the order in which the steps are performed.

[0070] The following explanations of some terms or concepts used in the embodiments of this application are provided to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0071] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver function, which may be a fixed device, a mobile device, a handheld device (e.g., a mobile phone), a wearable device, an in-vehicle device, or a wireless device (e.g., a communication module, a modem, or a chip system, etc.) built into the above devices. The terminal devices are used to connect people, things, and machines, and can be widely used in various scenarios, including but not limited to the following: satellite communication scenarios, sensing scenarios, cellular communication, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, and terminal devices in indoor commercial scenarios (such as mobile phone screen mirroring, file sharing, and mobile phone to VR glasses). When the terminal equipment is applied to V2X, it can also be called a V2X device, such as a smart car, digital car, unmanned car, driverless car, pilotless car, or automobile, self-driving car, or autonomous car, pure electric vehicle (EV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), range-extended electric vehicle (REEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), new energy vehicle, or roadside unit (RSU). The terminal equipment can also be a device used in D2D communication, such as an electricity meter or water meter.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0073] The various terminal devices described above, if located in a vehicle (e.g., placed inside or installed inside a vehicle), can all be considered in-vehicle terminal devices, also known as on-board units (OBUs). The terminal device of this application can also be an in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the methods of this application through the built-in in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit.

[0074] The terminal equipment may sometimes be referred to as UE, terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, wireless communication equipment, or user equipment, etc.

[0075] In this application embodiment, the communication device used to implement the terminal device function can be a terminal device, which can be a terminal device or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a communication module or chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the UE is used as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0076] The network devices in this application embodiment include, for example, access network devices (or access network elements) and / or core network devices (or core network elements). The access network devices are devices with wireless transceiver capabilities, used to communicate with the terminal devices. The access network devices include, but are not limited to, base stations (base transceiver stations, BTS, Node B, evolved Node B (eNodeB) / eNB, or the next generation Node B (gNodeB) / gNB), transmission reception points (TRPs), base stations evolved from the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), access nodes in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. The base stations can be: macro base stations, micro base stations, pico base stations, small cells, relay stations, etc. Multiple base stations can support networks using the same access technology or networks using different access technologies. A base station can contain one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission and reception points. The access network equipment can also be a radio controller, centralized unit (CU), and / or distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The access network equipment can also be a server, etc. In satellite communication systems, the access network equipment can be a satellite, a base station mounted on a satellite, or a gateway station (also called a ground station, earth station, signaling station, gateway, or gateway station). In some scenarios, the network equipment can also be a satellite communication terminal, such as a portable station, a fixed station, a vehicle-mounted or airborne satellite communication terminal. It should be understood that in these scenarios, the satellite communication terminal communicates with the satellite and can act as a micro base station or satellite data station to further provide data interfaces to user equipment accessing the satellite communication terminal. For example, the network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). The following explanation of the access network equipment uses a base station as an example. A base station can communicate with a terminal device, or it can communicate with a terminal device through a relay station. A terminal device can communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies. The core network equipment is used to implement functions such as mobility management, data processing, session management, policy and accounting. The names of the equipment implementing core network functions may differ in systems using different access technologies; this application does not limit this.Taking the 5th generation (5G) mobile communication technology system as an example, the core network equipment includes, for example, access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF), or user plane function (UPF), etc.

[0077] In a CU-DU architecture, or in an open RAN (ORAN) system, access network equipment may include one or more logical network elements such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs may be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs may be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0078] 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 an open CU (O-CU), DU can also be called an open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-CP), and RU can also be called an open RU (O-RU). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples in its embodiments. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0079] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, or Physical (PHY) layer). As another example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as one or more of the RLC, MAC, or PHY layers).

[0080] 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, such as by 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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] In this application embodiment, the communication device used to implement the functions of a network device can be called a network device. This network device can be a network element, a network device, or a device capable of supporting the network device or network element to implement the function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the device used to implement the functions of a network device is described as a network device (for example, the device used to implement the functions of an access network device is an access network device, and the device used to implement the functions of a core network device is a core network device).

[0083] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to fourth-generation (4G) communication systems, such as LTE communication systems, and also to fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, such as 5G New Radio (NR) communication systems, or to various communication systems evolved after 5G, such as future communication systems. The method provided in this application can also be applied to Bluetooth systems, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, long-range radio (LoRa) systems, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems. The method provided in this application can also be applied to sidelink (SL) communication. The method provided in this application can be applied to terrestrial networks (TN); or, the method provided in this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial networks (NTN), such as satellite communication systems, for example, transparent satellite architecture, backhaul satellite architecture, or regenerative satellite architecture, etc., without limitation. NTN can be a communication system integrated with other communication systems such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future communication systems, such as NR NTN, IoT NTN, etc.

[0084] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 includes a UE and a network device, which may include access network equipment and / or core network equipment. For example, the UE camps on a cell provided by the network device. The UE may be located on the ground; the network device may be located on the ground or in the air, for example, it may be located on a satellite, a drone, or an aircraft, or the network device may be a satellite, a drone, or an aircraft, etc.

[0085] Please refer to Figures 2A to 2C, which are schematic diagrams of several network architectures of NTN, and also schematic diagrams of several application scenarios of this application embodiment. Among them, the architecture in which the UE connects to the terrestrial access network via satellite can be called a transparent satellite architecture (e.g., Figure 2A); the architecture in which the access network equipment is set on the satellite (or the satellite has the function of access network equipment) is called a regenerative satellite architecture or regenerative satellite architecture (e.g., Figure 2B); and the architecture in which the UE connects to the terrestrial access network and then connects to the terrestrial network via satellite can be called a satellite backhaul architecture (e.g., Figure 2C).

[0086] In Figure 2A, the network elements used for transmitting services (such as access network equipment and / or core network equipment) are all located on the ground. The UE accesses the network through the access network equipment located on the ground via satellite, and the satellite has a pass-through function.

[0087] In Figure 2B, the access network equipment is located on a satellite, or the underlying processing module of the access network element is located on a satellite, or the satellite has some or all of the functions of the access network equipment. Besides the access network equipment, other network elements used for service transmission (such as core network equipment) are located on the ground. Alternatively, some or all of the network elements in the core network can also be located on a satellite, or the satellite can have some or all of the functions of the network elements in the core network.

[0088] In Figure 2C, the access network equipment is located on the ground. The UE communicates with the satellite through the ground access network and then connects to the ground network through the satellite.

[0089] Alternatively, the satellites in Figures 2A, 2B, or 2C can be replaced with aerial equipment such as drones or high-altitude aircraft.

[0090] The method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the flowcharts corresponding to the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, all steps indicated by dashed lines are optional. In the various embodiments of this application, DSA can be understood as a transmission mode. In the DSA transmission mode, the UE selects multiple resources from the resources configured by the network device and repeatedly sends a first message, such as message 3 (Msg3), or messages included in Msg3. For example, Msg3 may include an RRC establishment request message, an RRC connection request message, an RRC connection recovery request message, or an RRC data early transmission request message, etc. In the DSA transmission mode, the network device cannot predict the specific resources selected by the UE.

[0091] The various embodiments described herein can be executed by a UE and a network device. The various embodiments described herein can be applied to the network architecture shown in any of Figures 1, 2A, and 2C. For example, the UE described in the various embodiments of this document can be any of the UEs in Figures 1, 2A, and 2C, and the network device described in the various embodiments of this document can be any of the network devices in Figures 1, 2A, and 2C. Alternatively, the various embodiments of this document can also be executed between UEs, in which case "UE" can be replaced with "UE1" and "network device" can be replaced with "UE2".

[0092] This application provides a communication method, please refer to Figure 3, which is a flowchart of the method.

[0093] S301, The network device sends the first information. Correspondingly, the UE receives the first information.

[0094] The first information may include resource configuration information, which may indicate or configure at least one resource that can be used to send a first message, such as message 3 (Msg3), or a message included in Msg3. For example, the message included in Msg3 may be an RRC establishment request message, an RRC connection request message, an RRC connection resume request message, or an RRC early data request message. For example, in an LTE system, the first message may be an RRC connection request message; in an NR system, the first message may be an RRC establishment request message or an RRC connection resume request message; or, in a small packet transmission procedure, the first message may be an RRC early data request message.

[0095] For example, each of the at least one resources is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resource, or each resource can also be understood as the transmission occasion of the first message, or each resource can also be understood as an uplink grant (UL grant). Optionally, embodiments of this application can be applied to 2-step random access (2-step RACH) or 4-step random access (4-step RACH). For example, the RRC connection request message or RRC connection recovery request message is message A (MsgA) in 2-step random access, or message 3 (Msg3) in 4-step random access.

[0096] Alternatively, embodiments of this application can also be applied to small packet transmission procedures, such as early data transmission (EDT) or small data transmission (SDT) procedures. Through these small packet transmission procedures, the UE can transmit data without entering the radio resource control (RRC) connected state. For example, the first message is Msg3 in the small packet transmission procedure. If embodiments of this application are applied to small packet transmission procedures, the first message may include uplink data.

[0097] Alternatively, the embodiments of this application can also be used for contention-based (CB)-Msg3 transmission. The resource configuration information included in the first information can indicate or configure at least one resource for sending the contention-based Msg3 message, which can be understood as meaning that a preamble does not need to be sent before using the at least one resource to send the Msg3 message. For example, the resource configuration information may include the time domain information and / or frequency domain information of the at least one resource. In the embodiments of this application, the UE can select some or all of the at least one resource to transmit the CB-Msg3 message at least once, or it can be understood as transmitting a copy of the CB-Msg3 message. Among them, multiple copies of the Msg3 message can use one HARQ buffer, or each copy of the Msg3 message can use an independent HARQ buffer.

[0098] The at least one resource may be a standalone resource, not existing in a group; or the at least one resource may be included in multiple resource groups, wherein each resource group may include one or more resources.

[0099] The first information can also indicate whether DSA or DSA transmission mode is allowed, where "DSA" in the following text can refer to "DSA transmission mode". For example, the first information includes first indication information, which can indicate whether DSA is allowed or not. The first indication information can occupy one or more bits. Using DSA can improve the success rate of network devices receiving Msg3, such as improving the success rate of network devices receiving RRC connection request messages, RRC establishment request messages, RRC connection recovery request messages, or RRC data early transmission request messages; however, excessive use of DSA may also cause system performance degradation. Considering this, the use of DSA can also be restricted. In this embodiment, the first information can indicate whether DSA is allowed, making the use of DSA more in line with the current network environment.

[0100] As an optional implementation of the first indication information, the first indication information can directly indicate whether DSA is allowed or not. For example, the first indication information occupies 1 bit; if the value of this 1 bit is "1", it indicates that DSA is allowed; if the value of this 1 bit is "0", it indicates that DSA is not allowed. Alternatively, if the first information includes the first indication information or the first indication information appears, it indicates that DSA is allowed; if the first information does not include the first indication information or the first indication information does not appear, it indicates that DSA is not allowed.

[0101] Alternatively, as another optional implementation of the first indication information, the first indication information can indicate whether DSA is allowed by indicating the maximum number of retransmissions or the number of retransmissions of Msg3 (e.g., CB-Msg3), or RRC connection request messages, or RRC establishment request messages, or RRC connection recovery request messages, or RRC data early transmission request messages. It can be considered that the first information implicitly indicates whether DSA is allowed through the first indication information. The maximum number of retransmissions can be understood as the maximum number of retransmissions allowed for the UE; the number of retransmissions can be understood as indicating the actual number of retransmissions performed by the UE. Optionally, if the first indication information indicates a maximum number of retransmissions, the actual number of retransmissions performed by the UE can be less than or equal to the maximum number of retransmissions; or, if the first indication information indicates a number of retransmissions, the actual number of retransmissions performed by the UE can be equal to the number of retransmissions indicated by the first information. For example, the first indication information occupies 1 bit, indicating the maximum number of retransmissions or the number of retransmissions being 1 or 2 times; or, for example, the first indication information occupies 2 bits, indicating the maximum number of retransmissions or the number of retransmissions being 1, 2, 3, or 4 times; or, the first indication information can occupy more bits to indicate more retransmissions. For example, the first indication information can be a bitmap, which may include one or more bits, where each bit corresponds to whether the current network supports the corresponding number of DSA transmissions. For example, if the bitmap includes 2 bits, and these two bits are "11", it indicates that both 1 and 2 retransmissions are supported; or, if these two bits are "10", it indicates that 1 transmission is supported, or that DSA transmission is not currently supported. Wherein, if the maximum number of retransmissions or the number of retransmissions indicated by the first indication information is 1, it means that DSA is not allowed; and if the maximum number of retransmissions or the number of retransmissions indicated by the first indication information is greater than 1, it means that DSA is allowed. This indication method helps to save the overhead of the first information.

[0102] Optionally, in addition to indicating whether DSA is allowed, the first information may also indicate the maximum number of retransmissions or retransmissions of Msg3 (e.g., CB-Msg3), RRC connection request message, RRC establishment request message, RRC connection recovery request message, or RRC data early transmission request message, or the maximum number of retransmissions or retransmissions corresponding to DSA. That is, the maximum number of retransmissions or retransmissions can correspond to DSA, so as long as DSA is used, it corresponds to the maximum number of retransmissions or retransmissions; or, the maximum number of retransmissions or retransmissions may not correspond to DSA. For example, network devices can set the maximum number of retransmissions or retransmissions based on factors such as the current network status, which is more flexible. For example, if the first indication information does not implicitly indicate whether DSA is allowed, the first information may also indicate the maximum number of retransmissions or retransmissions of the first message, or the maximum number of retransmissions or retransmissions corresponding to DSA. For example, in addition to the first indication information, the first information may also include a second indication information. The first information indicates whether DSA transmission is allowed, and the second indication information may indicate the maximum number of retransmissions or the number of retransmissions. This indication method makes the indication more explicit.

[0103] Optionally, the first information may also indicate the maximum number of consecutive transmissions or consecutive transmission counts for Msg3 (e.g., CB-Msg3), RRC connection request messages, RRC establishment request messages, RRC connection recovery request messages, or RRC data early transmission request messages. Here, the maximum number of consecutive transmissions can also be understood as the maximum number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission, or the maximum number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission; the consecutive transmission count can also be understood as the number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission. For example, the first information may include third indication information, which may include the maximum number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission or the number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission. The maximum number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission can be understood as the maximum number of adjacent resources selected by the corresponding UE; the number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission can be understood as the number of adjacent resources selected by the corresponding UE. Optionally, if the first indication information indicates the maximum number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission, the actual number of consecutive resources selected by the UE can be less than or equal to the maximum number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission; or, if the first indication information indicates the number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission, the actual number of consecutive resources selected by the UE can be equal to the number of times consecutive resources are used for transmission indicated by the first information. The maximum number of consecutive resource transmissions can be less than or equal to the aforementioned maximum number of repeated transmissions. For example, if the second indication information indicates a maximum of 6 repeated transmissions and the third indication information indicates a maximum of 2 consecutive resource transmissions, then when the UE selects resources for DSA transmission, it can select up to 6 resources. These 6 resources can be used to transmit 6 copies (e.g., a copy of the CB-Msg3 message). However, for each copy transmission, at most 2 of the selected transmission times (e.g., the transmission time of the CB-Msg3 message) can be adjacent. These adjacent resources can be, for example, resources adjacent in the time domain, resources adjacent in the frequency domain, or adjacent transmission times. By limiting the number of consecutively adjacent resources selected by the UE, the probability of continuous collisions between multiple UEs is reduced, thus improving the transmission success rate.

[0104] As an optional implementation of the first information, the first information may further include fourth indication information, which may indicate that the network device supports RNTI negotiation for scheduling Msg4 (hereinafter also referred to as the first RNTI). For example, the fourth indication information may indicate the network device's ability to negotiate the RNTI for scheduling Msg4. Specifically, the fourth indication information is used to indicate the network device's ability to negotiate the PDCCH for scheduling Msg4 and / or the RNTI used by the network device for scrambling or the UE for descrambling the PDSCH carrying Msg4 via CB-Msg3 message negotiation. When the network device supports this capability, when the UE sends a message through contention-based Msg3 resources, it can choose to negotiate the RNTI related to Msg4 through the sent CB-Msg3 message. For example, the relevant calculation method can be negotiated. For another example, the first information may include the fourth indication information, which may occupy 1 bit. If the value of this 1 bit is "1", it indicates that DSA is allowed and the network has the ability to negotiate the RNTI related to Msg4; if the value of this 1 bit is "0", it indicates that DSA is allowed and the network does not have the ability to negotiate the RNTI related to Msg4. If the first information does not include the fourth indication information, it indicates that DSA is not allowed. By indicating that the network supports the negotiation capability of the relevant RNTI, UEs that do not have the ability to monitor multiple RNTIs simultaneously can use DSA transmission mode, improving the transmission success rate of Msg3. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first information can indicate whether RNTI negotiation for scheduling Msg4 is supported, enabling UEs that do not have the ability to monitor multiple RNTIs simultaneously to use DSA.

[0105] For example, the first information may include one or more of the following: resource configuration information, first instruction information, second instruction information, third instruction information, or fourth instruction information. For instance, the first information may include first and third instruction information but exclude the second instruction information, or the first information may include first instruction information but exclude the second and third instruction information. In this case, the first instruction information may explicitly indicate whether DSA is allowed, or the first instruction information may implicitly indicate whether DSA is allowed by indicating the maximum number of repeated transmissions or the number of repeated transmissions. Alternatively, the first information may include first, second, and third instruction information.

[0106] Optionally, one or more parameters indicated or included in the first information may correspond to a coverage enhancement level, or the first information itself may correspond to a coverage enhancement level. This correspondence can be predefined by a protocol or configured by the network device. The first information may, for example, indicate one or more of at least one resource, a first indication information, a second indication information, a fourth indication information, or a third indication information, which may correspond to a first coverage enhancement level. If the first information corresponds to a first coverage enhancement level, it can also be understood that all parameters included or indicated by the first information correspond to the first coverage enhancement level. By assigning corresponding parameters to coverage enhancement levels, different parameters can be configured for different coverage enhancement levels, ensuring that the corresponding parameters match the coverage enhancement level. For example, if the first indication information corresponds to a first coverage enhancement level, and the first coverage enhancement level is high, the messages sent by the UE under the first coverage enhancement level may have already been repeated many times. In this case, DSA may not be configured for the first coverage enhancement level; for example, the first indication information corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level may indicate that DSA is not allowed. For example, if the first coverage enhancement level is low, the UE may not repeatedly send messages or may repeat them less frequently under this level. To improve coverage, DSA can be configured for the first coverage enhancement level. For instance, the first indication information corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level can indicate that DSA is allowed. Alternatively, if there are many UEs in the cell at the first coverage enhancement level and the load is heavy, the network device can indicate that DSA is not allowed through the first information corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level. Conversely, if there are few UEs in the cell at the second coverage enhancement level and the load is light, the network device can indicate the use of the corresponding DSA transmission mode through the first information corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level. Assigning the parameters included in the first information or the first information itself to the coverage enhancement level facilitates adjusting resource transmission schemes based on network load.

[0107] Taking the correspondence between the maximum number of repeated transmissions and the coverage enhancement level as an example, different maximum number of repeated transmissions can correspond to different coverage enhancement levels, ensuring that the maximum number of repeated transmissions matches the requirements of the coverage enhancement level. For instance, if there are many UEs in the cell at the first coverage enhancement level and the load is heavy, the network device can indicate that DSA is not allowed through the first information indication corresponding to the first coverage enhancement level, and the maximum number of repeated transmissions is 1. Conversely, if there are fewer UEs in the cell at the second coverage enhancement level and the load is light, the network device can indicate that the corresponding DSA transmission method is used through the first information indication corresponding to the second coverage enhancement level, and the maximum number of repeated transmissions through the DSA transmission method is 2, for example, sending 2 copies of information. Therefore, the embodiments of this application can adjust the allowed DSA transmission method for UEs according to the network load conditions of different coverage enhancement levels.

[0108] The first message can be, for example, system information (SI), such as a system information block (SIB) or other system information. Alternatively, the first message can also be other broadcast or unicast messages.

[0109] S302. The UE sends a first message through a first resource in at least one resource. Correspondingly, the network device can detect or monitor on the at least one resource. Through detection, for example, the network device can receive the first message on the first resource. The first message is, for example, a Msg3 message. This Msg3 message includes, for example, a Common Control Channel (CCCH) service data unit (SDU). The CCCH SDU may carry an RRC establishment request message, an RRC connection request message, an RRC connection recovery request message, or an RRC data early transmission request message. The network device's detection or monitoring may be based on descrambling the RNTI associated with the first resource selected by the UE (e.g., the RNTI is related to the location of the first resource), or it may be based on descrambling the RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission mode. Correspondingly, the first message sent by the UE may be scrambled based on the RNTI associated with the first resource selected by the UE, or it may be scrambled based on the RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission mode.

[0110] Taking the small packet transmission scenario as an example, and using the Long Term Evolution (LTE) EDT as an example, according to the traditional small packet transmission process, the UE sends a preamble; after receiving the preamble, the network device sends a random access response (RAR) to the UE. After receiving the RAR, the UE can send Msg3, which may include uplink data. In satellite communication, communication resources are relatively scarce, and the preamble and RAR in the above small packet transmission process result in a waste of transmission resources.

[0111] Optionally, in this embodiment, the network device configures resources for the UE to send the first message. Therefore, the UE can send the first message without sending the preamble before using the first resource, thus saving transmission resources. Since the network device does not detect the preamble from the UE, it will not send the RAR to the UE, further saving transmission resources. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the UE can send the first message without transmitting the preamble and RAR, saving the transmission overhead caused by the preamble and RAR. This makes the method of this embodiment well applicable to resource-constrained satellite communication scenarios.

[0112] The first resource is selected by the UE from at least one resource. For example, the UE can select it randomly or through a corresponding strategy; this application embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this. The UE can select all resources in the first resource at once, or it can select one resource first, send the first message on that resource, and then select the next resource, or send the first message on that resource and then select the next resource if no contention resolution message is received; this is not restricted. The first resource refers to all resources actually used by the UE to send the first message. The first resource can be all resources selected by the UE from at least one resource, or it can be a subset of resources selected by the UE from at least one resource (for example, the UE selects a second resource from at least one resource, which includes the first resource, but ultimately the UE only sends the first message through the first resource and does not use any other resources in the second resource besides the first resource to send the first message). This application embodiment does not limit multiple UEs from selecting the same first resource; that is, multiple UEs in a cell can each determine their own first resource based on the first information provided by the network device, and different UEs can select the same or different first resources.

[0113] As an optional implementation of the first resource, the first resource may include, for example, M resources, where M is a positive integer. If the first information indicates that DSA is permitted, the UE can use DSA to send the first message. Optionally, the UE may also determine whether to use DSA to send the first message based on its capabilities, or the UE may determine whether to use DSA to send the first message based on its implementation; this application embodiment does not impose any limitations.

[0114] Alternatively, even if the first information indicates that DSA is permitted, the UE may choose not to send the first message using DSA. For example, the UE may determine not to use DSA to send the first message based on its capabilities. For instance, although the first information indicates that DSA is permitted, if the UE's capabilities do not support DSA, the UE may choose not to send the first message using DSA. Or, if the first information indicates that DSA is permitted, and the first information also indicates that the UE must support simultaneous detection of multiple radio network temporary identities (RNTIs) or that the protocol predefines that the UE must support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs when using DSA, but the UE does not support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the UE may choose not to send the first message using DSA. Or, although the first information indicates that DSA is permitted, if the UE's capabilities do not support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the UE may choose not to send the first message using DSA. Or, although the first information indicates that DSA is permitted, if the network indicates that it does not support the ability to negotiate RNTIs, a UE that does not have the ability to simultaneously detect multiple RNTIs may choose not to send the first message using DSA.

[0115] Alternatively, if the first message indicates that DSA is not allowed, the UE may send the first message without using DSA.

[0116] If the UE uses DSA to send the first message, or sends multiple copies of the first message, then M can be greater than or equal to 2; if the UE does not use DSA, then M can be 1. When M is greater than or equal to 2, the M resources can be continuous or discontinuous in the time domain and continuous or discontinuous in the frequency domain. This can be configured by the network device or predefined by the protocol, and this application embodiment does not impose any restrictions.

[0117] As another optional implementation of the first resource, the first resource may include, for example, N groups of resources, where N is a positive integer. Each of the N groups of resources may include one or more resources, and the number of resources included in different resource groups may be equal or unequal. These one or more resources may be continuous or discontinuous in the time domain and in the frequency domain. Each of the N groups of resources may be a retransmission resource applied to coverage enhancement. For whether the UE uses DSA, please refer to the above description. If the UE uses DSA to send the first message, or sends multiple copies of the first message, then N can be greater than or equal to 2; if the UE does not use DSA, then N can be 1. When N is greater than or equal to 2, the N groups of resources may be continuous or discontinuous in the time domain and in the frequency domain. This can be configured by the network device or predefined by the protocol; this embodiment does not impose any limitations.

[0118] 1. The first resource includes M resources.

[0119] In this implementation, the UE transmits a first message through a first resource. Specifically, this may include the UE repeatedly transmitting the first message through each of M resources. Optionally, the M resources may be described as M UL grants. For example, the UE transmits the first message on each resource (e.g., transmits a copy of the first message on each resource), thus achieving repeated transmission of the first message on the M resources. The repeated transmission by the UE on the M resources may include the following: the first message (e.g., a copy of CB-Msg3) transmitted by the UE on each of the M resources is scrambled using the RNTI corresponding to each resource. Accordingly, the network device may descramble the message on each resource based on the RNTI determined by the resource location. Alternatively, the first message (e.g., a copy of CB-Msg3) transmitted by the UE on each of the M resources may be scrambled using a specific RNTI, such as the RNTI corresponding to the DSA. Accordingly, the network device may attempt to determine the RNTI on each resource based on the resource location and to descramble the message based on the specific RNTI.

[0120] After the UE sends the first message on each resource or on each UL grant, it can start or restart the first timer. The first timer can be used to receive the response message of the first message, such as a MAC protocol data unit (PDU). For example, the first message is a CB-Msg3 message. The first timer can also be used to receive contention resolution messages and / or fourth information. During the operation of the first timer, the UE detects or monitors the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information. The fourth information can be used to schedule the contention resolution message, such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or the fourth information is carried on the PDCCH, such as downlink control information (DCI). Optionally, the contention resolution message may be, for example, a contention resolution MAC CE, including the UE's identifier, for example, the contention resolution MAC CE may have some bits identical to those of the CCCH SDU sent by the UE. After the UE sends the first message on each resource, it can start or restart the first timer. For example, the UE can start or restart the first timer at the first or last time domain unit after sending the first message on each resource. The time-domain unit can be, for example, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a slot, or a subframe. The contention resolution message can be, for example, message B (MsgB) or message 4 (Msg4) in the random access procedure. Since the first resource is selected by the UE and not scheduled by the network device, the network device cannot determine which resource(s) the UE will choose for transmission from at least one resource. Therefore, if the network device receives the first message from the UE, it can send a contention resolution message to the UE accordingly. The UE sends the first message through each of the M resources, and the first message received by the network device may come from any one or more of the M resources. Therefore, after sending the first message on each resource, the UE can start or restart the first timer to detect the contention resolution message and / or the fourth message, thereby improving the detection success rate of the contention resolution message and / or the fourth message and reducing the probability of missing the contention resolution message.

[0121] Optionally, the UE may start or restart the first timer when the first duration after sending the first message on each resource arrives. The first duration can be greater than or equal to the round trip time (RTT) between the UE and the network device. The UE can calculate the first duration, for example, based on its location and ephemeris information. For instance, in a satellite scenario, the UE may start or restart the first timer when the first duration after sending the first message on each resource arrives; while in a terrestrial network, the UE may start or restart the first timer after completing the transmission of the first message on each resource. For example, referring to Figure 4, an example of the UE starting or restarting the first timer after waiting for the first duration is shown. Figure 4 uses M=2 as an example, where the UE can repeatedly transmit the first message's DSA on these two resources. The UE starts the first timer when the first duration after sending the first message on the first resource arrives; the UE starts or restarts the first timer when the first duration after sending the first message on the second resource arrives. Figure 4 illustrates an example where the execution times of the first timer do not overlap. Alternatively, the execution times of the first timer may overlap, for example, before the first timer expires, the UE may have already initiated the next startup or restart. Optionally, different resources among the M resources may all correspond to the same timer, namely the first timer. For example, after the UE sends the first message using the first resource among the M resources, it can start the first timer; after the UE sends the first message using the second resource among the M resources, it can restart the first timer, and so on.

[0122] The first message used for DSA transmission can be stored in the same HARQ buffer or in different HARQ buffers; this application embodiment does not impose any restrictions.

[0123] For example, for the UE's MAC entity, once Msg4 is transmitted:

[0124] 1. If the UE is a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a bandwidth-reduced low complexity (BL) UE, or a coverage-enhanced UE:

[0125] 1) If Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over a terrestrial network:

[0126] (1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start the first timer in the last subframe corresponding to the PUSCH resource group for which Msg3 is selected for transmission, or restart the first timer each time Msg3 is retransmitted via HARQ. Optionally, if Msg3 supports flexible transmission, such as if the PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, the UE can flexibly select J (J<=K) repetitions, but still start the first timer in the last subframe of the PUSCH resource group. If Msg3 does not support flexible transmission, such as if the PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, and the UE needs to transmit K repetitions, the UE can start the first timer in the last subframe of the selected PUSCH resource group.

[0127] (2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer in the last subframe corresponding to each PUSCH transmission resource for which Msg3 is selected for transmission, or restart the first timer each time Msg3 is retransmitted via HARQ. Optionally, if Msg3 supports flexible transmission, such as each PUSCH resource can transmit K repetitions, the UE can flexibly select J (J<=K) repetitions, but can still start or restart the first timer in the last subframe of each PUSCH resource. If Msg3 does not support flexible transmission, such as a PUSCH resource can transmit K repetitions, and the UE needs to transmit K repetitions, the UE can start or restart the first timer in the last subframe of each selected PUSCH resource.

[0128] 2) If Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over a non-terrestrial network:

[0129] (1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe corresponding to the selected PUSCH resource group for transmitting Msg3, or restart the first timer each time Msg3 is retransmitted via HARQ. Optionally, if Msg3 supports flexible transmission, such as the PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, the UE can flexibly select J (J<=K) repetitions, but can still start the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe of the selected PUSCH resource group. If Msg3 does not support flexible transmission, such as the PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, and the UE needs to transmit K repetitions, the UE can start the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe of the selected PUSCH resource group.

[0130] (2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe corresponding to each group of PUSCH resources selected for transmission of Msg3, or restart the first timer every time Msg3 is retransmitted via HARQ. Optionally, if Msg3 supports flexible transmission, such as each group of PUSCH resources can transmit K repetitions, the UE can flexibly select J (J<=K) repetitions, but can still start or restart the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe of each group of PUSCH resources. If Msg3 does not support flexible transmission, such as a group of PUSCH resources can transmit K repetitions, and the UE needs to transmit K repetitions, the first timer should be started or restarted according to the last subframe of each group of PUSCH resources selected for transmission plus the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device.

[0131] 2. If the UE is not an NB-IoT UE, BL UE, or coverage enhancement UE:

[0132] 1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start the first timer after transmitting Msg3, or restart the first timer every time HARQ retransmits Msg3.

[0133] 2) If DSA transmission is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after each DSA transmission of Msg3, or restart the first timer each time HARQ retransmits Msg3.

[0134] For example, regarding the MAC entity of the UE, once Msg4 is transmitted:

[0135] 1. If the scheduled Msg3 transmission (including the initial transmission and HARQ retransmission) is a Type A PUSCH duplicate:

[0136] 1) If Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over a non-terrestrial network:

[0137] (1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after the first symbol after all repetitions have ended, plus the RTT between the UE and the network device.

[0138] (2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after the first symbol after all repetitions of each DSA transmission have ended, plus the RTT between the UE and the network device.

[0139] 2. If the scheduled Msg3 transmission (including the initial transmission and HARQ retransmission) is not a Type A PUSCH duplication, and Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over a non-terrestrial network:

[0140] 1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after adding the RTT between the UE and the network device to the first symbol after the Msg3 transmission ends.

[0141] 2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after adding the RTT between the UE and the network device to the first symbol after each Msg3 transmission ends.

[0142] 3. If the scheduled Msg3 transmission (including the initial transmission and HARQ retransmission) is not a Type A PUSCH duplication, and Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over the terrestrial network:

[0143] 1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start or restart the first timer on the first symbol after the Msg3 transmission ends.

[0144] 2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer on the first symbol after each Msg3 transmission of DSA.

[0145] Optionally, the first timer can correspond to a single RNTI. That is, regardless of which of the M resources the UE uses to send the first message, it will detect the same contention resolution message and / or fourth information corresponding to the same RNTI after starting or restarting the first timer. Alternatively, during the first timer's operation, the UE receives the fourth information and / or contention resolution message by detecting the same RNTI. The method for determining the RNTI will be described later. In this approach, the UE only needs to maintain one first timer, eliminating the need to maintain multiple first timers or detect multiple RNTIs, thus simplifying UE implementation. Even UEs lacking the ability to simultaneously detect multiple RNTIs can still guarantee the detection of contention resolution messages during DSA transmissions.

[0146] As an optional implementation, if the UE has the ability to detect multiple RNTIs simultaneously, or if the UE supports the simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, then different resources among the M resources can correspond to different first timers; or, if the UE does not have the ability to detect multiple RNTIs simultaneously, or if the UE does not support the simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, then different resources among the M resources all correspond to the same first timer.

[0147] Optionally, different resources among the M resources correspond to different first timers. For example, each of the M resources can correspond to a separate first timer, and the M resources and first timers can be in a one-to-one correspondence. In this implementation, after the UE sends a first message on each of the M resources, it can start the first timer corresponding to that resource. For example, after the UE sends a first message using the first resource among the M resources, it can start the first timer corresponding to that first resource; after the UE sends a first message using the second resource among the M resources, it can start the first timer corresponding to that second resource, and so on. Optionally, the RNTIs corresponding to different first timers can be the same or different, that is, the UE can detect the RNTI corresponding to the first timer during the running time of different first timers. The RNTI can be used to scramble contention resolution messages and / or fourth information. Since the first timer is used to detect contention resolution messages and / or fourth information, the UE can detect the RNTI during the running time of the first timer. UE detection of the RNTI can also be understood as the UE detecting contention resolution messages and / or fourth information scrambled by the RNTI. The method for determining the RNTI will be introduced later. Regarding the start and restart conditions of the timer, since the UE can maintain multiple first timers, in this method, the corresponding first timer can be started or restarted after transmitting Msg3 (e.g., CB-Msg3) according to the current transmission method. In this method, because the UE can maintain separate first timers for different resources, the detection process of contention resolution messages and / or fourth information can be executed in multiple threads without affecting the current network device behavior.

[0148] Alternatively, whether the different resources among the M resources correspond to the same first timer or different first timers can be indicated by the first information or predefined by the protocol. For example, if the protocol predefines that the UE needs to detect multiple RNTIs simultaneously when using DSA, and / or needs to use multiple first timers, then the different resources among the M resources must correspond to different first timers. In this implementation, if the UE supports simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the UE can use multiple first timers when using DSA, and these multiple first timers can each correspond to their respective RNTIs; or, if the UE does not support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the UE can choose not to use DSA, for example, the UE can choose not to send the first message using the DSA method. For the conditions for starting and restarting timers, please refer to the previous description.

[0149] For example, if the protocol predefines that the UE detects an RNTI and / or uses a first timer when using DSA, then different resources among the M resources must correspond to one first timer. In this implementation, regardless of whether the UE supports simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the UE can use a first timer when using DSA, and this first timer can correspond to one RNTI. For information on the conditions for starting and restarting the timer, please refer to the previous description.

[0150] Additionally, if the UE does not use DSA, then M=1, and the UE can use a first timer.

[0151] In this embodiment, the UE selects M resources to perform DSA, with the purpose of repeatedly transmitting the first message on these M resources. When the first timer, started or restarted after transmitting the first message on any of the M-1 resources out of the M resources, times out, if the UE does not receive the contention resolution message and / or the fourth message, because the repeated transmission of DSA on these M resources has not yet ended, the UE does not consider the first message transmission to have failed, or the UE determines that the first message transmission has not failed, or the UE does not consider contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful. For example, the UE can continue to transmit the first message on the remaining resources. Optionally, in addition to not considering the first message transmission to have failed or not considering contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful, the UE may also choose not to clear the buffer used for transmitting the first message, or, because the UE considers the first message to have not failed or does not consider contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful, it may choose not to clear the buffer. This buffer, for example, is a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) buffer storing the first message. Since the UE does not clear this buffer, it can continue to use the remaining resources to send the first message within the buffer without having to regenerate it, thus improving the transmission efficiency of the first message. Optionally, multiple copies of the first message used for DSA transmission can be stored in the same HARQ buffer or in different HARQ buffers. If stored in the same HARQ buffer, the UE can use the above processing method. Alternatively, if stored in multiple HARQ buffers, when the first timer corresponding to the transmission of different copies times out, the UE can clear the HARQ buffer corresponding to that copy, but this is not considered a failure or unsuccessful contention resolution.

[0152] Alternatively, if the UE does not receive the contention resolution message and / or the fourth message when the first timer started or restarted after sending the first message on the last of the M resources times out, it is because there are no remaining resources on the M resources, or all copies of the first message have been sent. Therefore, the UE determines that the first message transmission failed, the contention resolution failed, or the contention resolution was unsuccessful. Optionally, in addition to determining that the first message transmission failed, the UE can also clear the buffer used to send the first message, or the UE can clear the buffer because it believes that the first message transmission failed. Optionally, multiple copies of the first message used for DSA transmission can be stored in the same HARQ buffer or in different HARQ buffers. If stored in the same HARQ buffer, the UE can use the above processing method. Alternatively, if stored in multiple HARQ buffers, the UE only considers the contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful when the first timer corresponding to all copies of the first message times out, and can clear the HARQ buffer corresponding to the corresponding copy.

[0153] Alternatively, if the UE receives a contention resolution message and / or a fourth message before the first timer starts or restarts after sending the first message on any of the M resources expires, then the first message is considered to have been successfully sent or the contention resolution is considered to have been successful.

[0154] The above corresponds to the case where the UE uses DSA, for example, M is greater than or equal to 2. Alternatively, if the UE does not use DSA, then M = 1. After the UE sends the first message on this resource, it starts a first timer. If the UE does not receive the contention resolution message and / or the fourth message when the first timer expires, the UE determines that the first message transmission failed, the contention resolution failed, or the contention resolution was unsuccessful. Optionally, in addition to determining that the first message transmission failed, the contention resolution failed, or the contention resolution was unsuccessful, the UE can also clear the cache used to send the first message, or the UE can clear the cache because it believes that the first message transmission failed, the contention resolution failed, or the contention resolution was unsuccessful.

[0155] Alternatively, if the UE receives a contention resolution message and / or a fourth message before the first timer expires, then the first message is successfully sent.

[0156] In various embodiments of this application, the descriptions such as "first," "second," and "last" may refer to "first," "second," and "last" in terms of time.

[0157] If the UE uses a first timer, which is started or restarted after sending the first message on any of the M-1 resources out of the M resources, the first timer may have been restarted before or after its timeout. If there is a time interval between the timeout and the next restart of the first timer, the UE may not detect the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information, or may not detect the RNTI, or may not detect the corresponding RNTI during this time interval. However, the UE does not consider the first message transmission to have failed, or the contention resolution to have failed, or the contention resolution to have been unsuccessful. Optionally, the UE may not clear the buffer used to send the first message. For example, multiple copies of the first message transmitted by DSA are stored in the same HARQ buffer.

[0158] Alternatively, if the UE uses multiple first timers, when the first timer started or restarted after sending the first message on any of the M-1 resources out of the M resources times out, the first timer corresponding to the next resource may have already started or may not have started yet. If there is a time interval between the timeout of the first timer corresponding to a resource and the start of the first timer corresponding to the next resource, during this time interval, the UE may not detect the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information, or may not detect the RNTI, or may not detect the corresponding RNTI. However, the UE does not consider the first message transmission to have failed, or the contention resolution to have failed, or the contention resolution to have been unsuccessful. Optionally, the UE may not clear the buffer used to send the first message. For example, referring to Figure 5, there is an example of the UE using multiple first timers. For example, M=2, when the first duration after the UE sends the first message on the first resource reaches the end of the first duration, the first timer corresponding to the first resource is started, referred to as first timer 1 in Figure 5; when the first duration after the UE sends the first message on the second resource reaches the end of the first duration, the first timer corresponding to the second resource is started, referred to as first timer 2 in Figure 5. Figure 5 shows an example where first timer 2 has not started when first timer 1 times out. Before the first timer 1 expires and the first timer 2 starts, the UE may not detect the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information, or may not detect the RNTI, or may not detect the corresponding RNTI. However, the UE may not consider the first message to have failed to be sent, or the contention resolution to have failed, or the contention resolution to have been unsuccessful. Optionally, the cache used to send the first message may not be cleared.

[0159] Optionally, multiple copies of the first message used for DSA transmission can be stored in the same HARQ buffer or in different HARQ buffers. If stored in the same HARQ buffer, the UE can use the processing method described above. Alternatively, if stored in multiple HARQ buffers, when the first timer corresponding to the transmission of different copies expires, the UE can clear the buffer corresponding to that copy, but does not consider the contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful. Only when the first timers corresponding to all copies of the first message have expired does the UE consider the contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful, and can clear the HARQ buffer corresponding to the corresponding copy.

[0160] 2. The first resource includes N resource groups or N groups of resources.

[0161] In this implementation, the UE sends a first message through a first resource. Specifically, this may include the UE repeatedly sending the first message through each of the N resource groups. For example, the UE sends the first message on each resource group (e.g., sends a copy of the first message on each resource group), thus enabling repeated transmission of the first message across the N resource groups. Furthermore, each resource group may include one or more resources. If a resource group includes multiple resources, the first message can also be repeatedly transmitted within that resource group, thereby further improving the network device's success rate in receiving the first message. For the N resource groups used for DSA transmission, each resource group is configured by the network device for the UE to perform repeated transmission, and the UE can perform repeated transmission on the corresponding resource group. When the network device receives the first message (e.g., CB-Msg3) on any resource in the resource group, the network device can send a response message for the first message (e.g., a contention resolution message), which can be sent within the receiving window corresponding to that resource group. Repeated transmissions by the UE on N resource groups can include the following methods: The first message (e.g., a copy of CB-Msg3) transmitted by the UE on each of the N resource groups is scrambled using the RNTI corresponding to each resource group (e.g., the RNTI is determined based on the first or last resource location of each resource group). Accordingly, the network device can descramble on each resource group using the RNTI determined based on the resource location. Alternatively, the first message (e.g., a copy of CB-Msg3) transmitted by the UE on each of the N resource groups can be scrambled using a specific RNTI, such as the RNTI corresponding to DSA. Accordingly, the network device can attempt to determine the RNTI based on the resource location and descramble based on the specific RNTI on each resource. Optionally, the UE in this case is an NB IoT UE, a BL UE, or a coverage-enhanced UE.

[0162] After the UE sends the first message on each resource group, it can start or restart the first timer. The first timer can be used to detect or monitor the response message received from the first message, such as a MAC PDU. For example, if the first message is a CB-Msg3 message, the first timer is used to receive contention resolution messages and / or fourth information. During the operation of the first timer, the UE detects or monitors the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information. The fourth information can be used to schedule the contention resolution message. Refer to the above description for information on the fourth information. Since the first resource in DSA transmission is selected by the UE itself, not scheduled by the network device, and is different from multiple transmissions in each resource group, the network device knows the UE's repeated transmissions based on the reception of the configured repeated transmission resources. The network device cannot determine which group or groups of resources the UE will choose for transmission from at least one resource. Therefore, if the network device receives the first message from the UE (e.g., a CB-Msg3 message), it can send a response message for the first message to the UE accordingly, such as a contention resolution message. The following description uses a contention resolution message as an example of the response message for the first message. The UE repeatedly sends the first message through these N resource groups, and the first message received by the network device may come from any of these N resource groups. Therefore, after the UE sends the first message on each of the N resource groups, it can start or restart the first timer to detect contention resolution messages and / or fourth information. This can improve the success rate of detecting contention resolution messages and / or fourth information and reduce the probability of missing contention resolution messages and / or fourth information.

[0163] Optionally, the UE can start or restart the first timer when the first duration after sending the first message on the last resource in each resource group has elapsed. The first duration can be greater than or equal to the RTT between the UE and the network device. For example, in a satellite scenario, the UE can start or restart the first timer when the first duration after sending the first message on each resource group has elapsed; while in a terrestrial network, the UE can start or restart the first timer when the first message on each resource group has been sent. For the network device, it can clearly define which resources are included in a resource group. If the first message received by the network device comes from a certain resource group, the network device can send a contention resolution message and / or fourth information to the UE after all resources in the group have finished, regardless of which resource in the group the first message was received on. Therefore, for a resource group, the UE can start or restart the first timer after sending the first message on the last resource in the group, instead of starting or restarting the first timer for each resource in the group, which reduces the number of first timers maintained by the UE and simplifies the UE implementation.

[0164] For example, referring to Figure 6, this is an example of a UE starting or restarting a first timer after waiting for a first duration. Figure 6 uses N=2 as an example, and each of the two resource groups includes 3 resources. The UE can repeatedly send the first message on these two resource groups. When the first duration after sending the first message on the last resource included in the first resource group (resource group 1 in Figure 6) is reached, the UE starts the first timer. When the first duration after sending the first message on the last resource included in the second resource group (resource group 2 in Figure 6) is reached, the UE starts or restarts the first timer. Figure 6 uses an example where the running times of the first timers overlap, or the running times of the first timers may not overlap, for example, when the first timer times out, the UE has not yet performed the next start or restart. Optionally, different resource groups in the N resource groups all correspond to the same timer, namely the first timer. For example, after the UE sends the first message on the last resource included in the first resource group in the N resource groups, it can start the first timer; after the UE sends the first message on the last resource included in the second resource group in the N resource groups, it can restart the first timer, and so on.

[0165] The first message used for DSA transmission can be stored in the same HARQ buffer or in different HARQ buffers; this application embodiment does not impose any restrictions.

[0166] For example, for the UE's MAC entity, once Msg4 is transmitted:

[0167] 1. If the UE is an NB-IoT UE, BLUE, or coverage-enhanced UE:

[0168] 1) If Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over a terrestrial network:

[0169] (1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start the first timer in the last subframe corresponding to the PUSCH resource group for which Msg3 is selected for transmission, or restart the first timer each time Msg3 is retransmitted via HARQ. Optionally, if Msg3 supports flexible transmission, such as if the PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, the UE can flexibly select J (J<=K) repetitions, but still start the first timer in the last subframe of the PUSCH resource group. If Msg3 does not support flexible transmission, such as if the PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, and the UE needs to transmit K repetitions, the UE can start the first timer in the last subframe of the selected PUSCH resource group.

[0170] (2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer in the last subframe corresponding to each PUSCH resource group selected for transmission of Msg3, or restart the first timer each time Msg3 is retransmitted via HARQ. Optionally, if Msg3 supports flexible transmission, such as each PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, the UE can flexibly select J (J<=K) repetitions, but still start or restart the first timer in the last subframe of each PUSCH resource group. If Msg3 does not support flexible transmission, such as a PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, and the UE needs to transmit K repetitions, the UE can start or restart the first timer in the last subframe of each selected PUSCH resource group.

[0171] 2) If Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over a non-terrestrial network:

[0172] (1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe corresponding to the selected PUSCH resource group for transmitting Msg3, or restart the first timer each time Msg3 is retransmitted via HARQ. Optionally, if Msg3 supports flexible transmission, such as the PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, the UE can flexibly select J (J<=K) repetitions, but can still start the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe of the selected PUSCH resource group. If Msg3 does not support flexible transmission, such as the PUSCH resource group can transmit K repetitions, and the UE needs to transmit K repetitions, the first timer should be started by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe of the selected PUSCH resource group.

[0173] (2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe corresponding to each group of PUSCH resources selected for transmission of Msg3, or restart the first timer each time Msg3 is retransmitted via HARQ. Optionally, if Msg3 supports flexible transmission, such as each group of PUSCH resources can transmit K repetitions, the UE can flexibly select J (J<=K) repetitions, but can still start or restart the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe of each group of PUSCH resources. If Msg3 does not support flexible transmission, such as a group of PUSCH resources can transmit K repetitions, and the UE needs to transmit K repetitions, the UE can start or restart the first timer by adding the subframe after the RTT between the UE and the network device to the last subframe of each group of PUSCH resources selected for transmission.

[0174] 2. If the UE is not an NB-IoT UE, BL UE, or coverage enhancement UE:

[0175] 1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start the first timer after transmitting Msg3, or restart the first timer every time HARQ retransmits Msg3.

[0176] 2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after each transmission of Msg3, or restart the first timer each time HARQ retransmits Msg3.

[0177] For example, regarding the MAC entity of the UE, once Msg4 is transmitted:

[0178] 1. If the scheduled Msg3 transmission (including the initial transmission and HARQ retransmission) is a Type A PUSCH duplicate:

[0179] 1) If Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over a non-terrestrial network:

[0180] (1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after the first symbol after all repetitions have ended, plus the RTT between the UE and the network device.

[0181] (2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after the first symbol after all repetitions of each DSA transmission have ended, plus the RTT between the UE and the network device.

[0182] 2. If the scheduled Msg3 transmission (including the initial transmission and HARQ retransmission) is not a Type A PUSCH duplication, and Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over a non-terrestrial network:

[0183] 1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after adding the RTT between the UE and the network device to the first symbol after the Msg3 transmission ends.

[0184] 2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer after adding the RTT between the UE and the network device to the first symbol after each Msg3 transmission ends.

[0185] 3. If the scheduled Msg3 transmission (including the initial transmission and HARQ retransmission) is not a Type A PUSCH duplication, and Msg3 (e.g., including CB-Msg3) is transmitted over the terrestrial network:

[0186] 1) If DSA transmission mode is not used, the UE can start or restart the first timer on the first symbol after the Msg3 transmission ends.

[0187] 2) If DSA transmission mode is used, the UE can start or restart the first timer on the first symbol after each Msg3 transmission ends.

[0188] Optionally, the first timer can correspond to a single RNTI. That is, regardless of which of the N resource groups the UE uses to send the first message, it will detect the same contention resolution message and / or fourth information corresponding to the same RNTI after starting or restarting the first timer. Alternatively, during the operation of the first timer, the UE can receive the fourth information and / or contention resolution message by detecting the same RNTI. The method for determining the RNTI will be described later. In this approach, the UE only needs to maintain one first timer, eliminating the need to maintain multiple first timers and detect multiple RNTIs, thus simplifying the UE implementation.

[0189] As an optional implementation, if the UE has the ability to simultaneously detect multiple RNTIs, or if the UE supports simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, then different groups of resources in the N groups of resources can correspond to different first timers; or, if the UE does not have the ability to simultaneously detect multiple RNTIs, or if the UE does not support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, then different groups of resources in the N groups of resources all correspond to the same first timer.

[0190] Optionally, different resource groups within the N resource groups correspond to different first timers. For example, each resource group within the N resource groups can correspond to a separate first timer, and the N resource groups and first timers can be in one-to-one correspondence. In this implementation, after the UE sends a first message on each resource group within the N resource groups, it can start the first timer corresponding to that resource group. For example, after the UE sends a first message on the last resource included in the first resource group within the N resource groups, it can start the first timer corresponding to that first resource group; after the UE sends a first message on the last resource included in the second resource group within the N resource groups, it can start the first timer corresponding to that second resource group, and so on. Optionally, the RNTIs corresponding to different first timers can be the same or different. That is, the UE can detect the RNTI corresponding to the first timer during the running time of different first timers. The method for determining the RNTI will be introduced later. Regarding the start and restart conditions of the timers, since the UE can maintain multiple first timers, in this way, depending on the current transmission method, after transmitting Msg3 (e.g., CB-Msg3), the corresponding first timer can be started or restarted. In this approach, since the UE can maintain a corresponding first timer for different groups of resources, the detection process of contention resolution messages and / or fourth information can be executed in multiple threads.

[0191] Alternatively, whether different resource groups within the N resource groups correspond to the same first timer or different first timers can be indicated by the first information or predefined by the protocol. For example, if the protocol predefines that the UE needs to detect multiple RNTIs simultaneously when using DSA, and / or needs to use multiple first timers, then different resource groups within the N resource groups must correspond to different first timers. In this implementation, if the UE supports simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the UE can use multiple first timers when using DSA, and these multiple first timers can each correspond to their respective RNTIs; or, if the UE does not support simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the UE may not use DSA, for example, the UE may not use DSA to send the first message. For the conditions for starting and restarting timers, please refer to the previous description.

[0192] For example, if the protocol predefines that the UE detects an RNTI and / or uses a first timer when using DSA, then different resource groups within the N resource groups must correspond to one first timer. In this implementation, regardless of whether the UE supports simultaneous detection of multiple RNTIs, the UE can use a single first timer when using DSA, and this first timer can correspond to one RNTI. For information on the conditions for starting and restarting timers, please refer to the preceding description.

[0193] Additionally, if the UE does not use DSA, then N=1, and the UE can use a first timer.

[0194] In this embodiment, the UE selects N groups of resources to perform DSA, with the aim of repeatedly transmitting the first message on these N groups of resources. When the first timer, started or restarted after transmitting the first message on any of the N-1 groups of resources, times out, if the UE does not receive the contention resolution message and / or the fourth message, because the repeated DSA transmission on these N groups of resources has not yet ended, the UE does not consider the first message transmission to have failed, or the UE determines that the first message transmission has not failed, or the UE does not consider contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful. For example, the UE can continue to transmit the first message on the remaining resource groups. Optionally, in addition to not considering the first message transmission to have failed or contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful, the UE may also choose not to clear the cache used for transmitting the first message, or, because the UE considers the first message to have not failed or does not consider contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful, it may not clear the cache. This cache is, for example, a HARQ cache storing the first message. Since the UE does not clear the cache, it can continue to use the remaining resource groups to transmit the first message in the cache without having to regenerate the first message, thus improving the transmission efficiency of the first message. Optionally, multiple copies of the first message used for DSA transmission can be stored in the same HARQ buffer or in different HARQ buffers. If stored in the same HARQ buffer, the UE can use the processing method described above. Alternatively, if stored in multiple HARQ buffers, when the first timer corresponding to the transmission of different copies expires, the UE can clear the HARQ buffer corresponding to that copy, but does not consider the contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful.

[0195] Alternatively, if the UE does not receive the contention resolution message and / or the fourth message when the first timer, started or restarted after sending the first message on the last resource in the N resource groups, times out, it is because there are no remaining resources in the N resource groups, or all copies of the first message have been sent. Therefore, the UE determines that the first message transmission failed, or that contention resolution failed or was unsuccessful. Optionally, in addition to determining that the first message transmission failed, the UE can also clear the buffer used to send the first message, or the UE can clear the buffer because it believes that the first message transmission failed. Optionally, multiple copies of the first message used for DSA transmission can be stored in the same HARQ buffer or in different HARQ buffers. If stored in the same HARQ buffer, the UE can use the above processing method. Alternatively, if stored in multiple HARQ buffers, the UE only considers contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful when the first timer corresponding to all copies of the first message times out, and can clear the HARQ buffer corresponding to the corresponding copy.

[0196] Alternatively, if the UE receives a contention resolution message and / or a fourth message before the first timer starts or restarts after sending the first message on any of the N resource groups expires, the UE determines that the first message was sent successfully or considers the contention resolution to be successful.

[0197] The above corresponds to the case where the UE uses DSA, for example, N is greater than or equal to 2. Alternatively, if the UE does not use DSA, then N=1. After the UE repeatedly sends the first message on this resource group, it starts a first timer. If the UE does not receive the contention resolution message and / or the fourth message when the first timer expires, the UE determines that the first message transmission failed, the contention resolution failed, or the contention resolution was unsuccessful. Optionally, in addition to determining that the first message transmission failed, the contention resolution failed, or the contention resolution was unsuccessful, the UE can also clear the buffer used to send the first message, or the UE can clear the buffer because it believes that the first message transmission failed, the contention resolution failed, or the contention resolution was unsuccessful.

[0198] Alternatively, if the UE receives a contention resolution message and / or a fourth message before the first timer expires, then the first message was successfully sent or the contention resolution was successful.

[0199] If the UE uses a first timer, which is started or restarted after sending the first message in any of the N-1 resource groups out of the N resource groups, the first timer may have been restarted before or after its timeout. If there is a time interval between the timeout and the next restart of the first timer, the UE may not detect the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information, or may not detect the RNTI, or may not detect the corresponding RNTI during this time interval. However, the UE does not consider the first message transmission to have failed, or the contention resolution to have failed, or the contention resolution to have been unsuccessful. Optionally, the UE may not clear the buffer used to send the first message. For example, multiple copies of the first message transmitted by DSA are stored in the same HARQ buffer.

[0200] Alternatively, if the UE uses multiple first timers, when the first timer started or restarted after sending the first message on any of the N-1 resource groups out of the N resource groups times out, the first timer corresponding to the next resource group may have already started or may not have started yet. If there is a time interval between the timeout of the first timer corresponding to one resource group and the start or restart of the first timer corresponding to the next resource group, during this time interval, the UE may not detect the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information, or may not detect the RNTI, or may not detect the corresponding RNTI. However, the UE does not consider the first message transmission to have failed, or the contention resolution to have failed, or the contention resolution to have been unsuccessful. Optionally, the UE may not clear the buffer used to send the first message. For example, refer to Figure 7, which is an example of the UE using multiple first timers. Figure 7 uses N=2 as an example, and each of the two resource groups includes 3 resources. When the first duration elapses after the UE sends the first message on the first resource group (resource group 1 in Figure 7), the UE starts the first timer corresponding to that first resource group, referred to as first timer 3 in Figure 7. When the first duration elapses after the UE sends the first message on the second resource group (resource group 2 in Figure 7), the UE starts the first timer corresponding to that second resource group, referred to as first timer 4 in Figure 7. Figure 7 shows an example where first timer 3 times out but first timer 4 has not yet started. Before first timer 3 times out and before first timer 4 starts, the UE may choose not to detect contention resolution messages and / or fourth information, or not to detect RNTI, or not to detect the corresponding RNTI. However, the UE does not consider the first message transmission to have failed, or contention resolution to have failed, or contention resolution to have been unsuccessful. Optionally, the cache used for sending the first message may not be cleared.

[0201] Optionally, multiple copies of the first message used for DSA transmission can be stored in the same HARQ buffer or in different HARQ buffers. If stored in the same HARQ buffer, the UE can use the processing method described above. Alternatively, if stored in multiple HARQ buffers, when the first timer corresponding to the transmission of different copies expires, the UE can clear the buffer corresponding to that copy, but does not consider the contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful. Only when the first timers corresponding to all copies of the first message have expired does the UE consider the contention resolution to have failed or unsuccessful, and can clear the HARQ buffer corresponding to the corresponding copy.

[0202] Regardless of whether the UE uses DSA or not, optionally, if the network device fails to receive the first message, it can schedule a retransmission. For example, if the UE uses M resources to send the first message, and M is greater than or equal to 2, the first message can be sent on each of the M resources. As another example, if the UE uses N groups of resources to send the first message, and N is greater than or equal to 2, the first message can be sent on each of the N groups of resources. The network device can perform detection on at least one resource indicated by the first information; for example, the network device can perform reception on each of the M resources, or on each of the N groups of resources. For example, if the network device receives the first message on some or all of the M resources, or on some or all of the N groups of resources, but reception fails, the network device knows that the UE is transmitting the first message. However, because the network device failed to receive, it can schedule the UE to perform a retransmission. For example, the network device can send a third message to the UE, which can then schedule the UE to retransmit the first message. Optionally, the third information may indicate the resource used to send the first message, and the resource indicated by the third information may be called a retransmission resource. If the UE receives the third information, it can retransmit the first message on the retransmission resource indicated by the third information. Specifically, if the UE uses M resources to send the first message, the retransmission resource may be located after the M resources or before some of the M resources in the time domain. Alternatively, if the UE uses N resources to send the first message, the retransmission resource may be located after the N groups of resources or before some of the N groups of resources in the time domain. The retransmission resource may include one or more resources, or one or more groups of resources.

[0203] Since retransmission resources are scheduled by the network device, the network device knows exactly which resources (or groups of resources) are included in the retransmission resources. If the retransmission resources include multiple resources, the network device can send a contention resolution message and / or a fourth message to the UE after the last retransmission resource has ended, regardless of which resource the first message is received on. Therefore, optionally, the UE can start or restart the first timer after sending the first message on the last retransmission resource, instead of starting or restarting the first timer for each retransmission resource. This reduces the number of first timers maintained by the UE and simplifies the UE implementation. The conditions for starting and restarting the first timer are described above.

[0204] Alternatively, if the retransmission resources include multiple sets of resources, the network device can send a contention resolution message and / or a fourth message to the UE after the last set of retransmission resources has ended, regardless of which set of resources the first message is received on. Therefore, optionally, the UE can start or restart the first timer after sending the first message on the last set of retransmission resources, instead of starting or restarting the first timer for each set of retransmission resources, which can reduce the number of first timers maintained by the UE and simplify the implementation of the UE.

[0205] If the UE uses different first timers for different resources or different groups of resources, the UE can also use the first timer corresponding to the retransmission resource. For example, after the UE sends the first message on the last retransmission resource or the last group of retransmission resources, it can start the first timer corresponding to that retransmission resource.

[0206] Alternatively, if the UE uses the same first timer for different resources or different groups of resources, the UE can also use the same first timer for retransmission resources. For example, the UE can restart the first timer after sending the first message on the last retransmission resource or the last group of retransmission resources. Referring to Figure 8, an example of the UE starting or restarting the first timer while waiting for the first duration is shown. Figure 8 uses M=2, the retransmission resource is a single resource, and the retransmission resource includes one resource as an example. When the first duration after the UE sends the first message on the first of the M resources arrives, the first timer is started; when the first duration after the UE sends the first message on the second of the M resources arrives, the first timer is restarted. Figure 8 also uses an example where the retransmission resource is located after the M resources in the time domain. When the first duration after the UE sends the first message on the retransmission resource arrives, the first timer is restarted again.

[0207] For example, please refer to Figure 9, which shows another example of the UE waiting for the first duration to start or restart the first timer. Figure 9 uses N=2 as an example, where the retransmission resource includes a group of resources, and each of the N groups of resources includes 3 resources, and the retransmission resource includes 3 resources. When the first duration after the UE sends the first message on the last resource in the first group of N resources arrives, the first timer is started; when the first duration after the UE sends the first message on the last resource in the second group of N resources arrives, the first timer is restarted. Figure 8 uses an example where the retransmission resource is located after the N groups of resources in the time domain. When the first duration after the UE sends the first message on the last resource in the retransmission resource arrives, the first timer is restarted again.

[0208] The method for determining the first RNTI is described below. In this embodiment, the first RNTI can be used in network device scrambling contention resolution messages and / or fourth information, and / or in UE descrambling contention resolution messages and / or fourth information. Optionally, the first RNTI in this embodiment can be called X-RNTI, or it can have other names.

[0209] As a first optional method for determining the first RNTI, the first RNTI can be determined based on the UE's identifier. The first message may include the UE's identifier. If the network device receives the first message, it can determine the first RNTI based on the UE's identifier included in the first message, and use the first RNTI to scramble the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information. The UE can determine the first RNTI based on its identifier, thereby detecting the first RNTI during the execution of a first timer, or detecting the contention resolution message and / or the fourth information scrambled using the first RNTI. For example, if the UE's identifier is its system-temporary mobile subscriber identity (S-TMSI), a portion of the bits included in the S-TMSI can be used as the first RNTI, for example, taking the lower 16 bits of the S-TMSI as the first RNTI.

[0210] As a second optional method for determining the first RNTI, the first RNTI can be determined based on a first parameter, or based on the first parameter and the UE's identifier. The first parameter can be configured or derived through first information, or it can be predefined by the protocol, or it can be configured through other messages sent by the network device. Optionally, the first parameter is related to a first resource; for example, the UE can determine the first RNTI based on the selected first resource. For example, if the first resource includes M resources, the first RNTI can be determined based on some or all of the M resources, such as based on the first or last resource among the M resources, or the first RNTI can be associated with any one of the M resources. Optionally, if the first RNTI is associated with any one of the M resources, the UE can send information to the network device to inform it of the first RNTI determined by the UE, so that the first RNTI used by the network device is consistent with that of the UE. Optionally, the UE can indicate the first RNTI to the network device through a first message, a second message, or other messages.

[0211] For example, the first resource includes N groups of resources. The first RNTI can be determined based on some or all of the resources in the N groups. For instance, it can be determined based on the first resource or the last resource in the first group of resources, or the first resource or the last resource in the Nth group of resources. Alternatively, the first RNTI can also be related to any one of the N groups of resources. Optionally, if the first RNTI is related to any one of the N groups of resources, the UE can send information to the network device to inform it of the first RNTI determined by the UE, so that the first RNTI used by the network device is consistent with that of the UE. Optionally, the UE can indicate the first RNTI to the network device through a first message, a second message, or other messages. Optionally, the first parameter is a fixed value. The first RNTI can also be related to the UE's identifier carried in the first message plus the first parameter. For example, the UE can perform a modulo operation between the UE's identifier and the first parameter, and the first RNTI can be determined based on the result of the modulo operation.

[0212] As a third optional method for determining the first RNTI, the first RNTI may correspond to a DSA transmission. For example, a DSA transmission may correspond to one or more RNTIs. If a DSA corresponds to one RNTI, the UE can use that RNTI as the first RNTI when using the DSA. For example, the UE may use the same first timer for different resources selected in at least one resource indicated by the first information. During the runtime of the first timer, the UE may detect the first RNTI, or detect a contention resolution message scrambled by the first RNTI and / or a fourth information. Alternatively, if the DSA corresponds to multiple RNTIs, the UE can select one RNTI as the first RNTI when using the DSA. For example, the UE can use the same first timer for different resources selected in at least one resource indicated by the first information. During the runtime of the first timer, the UE can detect the first RNTI, or detect contention resolution messages and / or fourth information scrambled by the first RNTI. Alternatively, if the DSA corresponds to multiple RNTIs, the UE can select at least one RNTI as the first RNTI when using the DSA. For example, the UE can use different first timers for different resources selected in at least one resource indicated by the first information. During the runtime of the first timer, the UE can detect different RNTIs respectively, or detect contention resolution messages and / or fourth information scrambled by different RNTIs. The RNTIs detected by the UE are all selected from the multiple RNTIs. Optionally, if the UE selects the first RNTI from multiple RNTIs, the UE can send information to the network device to indicate the first RNTI. Optionally, the UE can indicate the first RNTI to the network device through a first message, a second message, or other messages. The correspondence or association between DSA and the first RNTI can be configured by the network device, for example, through the first information or other messages, or the association or correspondence can be predefined by the protocol.

[0213] As a fourth optional method for determining the first RNTI, the first RNTI can be determined based on the resources used to send the first message, such as M resources or N groups of resources. In a scenario where the UE uses DSA, if the UE only needs to determine one first RNTI (e.g., the UE can use the same first timer for different resources selected from at least one resource indicated in the first information), one option for the UE to determine the first RNTI based on the resources used to send the first message is that the different resources included in the M resources or the N groups of resources have the same time-domain location and / or the same frequency-domain location. The UE can determine the first RNTI based on this time-domain location and / or the frequency-domain location. For example, if the different resources included in the M resources or the N groups of resources have the same time-domain location, and the index of this time-domain location is t, then the UE can determine the first RNTI based on t, for example, the first RNTI = 1 + t. If the UE adopts this determination method, when selecting resources from at least one resource indicated in the first information, the UE can select resources with the same time-domain location and / or the same frequency-domain location, while still ensuring that the first RNTI is unique.

[0214] Alternatively, the UE can determine the first RNTI based on the resources used to send the first message in another possible way: if the RNTIs associated with different resources within the M resources are all the same RNTI, then the UE determines that the RNTI is the first RNTI; or, if the RNTIs associated with different groups of resources within the N groups are all the same RNTI, then the UE can determine that the RNTI is the first RNTI. If the UE adopts this determination method, then when selecting resources from at least one resource indicated by the first information, the UE can select resources associated with the same RNTI.

[0215] In scenarios where the UE uses DSA, if the UE needs to determine multiple first RNTIs (e.g., the UE can use different first timers for different resources selected in at least one resource indicated by the first information), the UE can also determine each first RNTI based on the resource used to send the first message. For example, for a first RNTI that the UE needs to detect within a certain first timer, the UE can determine the first RNTI based on the resource corresponding to that first timer. This can be understood as the UE determining the RNTI corresponding to a resource from among M resources as the first RNTI, and the UE will detect the first RNTI within the runtime of the first timer corresponding to that resource; or, the UE determining the RNTI corresponding to a group of resources from among N groups of resources as the first RNTI, and the UE will detect the first RNTI within the runtime of the first timer corresponding to that group of resources. Optionally, an RNTI can be related to one or more of the time-domain information, frequency-domain information, or code-domain information of a resource or group of resources corresponding to that RNTI; or, an RNTI can be determined based on one or more of the time-domain information, frequency-domain information, or code-domain information of a resource or group of resources corresponding to that RNTI. The frequency domain information includes, for example, the carrier information and / or subcarrier information of the resource; the code domain information includes, for example, the sequence corresponding to the resource. For example, if a resource has a time domain index of t and a corresponding frequency domain index of f, then the RNTI for that resource is 1 + t + 10 × f. Here, t is, for example, the index of a radio frame (RF), a subframe, a slot, or an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. f is, for example, the carrier index or a subcarrier index. When considering a group of resources, the first RNTI can be associated with the relevant parameters of the last or first resource in that group.

[0216] In scenarios where the UE does not use DSA, M=1 or N=1. The UE can determine the first RNTI based on a selected resource or a group of resources. Optionally, the first RNTI can be related to one or more of the time-domain information, frequency-domain information, or code-domain information of the resource or group of resources; or, the first RNTI can be determined based on one or more of the time-domain information, frequency-domain information, or code-domain information of the resource or group of resources, as described in the previous paragraph.

[0217] The method by which the UE determines the first RNTI can be indicated by the network device, for example, through the network device's first message or other messages; it can be predefined by the protocol; or it can be determined by the UE itself. Optionally, if the UE determines the first RNTI itself or determines at least one first RNTI from multiple RNTIs, the method may further include S303, whereby the UE sends second information to the network device, and the network device can receive the second information. S303 may occur before, after, or simultaneously with S302, meaning the second information can be carried in the first message. The second information may indicate the method of RNTI determination and / or indicate that the first message used DSA. The indication method of the second information can be explicit or implicit. For example, the first message may carry explicit second information to indicate that the first RNTI used for contention resolution employs a negotiated scheme. As another example, if the UE determines the RNTI using the second or third method described above, and the DSA corresponds to multiple RNTIs, then optionally, the first message may carry second information, which may specifically indicate which RNTI(s) among the multiple RNTIs the UE has selected. For example, the first message can be scrambled and sent to the network device using a specific RNTI. The network device can determine that the first message carries the second information by detecting the scrambled RNTI of the first message. This can be considered an implicit indication method. Another example is that the network device can determine that the first message carries the second information based on the resources used to transmit the first message. This can also be considered an implicit indication method (for example, resources used for DSA transmission and resources used for non-DSA transmission can be non-overlapping; therefore, if the first message is sent using resources used for DSA transmission, the network device can determine that the first message carries the second information; while if the first message is sent using resources not used for DSA transmission or resources used for non-DSA transmission, the network device can determine that the first message does not carry the second information). Optionally, besides this implicit indication method based on the resources of the first message, in other various embodiments described herein, resources used for DSA transmission and resources used for non-DSA transmission can completely overlap, partially overlap, or not overlap at all. This application embodiment does not impose any limitations.

[0218] Optionally, the second information may also indicate one or more of the following: the number of times the first message is repeatedly transmitted, the maximum number of times the first message is repeatedly transmitted, the resource location where the UE performs DSA, or the first RNTI. The number of repeated transmissions is, for example, the actual number of times the UE repeats the first message. Taking the second information carried through the first message as an example, the first message may include one or more of the following: information on the number of times the first message is repeatedly transmitted, or information on the maximum number of times the first message is repeatedly transmitted, or information indicating the first RNTI, or resource location information where the UE performs DSA. Optionally, if the second information indicates multiple items, it can also be understood that the second information includes multiple pieces of information, where each piece of information indicates one of the items. For example, if the second information indicates the number of times the first message is repeatedly transmitted, an optional implementation is that the second information includes a fifth piece of information or the first message includes a fifth piece of information, where the fifth piece of information indicates the number of times the first message is repeatedly transmitted. Another example is that if the second information indicates the maximum number of times the first message is repeatedly transmitted, an optional implementation is that the second information includes a sixth piece of information or the first message includes a sixth piece of information, where the sixth piece of information indicates the maximum number of times the first message is repeatedly transmitted. For example, the second information indicates the resource location for the UE to perform DSA. One possible implementation is that the second information includes a seventh piece of information, or the first message includes a seventh piece of information, where the seventh information indicates the resource location for the UE to perform DSA. Another example is that the second information indicates a first RNTI. One possible implementation is that the second information includes an eighth piece of information, or the first message includes an eighth piece of information, where the eighth information indicates the first RNTI.

[0219] Optionally, the second information may also indicate whether the first message was sent consecutively, or whether the first message was sent on consecutive resources.

[0220] For example, if the UE uses DSA, it can send the second information to the network device; or, if the UE does not use DSA, it does not need to send the second information to the network device. If the network device receives the second information, it can determine the RNTI based on the second information, ensuring that the RNTI determined by the network device is consistent with the RNTI determined by the UE. If the network device does not receive the second information, it can determine that the UE is not using DSA. If the network device believes that the UE is not using DSA, for example, the network device can determine the RNTI based on the resources used to send the first message (refer to the method described above for the UE to determine the RNTI based on a resource or a set of resources in the scenario where the UE does not use DSA), and the UE can also use this method to determine the RNTI, thus ensuring that the RNTI determined by the network device is consistent with the RNTI determined by the UE.

[0221] If the network device receives the first message through any one of the M resources or through any one of the N groups of resources, the method may optionally include S304, whereby the network device sends a contention resolution message, and the UE receives the contention resolution message accordingly. The contention resolution message may be scrambled, for example, using a first RNTI. The UE may also determine the first RNTI, thereby descrambling the contention resolution message. Optionally, the network device may also send fourth information, and the UE may receive the fourth information accordingly; this step may occur, for example, before S304. The fourth information can be used to schedule the contention resolution message, and the UE can receive the contention resolution message according to the resources scheduled by the fourth information. The fourth information and the contention resolution message scheduled by the fourth information may be scrambled using the same RNTI, for example, using the first RNTI. The method for determining the first RNTI is described above. Optionally, the network device may receive the first message on at least one of the M resources, or on at least one of the N groups of resources, or it can be understood that the network device may receive at least one first message. Optionally, if the network device successfully receives the first message two or more times, it can send a contention resolution message for each of the first messages to improve the UE's success rate in receiving contention resolution messages. To send a contention resolution message, the network device also needs to send the Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) to the UE. For example, the network device can uniquely identify a C-RNTI using the UE ID included in Msg3 and send that C-RNTI to the UE. That is, through the network device's implementation, it can be ensured that the C-RNTI is the same in multiple contention resolution messages. Alternatively, the network device can send a contention resolution message only once. For example, the network device can send a contention resolution message after receiving the first message for the first time. If it subsequently receives another first message from the same UE, it does not need to send a contention resolution message again to reduce transmission overhead.

[0222] If the network device does not detect the first message on the M resources or the N groups of resources, the network device may not be aware that the UE has transmitted the first message. In this case, the UE assumes that the first message transmission failed, contention resolution failed, or contention resolution was unsuccessful, and the network device may not schedule a retransmission. Alternatively, if the network device detects the first message on some or all of the M resources, or on some or all of the N groups of resources, but the network device fails to receive the first message, then optionally, the network device may schedule a retransmission. For more information on this, please refer to the relevant introduction above.

[0223] In summary, the DSA mechanism in this application embodiment allows the UE to repeatedly send the first message. Using DSA can improve the success rate of network devices receiving the first message; however, excessive use of DSA may cause system performance degradation. Considering this, the use of DSA can be restricted. This application embodiment uses the first information to indicate whether DSA is allowed, making the use of DSA more suitable for the current network environment and enhancing network control over DSA.

[0224] The UE can send the first message via DSA transmission. In DSA transmission, the UE can repeatedly send the first message, thereby improving the coverage of the first message. Even with poor signal quality, repeated transmission can improve the success rate of network devices receiving the first message.

[0225] Before sending the first message, the UE does not need to send a preamble; correspondingly, the network device does not need to send a RAR. This reduces transmission overhead and also reduces the transmission latency of the first message.

[0226] In addition, if the UE uses DSA, it may select multiple resources or multiple groups of resources to send the first message. This application embodiment also provides the UE's operation mode for the first timer, so that the UE can realize the detection of contention resolution message (or RNTI) and reduce the probability of missing the detection of contention resolution message.

[0227] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1000 may be the UE or the circuit system of the UE described in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, used to implement the method corresponding to the UE in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 may be the network device or the circuit system of the network device described in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, used to implement the method corresponding to the network device in the above method embodiments. For example, one type of circuit system is a chip system.

[0228] The communication device 1000 includes at least one processor 1001. The processor 1001 can be used for internal processing within the device to implement certain control processing functions. Optionally, the processor 1001 includes instructions. Optionally, the processor 1001 can store data. Optionally, different processors can be independent devices, located in different physical locations, or located on different integrated circuits. Optionally, different processors can be integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated onto one or more integrated circuits.

[0229] Optionally, the communication device 1000 includes one or more memories 1003 for storing instructions. Optionally, the memories 1003 may also store data. The processor and the memories may be separate or integrated together.

[0230] Optionally, the communication device 1000 includes a communication line 1002 and at least one communication interface 1004. Since the memory 1003, communication line 1002, and communication interface 1004 are all optional, they are all represented by dashed lines in Figure 10.

[0231] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver and / or an antenna. The transceiver can be used to send information to or receive information from other devices. The transceiver may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver circuit, input / output interface, etc., and is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device 1000 via the antenna. Optionally, the transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. For example, the transmitter can be used to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal from a baseband signal, and the receiver can be used to convert the RF signal back into a baseband signal.

[0232] The processor 1001 may include a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs according to the present application.

[0233] The communication line 1002 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components.

[0234] Communication interface 1004 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wired access network, etc.

[0235] The memory 1003 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), 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 and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 1003 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 1001 via communication line 1002. Alternatively, the memory 1003 may be integrated with the processor 1001.

[0236] The memory 1003 stores computer execution instructions for implementing the scheme of this application, and the processor 1001 controls the execution of these instructions. The processor 1001 executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1003 to implement the steps performed by the network device or UE in the embodiment shown in FIG3.

[0237] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as application code, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0238] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the processor 1001 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG10.

[0239] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 1000 may include multiple processors, such as processor 1001 and processor 1005 in FIG. 10. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0240] When the device shown in Figure 10 is a chip, such as a chip for a network device or a UE, the chip includes a processor 1001 (which may also include a processor 1005), a communication line 1002, and a communication interface 1004. Optionally, it may include a memory 1003. Specifically, the communication interface 1004 may be an input interface, pins, or circuits, etc. The memory 1003 may be a register, cache, etc. The processor 1001 and processor 1005 may be a general-purpose CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of a program that controls the communication method of any of the above embodiments.

[0241] This application embodiment can divide the device into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or software functional modules. The module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, when dividing the device into functional modules according to each function, Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a device. This device 1100 can be the network device or the first UE involved in the above method embodiments, or a chip in the network device or a chip in the UE. The device 1100 includes a processing unit 1102 and a transceiver unit 1101.

[0242] It should be understood that the device 1100 can be used to implement the steps performed by the network device or UE in the communication method of the embodiments of this application. The relevant features can be referred to the embodiment shown in FIG3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0243] Optionally, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver unit 1101 and processing unit 1102 in Figure 11 can be implemented by the processor 1001 in Figure 10 calling computer execution instructions stored in memory 1003. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing unit 1102 in Figure 11 can be implemented by the processor 1001 in Figure 10 calling computer execution instructions stored in memory 1003, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver unit 1101 in Figure 11 can be implemented by the communication interface 1004 in Figure 10.

[0244] Optionally, when the device 1100 is a chip or circuit, the function / implementation process of the transceiver unit 1101 can also be implemented through pins or circuits. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1101 may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit, wherein the transmitting unit is used to implement the transmitting function and the receiving unit is used to implement the receiving function; or, the transceiver unit 1101 may be an integral module capable of implementing the transmitting and / or receiving functions. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1101 may be implemented using a transceiver.

[0245] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the methods performed by the UE or network device in the aforementioned method embodiments. Thus, the functions described in the above embodiments can be implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to it, or a 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, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0246] This application also provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method executed by the UE or network device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0247] This application also provides a processing apparatus, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used to execute the methods performed by the UE or network device involved in any of the above method embodiments.

[0248] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer 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 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 website, computer, server, 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 can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0249] The various illustrative logic units and circuits described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or operate the described functions using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor; alternatively, it can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented using a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0250] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in the embodiments of this application can be directly embedded in hardware, software units executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software units can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can be disposed in an ASIC, which can be disposed in the terminal device. Optionally, the processor and storage medium can also be disposed in different components of the terminal device.

[0251] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0252] The contents of the various embodiments of this application can be referenced to each other. Unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0253] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the network device and / or UE may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples. In the embodiments of this application, other operations or variations of various operations may also be performed. Furthermore, the steps may be performed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to perform all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive first information, the first information is used to indicate multiple resources, the multiple resources are used to send a first message, the first information is also used to indicate whether the use of the diversity slot greeting DSA transmission mode is allowed, the first message is a radio resource control RRC connection request message or an RRC establishment request message or an RRC connection recovery request message or an RRC data early transmission request message; When the first information indicates that the DSA transmission method is permitted, the first message is repeatedly transmitted through M resources or N groups of resources from the plurality of resources, wherein M and N are both integers greater than or equal to 2.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message can be resent or the number of retransmissions; or, The first information is also used to indicate the maximum number of repeated transmissions or the number of repeated transmissions corresponding to the DSA transmission method.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate whether DSA transmission mode is allowed, including: The first information is used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message can be retransmitted, wherein a maximum number of retransmissions of 1 indicates that the DSA transmission method is not allowed, or a maximum number of retransmissions greater than 1 indicates that the DSA transmission method is allowed; or... The first information is used to indicate the number of times the first message is repeatedly sent, wherein a repeating number of 1 indicates that the DSA transmission method is not allowed, or a repeating number greater than 1 indicates that the DSA transmission method is allowed.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the maximum number of consecutive transmissions or the number of consecutive transmissions of the first message.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first piece of information is system information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: A contention resolution message is received, the contention resolution message being scrambled using a first radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), wherein... The first RNTI is determined based on the terminal identifier included in the first message; or, The first RNTI is the RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission method; or, The first RNTI is determined based on the first parameter and the terminal identifier included in the first message; or, The first RNTI is determined based on the M resources or the N groups of resources.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first RNTI is determined based on the M resources or the N groups of resources, including: The M resources or the N groups of resources include different resources with the same time-domain position and / or the same frequency-domain position, and the first RNTI is determined based on the time-domain position and / or the frequency-domain position; or, The RNTI associated with the M resources or the N groups of resources are all the first RNTI.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, which indicates whether there is the ability to detect multiple RNTIs simultaneously, or indicates that the first message used the DSA transmission method.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second information is also used to indicate the number of times the first message is repeated, or the second information is also used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message is sent repeatedly.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes repeatedly sending the first message through M resources from the plurality of resources; the method also includes: A first timer is started after the first message is initially transmitted, and restarted after each retransmission of the first message. The first timer is used to monitor contention resolution messages; or, After each transmission of the first message, a first timer is started. The first timer is used to monitor contention resolution messages.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes repeatedly sending the first message through N groups of resources from the plurality of resources; After sending the first message on the first group of resources in the N groups of resources, a first timer is started, and after sending the first message on each of the remaining N-1 groups of resources, the first timer is restarted. The first timer is used to monitor contention resolution messages; or, After the first message is sent on each of the N resource groups, a first timer is started respectively. The first timer is used to monitor contention resolution messages.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the first information indicates that the DSA transmission method is not allowed, the first message is sent through one of the multiple resources or the first message is repeatedly sent through a group of resources.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send first information, the first information is used to indicate multiple resources, the multiple resources are used to send a first message, the first information is also used to indicate whether the DSA transmission mode is allowed, the first message is an RRC connection request message or an RRC establishment request message or an RRC connection recovery request message or an RRC data early transmission request message; The first message is detected on the plurality of resources.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message can be resent or the number of retransmissions; or, The first information is also used to indicate the maximum number of repeated transmissions or the number of repeated transmissions corresponding to the DSA transmission method.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate whether DSA transmission mode is allowed, including: The first information is used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message can be retransmitted, wherein a maximum number of retransmissions of 1 indicates that the DSA transmission method is not allowed, or a maximum number of retransmissions greater than 1 indicates that the DSA transmission method is allowed; or... The first information is used to indicate the number of times the first message is repeatedly sent, wherein a repeating number of 1 indicates that the DSA transmission method is not allowed, otherwise the DSA transmission method is allowed.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate the maximum number of consecutive transmissions or the number of consecutive transmissions of the first message.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that, The first piece of information is system information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first message is detected on M resources or N groups of resources among the plurality of resources, wherein M and N are both integers greater than or equal to 2; Send a race-resolve message.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The number of contention resolution messages is 1.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The race resolution message is scrambled using a first RNTI, wherein, The first RNTI is determined based on the terminal identifier included in the first message; or, The first RNTI is the RNTI corresponding to the DSA transmission method; or, The first RNTI is determined based on the first parameter and the terminal identifier included in the first message; or, The first RNTI is determined based on the M resources or the N groups of resources.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first RNTI is determined based on the M resources or the N groups of resources, including: The M resources or the N groups of resources include different resources with the same time-domain position and / or the same frequency-domain position, and the first RNTI is determined based on the time-domain position and / or the frequency-domain position; or, The RNTI associated with the M resources or the N groups of resources are all the first RNTI.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second information, which indicates the determination method of the first RNTI or indicates that the first message used the DSA transmission method.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The second information is also used to indicate the number of times the first message is resent, or the second information is also used to indicate the maximum number of times the first message is resent.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor, which is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 23.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 23 to be performed.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 23.

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