Communication method and apparatus, and readable storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and apparatus, and a readable storage medium. The method mainly comprises: transmitting a random access request message; receiving a random access response message, wherein the random access response message includes beam indication information; and transmitting a connection establishment message on the basis of the beam indication information. By implementing the embodiments of the present application, the optimal sending beam of a connection establishment message can be indicated by means of a random access response message, thereby preventing performance loss, and thus improving the quality of communication.

Description

A communication method, apparatus and readable storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411605522.4, filed on November 11, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method, Apparatus and Readable Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Random access is a crucial step in mobile communication systems and the final step in establishing a communication link between the terminal and the base station. The random access process refers to the period from when the terminal (e.g., user equipment (UE)) sends a random access preamble to attempt network access until a basic signaling connection is established with the network. Through random access, the UE interacts with the base station to complete subsequent operations (such as calls, resource requests, and data transmission) and synchronizes with the system's online time. The performance of random access directly impacts the user experience.

[0004] In the current random access process, the UE first sends a random access request message (also known as message 1 (msg1)). If the base station receives this message, it returns a random access response message (also known as message 2 (msg2)) to the UE. Then, the UE sends a connection establishment message (also known as message 3 (msg3)) based on the response message. Finally, the base station sends an indication message to the UE, indicating whether access was successful or failed. In this scheme, when the UE receives the response message, it determines the optimal receive beam and uses it to receive the message. Then, based on beam reciprocity, it uses the transmit beam associated with the optimal beam to transmit the connection establishment message. However, when beam reciprocity is not present, the optimal receive beam and the optimal transmit beam may not be the same. In this case, this approach will result in performance degradation and affect communication quality.

[0005] Therefore, when beams are not reciprocal, determining the optimal beam for sending connection establishment messages to avoid performance loss and improve communication quality is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium. When the optimal receive beam and optimal transmit beam of a UE are not reciprocal, beam indication information is sent to the UE when sending a random response message to indicate the UE's optimal transmit beam. This enables the UE to use the indicated optimal transmit beam when sending a connection establishment message, thereby reducing performance loss and improving communication quality.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a first communication device sending a random access request message; the first communication device receiving a random access response message, the random access response message including beam indication information; and the first communication device sending a connection establishment message based on the beam indication information.

[0008] In implementing the embodiments of this application, the first communication device determines the optimal transmission beam from multiple transmission beams based on the beam indication information received in the random access response message, and then uses the determined optimal transmission beam to send a connection establishment message. In this way, the optimal transmission beam can be determined quickly and accurately, ensuring reduced performance loss and improved communication quality in scenarios where beams are not reciprocal.

[0009] In one alternative implementation, the first communication device determines a transmission beam based on beam indication information and uses the transmission beam to send a connection establishment message.

[0010] By implementing the embodiments of this application, the first communication device can quickly and accurately determine the transmission beam in scenarios where beams are not reciprocal.

[0011] In one optional implementation, the random access request message includes a random access preamble index value, and the random access response message includes a medium access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU). The MAC PDU includes at least one MAC subPDU and a beam indication field. The first communication device determines the MAC subPDU corresponding to the random access request message and the location information of the MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU based on the random access preamble index value. The first communication device determines the transmit beam based on the location information, the beam indication field, and the number of beams.

[0012] By implementing the embodiments of this application, the first communication device finds the MAC subPDU corresponding to itself from the received MAC PDU based on the random access preamble index value and determines its position information in the MAC PDU. Then, based on the position information, beam indication field and beam number, the transmission beam can be quickly and accurately determined.

[0013] In one alternative implementation, the first communication device receives configuration information before sending a random access request message. The configuration information includes the number of beams corresponding to the connection establishment message, or the configuration information includes a mapping relationship between the number of beams corresponding to the connection establishment message and the number of times the random access request message is sent.

[0014] In implementing the embodiments of this application, the first communication device receives configuration information in advance regarding the number of beams and the number of times random access request messages are sent. This allows the first communication device to send random access request messages through different beams. This helps the second communication device determine the optimal transmission beam from multiple different transmission beams, and then instruct it to the first communication device through a random access response message, thereby reducing performance loss and improving communication quality.

[0015] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one first MAC subPDU, the first MAC subPDU including a subheader containing a T field, the T field including beam indication information.

[0016] By implementing the embodiments of this application, the T field in the subheader of the MAC subPDU can be used to carry beam indication information, eliminating the need to add other fields for indication, thus effectively saving transmission and storage resources.

[0017] In one alternative implementation, the MAC PDU also includes a second MAC subPDU, which is the first MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU, and the T field of the second MAC subPDU indicates whether the second MAC subPDU contains a fallback indication BI.

[0018] In implementing the embodiments of this application, for the first MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU, the T field in its subheader is not used to carry beam indication information, but is used to indicate whether BI is included, thus achieving compatibility with existing protocol specifications.

[0019] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU, which includes a subheader and a medium access control random access response (MAC RAR), the MAC RAR containing an R field, the R field including the beam indication information.

[0020] By implementing the embodiments of this application, beam indication information is carried in the R field of MAC RAR. Beam indication can still be performed accurately and effectively without adding more fields, which can save transmission and storage resources and improve resource utilization.

[0021] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU, the MAC subPDU including a subheader and a MAC RAR, the MAC RAR containing a timing advance instruction field, the timing advance instruction field including beam indication information.

[0022] By implementing the embodiments of this application, beam indication information can be added by reducing the indication range of the time advance instruction field. This ensures that beam indication is completed without changing the existing MAC RAR structure, while also saving transmission resources and improving resource utilization.

[0023] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU, the MAC subPDU including a subheader and a MAC RAR, the MAC RAR containing a time uplink scheduling information field, the uplink scheduling information field including beam indication information.

[0024] By implementing the embodiments of this application, beam indication information is added by reducing the indication range of the uplink scheduling information field. This ensures that beam indication is completed without changing the existing MAC RAR structure, while also saving transmission resources and improving resource utilization.

[0025] In one alternative implementation, the first communication device receives downlink control information for scheduling the retransmission of connection establishment messages. The downlink control information includes a new data indication field and a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number field, wherein the new data indication field and / or the HARQ process number field includes beam indication information.

[0026] By implementing the embodiments of this application, in the scenario of retransmitting connection establishment messages, the beam indication information can be carried by the new data indication field and HARQ process number field in the downlink control information. This allows for the retransmission of connection establishment messages using the optimal transmitted beam, thereby reducing performance loss and improving communication quality.

[0027] In one alternative implementation, the new data indication field includes beam switching information indicating whether the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is consistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message. When the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is inconsistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message, the first communication device determines the transmit beam based on the HARQ process number field.

[0028] By implementing the embodiments of this application, the new data indication field is used to indicate whether the retransmitted transmit beam is consistent with the initial transmit beam. If they are inconsistent, the HARQ process number field is used to determine the new transmit beam corresponding to the retransmission. This ensures that even if the optimal transmit beam changes over time, the current optimal transmit beam can still be indicated, so that the first communication device can retransmit the connection establishment message using the current optimal transmit beam, thereby reducing performance loss and improving communication quality.

[0029] In one alternative implementation, the first communication device receives a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The PDCCH includes a reserved bit field, which includes beam indication information, and the PDSCH includes the random access response message.

[0030] By implementing the embodiments of this application, the reserved bit field of the PDCCH carries beam indication information, which can save transmission resources and improve resource utilization while accurately indicating the optimal transmission beam.

[0031] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a second communication device receiving a random access request message; the second communication device sending a random access response message according to the random access request message, the random access response message including beam indication information; and the second communication device receiving a beam connection establishment message indicated by the beam indication information.

[0032] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU and a beam indication field.

[0033] In one alternative implementation, before receiving a random access request message, the second communication device sends configuration information, which includes the number of beams corresponding to the connection establishment message, or the configuration information includes a mapping relationship between the number of beams corresponding to the connection establishment message and the number of times the random access request message is sent.

[0034] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one first MAC subPDU, the first MAC subPDU including a subheader containing a T field, the T field including beam indication information.

[0035] In one alternative implementation, the MAC PDU also includes a second MAC subPDU, which is the first MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU, and the T field of the second MAC subPDU indicates whether the second MAC subPDU contains BI.

[0036] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a MAC RAR. The MAC RAR contains an R field, which includes beam indication information.

[0037] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a MAC RAR. The MAC RAR contains a time advance instruction field, which includes beam indication information.

[0038] In one alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a MAC RAR. The MAC RAR contains a time uplink scheduling information field, which includes beam indication information.

[0039] In one alternative implementation, the second communication device sends downlink control information for scheduling the retransmission of connection establishment messages. The downlink control information includes a new data indication field and a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process number field, and the new data indication field and / or the HARQ process number field includes beam indication information.

[0040] In one alternative implementation, the new data indication field includes beam switching information, which indicates whether the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is consistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message. If the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is inconsistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message, the HARQ process number field includes beam indication information.

[0041] In one alternative implementation, the second communication device transmits a physical layer downlink control channel (PDCCH), which is used to schedule a physical layer downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The PDSCH includes a reserved bit field, which includes beam indication information, and a random access response message.

[0042] Thirdly, a communication device is provided. This communication device can be a first device, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the first device that performs each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, or a device compatible with the first device. This communication device has the function of implementing some or all of the embodiments described in the first aspect. Alternatively, the communication device can be a second device, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the second device that performs each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, or a device compatible with the second device. This communication device has the function of implementing some or all of the embodiments described in the second aspect. The function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above-described function.

[0043] In one possible design, the communication device may include a processing unit and a communication unit. The processing unit is configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions described in the above-described method. The communication unit supports communication between the communication device and other communication devices. The communication device may also include a storage unit coupled to the processing unit and the communication unit, which stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Additionally, the processing unit may be used to control the communication unit to transmit and receive data / signaling.

[0044] In one embodiment, the communication unit is used to send a random access request message.

[0045] The communication unit is also used to receive a random access response message, which includes beam indication information.

[0046] The processing unit is used to obtain beam indication information based on the random access response message.

[0047] The communication unit is also used to send connection establishment messages based on beam indication information.

[0048] In addition, other alternative implementations of the communication device in this regard can be found in the relevant content of the first aspect above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0049] In one embodiment, the communication unit is configured to receive random access request messages.

[0050] The processing unit is used to generate beam indication information.

[0051] The communication unit is also used to send a random access response message, which includes beam indication information.

[0052] The communication unit is also used to establish a beam receiving connection via beam indication information.

[0053] In addition, other alternative implementations of the communication device in this regard can be found in the relevant content of the second aspect above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0054] As an example, the communication unit can be a transceiver or a communication interface, the storage unit can be a memory, and the processing unit can be a processor. The processor is coupled to the memory, which stores programs or instructions for the processor. The processor can be used to cause the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect above when the program or instructions are executed by the processor. The transceiver or communication interface can be used to send and receive signals and / or data.

[0055] In one embodiment, a transceiver is configured to send a random access request message and receive a random access response message, the random access response message including beam indication information.

[0056] The processor is used to obtain beam indication information based on the random access response message.

[0057] The transceiver is also used to send connection establishment messages based on beam indication information.

[0058] In addition, other alternative implementations of the communication device in this regard can be found in the relevant content of the first aspect above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0059] In one implementation, a transceiver is used to receive random access request messages.

[0060] The processor is used to generate beam indication information.

[0061] The transceiver is also used to send a random access response message, which includes beam indication information.

[0062] The transceiver is also used to receive beam connection establishment messages indicated by beam indication information.

[0063] In addition, other alternative implementations of the communication device in this regard can be found in the relevant content of the second aspect above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0064] In another embodiment, the communication device is a chip or chip system. The processing unit may also be a processing circuit or logic circuit; the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system.

[0065] In implementation, the processor can be used for, but is not limited to, baseband-related processing, and the transceiver or communication interface can be used for, but is not limited to, radio frequency transceiver. These devices can be disposed on separate chips, or at least partially or entirely on the same chip. For example, the processor can be further divided into analog baseband processors and digital baseband processors. The analog baseband processor can be integrated with the transceiver (or communication interface) on the same chip, while the digital baseband processor can be disposed on a separate chip. With the continuous development of integrated circuit technology, more and more devices can be integrated on the same chip. For example, a digital baseband processor can be integrated with multiple application processors (e.g., but not limited to graphics processors, multimedia processors, etc.) on the same chip. Such a chip can be called a System on a Chip (SoC). Whether the devices are disposed independently on different chips or integrated on one or more chips often depends on the needs of the product design. This application does not limit the implementation form of the above-mentioned devices.

[0066] Fourthly, a processor is provided for executing the various methods described above. In executing these methods, the processes of sending and receiving the signals described above can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the signals and the process of the processor inputting the signals. When outputting the signals, the processor outputs the signals to a transceiver for transmission by the transceiver (or communication interface). After being output by the processor, the signals may require further processing before reaching the transceiver (or communication interface). Similarly, when the processor receives the input signals, the transceiver (or communication interface) receives the signals and inputs them to the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver (or communication interface) receives the signals, the signals may require further processing before being input to the processor.

[0067] Unless otherwise specified, or unless it contradicts its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the transmission and reception operations involved by the processor can be more generally understood as processor output and reception, input and other operations, rather than transmission and reception operations directly performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas.

[0068] In implementation, the processor can be a dedicated processor for executing these methods, or it can be a processor that executes computer instructions stored in memory to execute these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. The memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or disposed on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the arrangement of the memory and processor.

[0069] Fifthly, a wireless communication system is provided, comprising a first device and a second device as described above. The first device is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, and the second device is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. In another possible design, the system may further include other devices that interact with the first device and / or the second device as provided in this application.

[0070] Sixthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when run, causes the method described in the first aspect, or the second aspect, or any possible implementation thereof, to be executed.

[0071] In a seventh aspect, this application also provides a computer program product including instructions, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when executed, causes the method described in the first aspect, or the second aspect, or any possible implementation thereof, to be performed.

[0072] Eighthly, this application provides a chip system including a processor and an interface. The interface is used to acquire programs or instructions, and the processor is used to invoke the programs or instructions to implement the functions involved in the first or second aspect. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data for the terminal. This chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Attached Figure Description

[0073] Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an access network device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a random access procedure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a MAC PDU provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a subPDU subheader provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another subPDU subhead structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a MAC RAR structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a time advance instruction field indicating beam provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an uplink scheduling information field provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an uplink scheduling information field indicating beam provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0088] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0089] In the description of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Additionally, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "One or more of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: 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.

[0090] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0091] In this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the words "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0092] It is understood that in this application, "when," "if," and "if" all refer to the device performing a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to perform a judgment action when it is implemented, nor do they imply any other limitations. The device performing a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances includes: satisfying the objective circumstances, i.e., being able to perform the corresponding action; or satisfying both the objective circumstances and other circumstances, in order to perform the corresponding action.

[0093] In this application, "simultaneous" can be understood as "parallel", or at the same point in time, or within a period of time, or within the same cycle. The specific meaning can be understood in conjunction with the context.

[0094] In this application, the use of singular designations for elements is intended to represent "one or more" rather than "one and only one," unless otherwise specified.

[0095] It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A", "A and B correspond" or similar expressions indicate that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. Determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0096] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, wireless local area network (WLAN) systems using the 802.11 series protocols, long term evolution (LTE) systems, integrated communication and sensing systems, 5th generation (5G) systems such as new radio access technology (NR), networks integrating multiple systems, IoT systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, open-radio access network (O-RAN) systems, and future communication systems such as 6th generation (6G) systems. The 802.11 series protocols include, but are not limited to, 802.11ax, 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7 or next-generation protocols such as Wi-Fi 8, ultra-high reliability (UHR), 802.11bn, Wi-Fi AI, or millimeter wave, etc., which are not listed here. The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to sensing and communication scenarios in networks such as the Internet of Vehicles, the Internet of Things, and the Industrial Internet. In addition, the technical solutions provided in this application are applicable to communication between network devices and terminal devices, and can also be applied to communication between terminal devices.

[0097] In one possible implementation, the communication system includes communication devices that can wirelessly communicate with each other using air interface resources. These communication devices may include network devices and terminal devices; the network devices may also be called base station devices, access network devices, or access point (AP) devices. Air interface resources may include at least one of time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, code resources, and spatial resources. In this application, "at least one" may also be described as one or more, and "multiple" may be two, three, four, or more; this application does not impose any limitations.

[0098] It should be understood that the system architecture and application scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, as the system architecture or application scenarios evolve, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0099] Referring to Figure 1, which is a simplified schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100. RAN 100 can be a next-generation (e.g., 6G or higher) radio access network or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) radio access network. One or more terminal devices (120a-120j, collectively referred to as terminal devices 120) can be interconnected or connected to one or more network devices in RAN 100 (e.g., 110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as network devices 110). It is understood that Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices, and / or wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0100] In practical applications, this communication system can include multiple network devices (also known as access network devices or AP devices) and multiple terminal devices simultaneously. One network device can serve one or more terminal devices simultaneously. A terminal device can also access one or more network devices simultaneously. This application embodiment does not limit the number of terminal devices and network devices included in the communication system.

[0101] Network equipment can be an entity on the network side used to transmit or receive signals, or a device deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. For example, a base station (BS) can be a device deployed in a radio access network capable of wireless communication with terminals. Base stations can take many forms, such as macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, and access points (APs). Exemplarily, the base station involved in the embodiments of this application can be a base station in 5G, a base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, an access network device or module of an access network device in an open radio access network (O-RAN) system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a Wi-Fi system. Among these, a base station in 5G can also be called a transmission reception point (TRP) or a 5G base station (next-generation node B, gNB). Base stations can also be replaced by the following names, such as: wireless access point, node B, transmitting point (TP), master MeNB, auxiliary SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), centralized unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), location node, IAB donor, etc.In systems employing different radio access technologies, network equipment may have different names. For example, it may be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a node B in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) network, or an evolved node B (eNB) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Network equipment can also be a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a base station in a future 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) network. Network equipment can also be wearable devices or vehicle-mounted devices.

[0102] The network device in this application embodiment can be an integrated base station, or a base station including a centralized unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU). A base station including CU and DU can also be called a base station with separate CU and DU, such as a base station including gNB-CU and gNB-DU. The CU can also be separated into a CU control plane (CU-CP) and a CU user plane (CU-UP), such as a base station including gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, and gNB-DU. Alternatively, the network device in this application embodiment can also be a radio unit (RU). Furthermore, the network device in this application embodiment can also be an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture, etc. This application embodiment does not limit the specific deployment method of the network device. For example, when the network device is an O-RAN architecture, the network device shown in this application embodiment can be an access network device in O-RAN, such as a combination of one or more of CU, DU, or RU, or a module in the access network device, etc. In the ORAN system, CU can also be called open (O)-CU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, DU can also be called O-DU, and RU can also be called O-RU.

[0103] In the embodiments of this application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of the network device can be the network device itself; it can also be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, a communication module, or a modem, etc., which can be installed in the network device. The network device can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form used in the network device.

[0104] Terminal equipment, also known as terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), non-access point station (non-AP STA), etc., can be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. It can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water (such as on ships); or in the air (e.g., on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal equipment can be used to connect people, objects, and machines. Terminal device 120 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, WLAN communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, smart home, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.

[0105] In this application's embodiments, the device used to implement the terminal's functions can be a terminal itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, a communication module, or a modem, etc., which can be installed in the terminal. In this application's embodiments, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal device.

[0106] It is understood that when the network device is an access point (as shown in Figure 1, 110b) and the terminal device is a non-access point site (as shown in Figure 1, 120f or 120g), the network formed by the network device and the terminal device can be a wireless local area network (WLAN). In other words, the communication system shown in Figure 1 can include, but is not limited to, WLAN.

[0107] For example, referring to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device 20 includes a processor 201, a memory 202, and a transceiver 203. The transceiver 203 includes a transmitter 2031, a receiver 2032, and an antenna 2033. The network device 30 includes a processor 301, a memory 302, and a transceiver 303. The transceiver 303 includes a transmitter 3031, a receiver 3032, and an antenna 3033. The receiver 2032 can be used to receive transmission control information through the antenna 2033, and the transmitter 2031 can be used to send transmission feedback information to the network device 30 through the antenna 2033. The transmitter 3031 can be used to send transmission control information to the terminal device 20 through the antenna 3033, and the receiver 3032 can be used to receive the transmission feedback information sent by the terminal device 20 through the antenna 3033.

[0108] It should be understood that the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application can also be an O-RAN system. Referring to Figure 3, Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the network device (also called the access network device) communicates with the core network (CN) through a backhaul link and with the user equipment (UE) through an air interface. Specifically, the baseband unit (BBU) in the access network device may communicate with the core network through a backhaul link, the radio unit (RU) in the access network device may communicate with at least one UE through an air interface, and the BBU may communicate with at least one RU through a fronthaul link. The BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. The BBU includes at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate through at least one midhaul link. For example, referring to Figure 4, Figure 4 is a network element functional division and protocol layer structure diagram of an access network device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, in some examples, the CU is a logical node carrying the radio resource control (RRC) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network equipment. The CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces like E2. Optionally, the CU can have some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the DU (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which can be interfaces like F1. In some examples, these interfaces (such as the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1-AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface. In some examples, the signaling procedures of F1 are defined. The F1 interface supports control plane F1-C and user plane F1-U.

[0109] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP and CU-UP. CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC and PDCP-C layers, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management (AMF) element in a 5G system. AMF network elements are responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP and PDCP-U layers, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements, such as the user plane function (UPF) network elements in a 5G system, are responsible for data forwarding and receiving in terminal devices. The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; specific functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For example, a CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or it can be configured to have partial protocol layer processing functions. For instance, some functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer 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. Another example is that the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For instance, based on latency, functions that need to meet low latency requirements can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not need to meet this latency requirement can be placed in the CU.

[0110] In some examples, the DU is a logical node carrying the RLC layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, the DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the higher PHY layer includes the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0111] In some examples, the RU is a logical node that carries both lower physical layer (lower PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio head (RRH), or other similar entities. In some examples, the lower PHY includes PHY processing functions such as fast fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more UEs via a radio link.

[0112] The DU and RU can be co-located or separate. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a fronthaul link through a lower-layer split-control, user, and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces, respectively providing control plane (C-plane) and user plane (U-plane). In some examples, the control plane refers to real-time control between the DU and RU, while the DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link. The management plane (M-plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0113] DUs and RUs can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. One DU can be connected to one or more RUs, and the functions of DUs and RUs 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.

[0114] It should be understood that CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an O-RAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU.

[0115] It should also be understood that the network device in the embodiments of this application can be replaced by a chip in the network device, and the terminal device can be replaced by a chip in the terminal device. In other words, the network element structure diagram shown in FIG2 can also represent the chip structure diagram applicable to this application. As shown in FIG2, the chip 20 of the terminal device includes a processor 201, a memory 202, and a transceiver 203. The transceiver 203 includes a transmitter 2031, a receiver 2032, and an antenna 2033. The chip 30 of the network device includes a processor 301, a memory 302, and a transceiver 303. The transceiver 303 includes a transmitter 3031, a receiver 3032, and an antenna 3033. The receiver 2032 can be used to receive transmission control information through the antenna 2033, and the transmitter 2031 can be used to send transmission feedback information to the chip 30 of the network device through the antenna 2033. Transmitter 3031 can be used to send transmission control information to chip 20 of terminal device through antenna 3033, and receiver 3032 can be used to receive transmission feedback information sent by chip 20 of terminal device through antenna 3033.

[0116] It is understood that although this application primarily uses a network deploying the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard as an example, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the various aspects covered in this application can be extended to other networks employing various standards or protocols, such as Bluetooth, high-performance radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to IEEE 802.11), wide area networks (WANs), personal area networks (PANs), or other networks now known or to be developed in the future. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0117] Secondly, some terms and related technologies involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0118] Quasi-co-location (QCL) refers to the ability of a large-scale channel information from one antenna port to be inferred from the large-scale channel information of another antenna port. If a QCL relationship exists between two antenna ports, the terminal device can obtain the necessary large-scale channel information for demodulation based on the QCL relationship and the source reference signal corresponding to the target reference signal when demodulating the target reference signal or target channel. In NR systems, large-scale channel information can include the following parameters: Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread, and spatial RX parameter.

[0119] The parameters included in the above-mentioned large-scale channel information are generally divided into the following four types, which can be configured by the system according to different UE scenarios. The types are as follows: (1) QCL type A: Doppler offset, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread; (2) QCL type B: Doppler offset, Doppler spread; (3) QCL type C: average delay, Doppler offset; (4) QCL type D: spatial reception parameters. Based on such QCL definition, when the terminal device demodulates the target reference signal or target channel, it can first determine the source reference signal corresponding to the target reference signal. There is a QCL relationship between the antenna port corresponding to the target reference signal and the antenna port corresponding to the source reference signal. Then, the terminal device can obtain the large-scale channel information of the channel through which the target reference signal passes based on the source reference signal, and then demodulate the target reference signal according to the large-scale channel information.

[0120] Currently, relevant protocols define Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states to indicate QCL relationships (i.e., the correspondence between source reference signals and target reference signals). For example, in the definitions of traditional TCI state indications in relevant protocols, the QCL relationships corresponding to different target reference signals or channels are indicated separately. For each target reference signal or channel, the network configures a separate TCI state to indicate the source reference signal and the large-scale channel information that can be obtained from the source reference signal. Generally, the structure of a TCI state is as follows:

[0121] As described above, in the traditional TCI states defined in Rel-15 / 16, each TCI state can be configured with two source reference signals and the corresponding QCL relationships between the two source reference signals. For example, qcl-Type1 represents source reference signal 1 and its corresponding QCL type X; qcl-Type2 represents source reference signal 2 and its corresponding QCL type Y.

[0122] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, in the subsequent description and explanation of this application, QCL / TCI and beam can be used interchangeably, or in other words, beam indication can be indicated by QCL / TCI, and this application does not make a distinction in this regard.

[0123] Random access is the process by which a terminal (such as a UE) establishes a communication connection with a base station. This access process mainly consists of four steps. Please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of a random access process provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, firstly, the UE initiates the random access process. Based on the broadcast message, the UE randomly selects a preamble sequence and sends it in a pre-configured random access channel occasion (RO) resource. It should be understood that multiple UEs may send random access requests (also referred to as message 1) in the same RO. For example, UE1 and UE2 may both send random access requests in RO1. In this case, the base station can distinguish between different UEs based on the different preamble sequences. For example, although UE1 and UE2 both send random access requests in RO1, UE1 sends preamble 1, while UE2 sends preamble 2. Of course, multiple UEs may also select the same preamble and send it in the same RO resource. For example, UE2 and UE3 may both select preamble 2 and send it in RO1. This situation will be resolved in subsequent contention conflicts. After successfully receiving the preamble sent by the UE, if the base station allows the UE to access the network, it sends feedback information (also known as message 2), i.e., a random access response (RAR) message, to the UE within the pre-configured random access response (RAR) window. The RAR includes downlink control information (DCI) indicating the scheduling information for the RAR message and the RAR message itself (i.e., a medium access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU)). A MAC PDU includes multiple sub-PDUs, each corresponding to a UE's random access response message. Simultaneously, within the pre-configured RAR window, the UE monitors the DCI (transmitted on the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)). This DCI is used to schedule the MAC message for the RAR (transmitted on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)). The UE receives the MAC RAR based on the scheduling information of the DCI, thereby obtaining access information.

[0124] Referring to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of a MAC PDU provided in an embodiment of this application, a MAC PDU may include multiple subPDUs and padding bits, such as subPDU1, subPDU2, ..., subPDUn in the figure. The type of each subPDU can be determined according to the different subheaders. There are three different types of subPDUs. The first type of subPDU only contains a subheader, and the subheader contains a backoff indicator (BI), as shown in subPDU1 in Figure 6. The subheader of this type of subPDU contains a total of 8 bits, as exemplarily shown in Figure 7. The E field is used to indicate whether there are any more subPDUs after this subPDU, the T field is used to indicate the type of this subPDU, T = 0 indicates that the subheader is used to indicate the BI and this subPDU is of the first type, T = 1 indicates that this subPDU belongs to the other two types, the R field is a reserved bit, and the BI field is the specific backoff indicator. It should be noted that if BI indication information exists, then the subPDU must be transmitted in the first MAC subPDU, that is, the first type of subPDU is transmitted in the first MAC subPDU. The second type of subPDU also only contains a subheader, and the subheader contains a random access preamble identifier (RAPID) to indicate the confirmation broadcast information request, as shown in subPDU2 in Figure 6. The subheader of this type of subPDU contains a total of 8 bits, as exemplarily shown in Figure 8. The meanings of the E field and T field are the same as those in the first type of subPDU. The content of the RAPID field corresponds to the preamble index selected by the UE when initiating random access. The RAR feedback corresponding to this preamble index is used to respond to the broadcast information request. The third type of subPDU includes a subheader and a MAC RAR, as shown in subPDU3 in Figure 6. The subheader of this type of subPDU is structurally identical to that of the second type of subPDU. The difference is that the RAR feedback corresponding to the preamble index carried by the RAPID in this subheader is used for random access response. In this case, there is also a MAC RAR after the subheader. See Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of a MAC RAR structure provided in an embodiment of this application.As shown in Figure 9, the MAC RAR includes the R field, the timing advance command field, the uplink scheduling information (UL grant) field, and the temporary UE identifier (temporary C-RNTI) field. The R field is a reserved bit field, occupying 1 bit.

[0125] It should be understood that the UE sends random access messages on the random access channel, and each random access message has a corresponding identifier. The base station sends random access response messages, and a MAC PDU includes random access response messages fed back to multiple UEs. Each subPDU corresponds to one UE. When the base station sends the random access response message, it indicates the identifier of the random access message in the RAPID field in the subheader of the aforementioned third type of subPDU. Therefore, after receiving the random access response message, the UE can determine its own MAC RAR based on this identifier information.

[0126] After receiving the random access response message, the UE continues to send a connection establishment message (also known as message 3) to the base station. If this is the UE's first time sending a connection establishment message, the UE sends it according to the uplink scheduling information in the MAC RAR. If this is not the UE's first time sending a connection establishment message (it has been sent once or multiple times before), the UE can schedule the transmission of the connection establishment message according to the DCI0_0 scrambled with the temporary UE identifier (i.e., temporary C-RNTI) in the MAC RAR. After receiving the connection establishment message from the UE, the base station sends an indication message (also known as message 4) to the UE, indicating that the UE has successfully accessed the network and established a communication connection with the base station, and can proceed with subsequent communication interactions. It is worth noting that multiple UEs may select the same preamble during the random access process and send it in the same RO resource, resulting in a preamble index conflict. In this case, the base station only sends message 4 to one UE. The UE that receives message 4 successfully accesses the network, while the UE that does not receive message 4 fails to access the network and needs to repeat the above random access procedure to complete the random access.

[0127] Due to existing protocol provisions, the base station does not instruct the UE on the transmit beam for sending the connection establishment message when sending the random access response message. The UE selects its own transmit beam; that is, during the process of receiving the random access response message, the UE can determine the optimal receive beam, under which the received random access response message has the best quality and highest performance. Based on this, the UE utilizes beam reciprocity, assuming that the optimal receive beam and the optimal transmit beam are the same, and uses the transmit beam associated with the optimal receive beam to send the connection establishment message. It can be seen that, without beam reciprocity, the current method of sending the connection establishment message may lead to performance loss, as it cannot guarantee the use of the optimal transmit beam, thus affecting communication quality and random access success rate.

[0128] Based on the above, this application provides a communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium for random access scenarios where beams are not reciprocal. This method can utilize the optimal transmitting beam to send connection establishment messages, thereby reducing performance loss and improving communication quality.

[0129] The technical solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to more accompanying drawings.

[0130] To facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of this application, multiple embodiments are used for illustration, as detailed in the following descriptions of the various embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between different embodiments or implementations can be referenced interchangeably. In the various embodiments and implementation methods / methods within those embodiments, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between different implementation methods / methods within those embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and between different implementation methods / methods within those embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, or methods of implementation based on their inherent logical relationships. The embodiments described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. It is understood that the order of the embodiments below does not represent their importance.

[0131] It should be understood that in this application, the indication includes direct indication (also known as explicit indication) and implicit indication. Direct indication information A refers to information A being included; implicit indication information A refers to information A being indicated through the correspondence between information A and information B, and through direct indication information B. The correspondence between information A and information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured.

[0132] It should be understood that in this application, information D is determined based on information C, which includes both situations where information D is determined solely based on information C and situations where information D is determined based on information C and other information. Furthermore, the use of information C to determine information D can also include indirect determination, such as when information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0133] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, "network element A sends information A to network element B" can be understood as network element B being the destination of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path between the destination and network element B, which may include sending information directly or indirectly to network element B. "Network element B receives information A from network element A" can be understood as network element A being the source of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path between the source and network element A, which may include receiving information directly or indirectly from network element A. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way and will not be elaborated further here.

[0134] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0135] S101: The first communication device sends a random access request message to the second communication device.

[0136] Specifically, the first communication device can be a UE, and the second communication device can be a base station in the RAN. For ease of description, this will not be further explained below. Before sending a random access request message, the first communication device monitors broadcast messages, and then randomly selects one from the pre-configured preamble sequence based on the monitored broadcast messages and sends it to the second communication device from the pre-configured RO resources.

[0137] In one possible implementation, the second communication device configures the number of transmit beams and the number of random access request messages to be sent via system information block 1 (SIB1).

[0138] Specifically, the second communication device pre-configures the number of transmit beams and the number of preamble transmissions of the first communication device via SIB1, and constrains the mapping relationship between them, so that the first communication device can complete the transmission of the preamble through different transmit beams. The second communication device can determine the optimal transmit beam of the first communication device based on the quality of the preamble received multiple times.

[0139] For example, the second communication device is pre-configured with two transmission beams, beam 1 and beam 2, and the preamble is configured to be transmitted four times. In this case, only one bit is needed to indicate one of the two beams. The first communication device sends the preamble to the second communication device using a different transmission beam each time, in a cyclical manner, until the preset number of transmissions is reached. For example, beam 1 is used the first time, beam 2 the second time, beam 1 the third time, and beam 2 the fourth time. It should be noted that the number of preamble transmissions configured by the second communication device is always greater than the number of beams. This ensures that the first communication device can use all different transmission beams to send the preamble to the second communication device, thereby ensuring that the second communication device can find the optimal transmission beam from all the configured transmission beams.

[0140] It can be seen that by pre-configuring the number of beams and the number of preamble transmissions, the second communication device can accurately find the optimal transmission beam based on the received results. This allows it to indicate the optimal transmission beam in the subsequent random access response message sent to the first communication device, enabling the first communication device to send a connection establishment message based on the optimal transmission beam. This reduces performance loss and improves communication quality.

[0141] S102: The first communication device receives a random access response message sent by the second communication device.

[0142] Specifically, after receiving the preamble from the first communication device, the second communication device determines whether to allow the first communication device to access the network. If allowed, it sends a random access response message (RAR) within a pre-configured window. This RAR message includes a DCI (Distributed Information Center) indicating scheduling information for the RAR message and a RAR message (MAC PDU). It should be understood that the second communication device does not send the RAR message individually to each first communication device, but rather broadcasts it, concentrating all feedback information into a single MAC PDU for unified transmission. Furthermore, the RAR message includes beam indication information, which indicates the transmit beam corresponding to the connection establishment message.

[0143] In one alternative implementation, the first communication device determines a transmission beam based on the beam indication information and uses the transmission beam to send a connection establishment message.

[0144] Specifically, after receiving the random access response message, the first communication device parses the beam indication information contained therein, and then, based on the beam indication information, finds the optimal transmission beam from a plurality of pre-configured transmission beams, and then uses the optimal transmission beam to send a connection establishment message.

[0145] In another alternative implementation, the random access request message includes a random access preamble index value, and the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU and a beam indication field. The first communication device determines the MAC subPDU corresponding to the random access request message and the location information of the MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU based on the random access preamble index value. The first communication device then determines the transmit beam based on the location information, the beam indication field, and the number of beams.

[0146] Specifically, the random access request message sent by the first communication device carries a random access preamble index value. This index value has a one-to-one mapping relationship with the first communication device, that is, one first communication device corresponds to one unique random access preamble index value. Therefore, in the random access response message fed back by the second communication device, the random access preamble index value is written into the RAPID field of the subPDU header, so that each first communication device can find the corresponding subPDU accordingly.

[0147] It should be noted that since each first communication device has the ability to parse the subPDU header, it can parse the headers of all subPDUs contained in the received MAC PDU, find the subPDU corresponding to itself based on whether the random access preamble index value matches, and determine the position of the subPDU among all subPDUs. For example, if the MAC PDU contains 10 subPDUs, and the first communication device finds that the random access preamble index value contained in the RAPID field of the header of the fourth subPDU is the same as the random access preamble index value it sent, then it can determine that the subPDU is its own random access response and that the corresponding position is the fourth.

[0148] Furthermore, the second communication device adds a beam indication field to the feedback MAC PDU. This field indicates the transmit beam that the first communication device should select when sending the connection establishment message. The beam indication field can be flexibly configured according to the number of first communication devices. For example, if there are 10 first communication devices, each configured with 4 beams, then at least 2 bits are needed for beam indication for each first communication device. For instance, 00 represents the first beam, 01 represents the second beam, 10 represents the third beam, and 11 represents the fourth beam. Therefore, a total of 20 bits are needed to indicate the beams for all first communication devices, meaning the beam indication field is 20 bits. Similarly, if each first communication device is configured with 8 beams, then at least 3 bits are needed for beam indication for each first communication device, making the beam indication field 30 bits.

[0149] It is worth noting that not all first communication devices support beam pointing via second communication devices. Therefore, the types of first communication devices can be pre-identified. Optionally, first communication devices can be grouped using random access preamble IDs. For example, the first communication devices in the first group use preamble IDs of 0-31, and the first communication devices in the second group use preamble IDs of 32-63. In this case, the first communication devices in the first group support beam pointing, while the first communication devices in the second group do not. Alternatively, first communication devices can be grouped using preamble time-frequency resources. For example, the first communication devices in the first group use frequency resources of 100MHz-200MHz, and the first communication devices in the second group use frequency resources of 200MHz-300MHz. In this case, the first communication devices in the first group support beam pointing, while the first communication devices in the second group do not. Of course, other methods can also be used to distinguish the types of first communication devices, and this application does not limit this approach.

[0150] It should be understood that if the first communication device is grouped by preamble ID, the MAC PDU returned by the second communication device will contain both the subPDU corresponding to the first communication device in the first group and the subPDU corresponding to the first communication device in the second group. If the first communication device is grouped by preamble time-frequency resources, all subPDUs in the MAC PDU returned by the second communication device will either all be subPDUs corresponding to the first communication device in the first group or all be subPDUs corresponding to the first communication device in the second group.

[0151] It's easy to understand that the length of the beam indication field can vary depending on the different grouping methods described above. When grouping by preamble ID, the shortest beam indication field length is the number of first communication devices in the first group contained in the MAC PDU multiplied by the number of bits required for beam indication by that first communication device. For example, if the MAC PDU contains 10 subPDUs, 6 of which correspond to the first communication devices in the first group, and each first communication device is configured with 4 beams, then each first communication device requires 2 beam indication bits, and the beam indication field length is at least 12 bits. Alternatively, the beam indication field length can be set to 20 bits, meaning 2 bits are used for beam indication for each first communication device. However, for the first communication devices in the second group, since they do not have beam indication functionality, these 2 bits are redundant. Similarly, in the case of preamble time-frequency resource grouping, the minimum length of the beam indication field is the number of subPDUs contained in the MAC PDU multiplied by the number of bits required for each first communication device to perform beam indication. For example, if the MAC PDU contains 10 subPDUs, all of which are subPDUs corresponding to the first communication device in the first group, and each first communication device is configured with 4 beams, then the length of the beam indication field is at least 20 bits.

[0152] Optionally, the beam indication field can be a padding field from the multiplexed MAC PDU, or beam indication can be performed by adding a new subPDU. If a new subPDU is added, the E field in the sub-header of the new subPDU can be set. If E is 0, it indicates that there are more subPDUs after this subPDU. If it is set to 1, it indicates that there are no more subPDUs after this subPDU, and this subPDU is the last subPDU used for beam indication.

[0153] In addition, after parsing the MAC PDU and finding the corresponding subPDU and its location information in the MAC PDU, the first communication device can further find the field corresponding to itself in the beam indication field according to the number of beams it has configured, and thus determine the optimal transmission beam (i.e., the transmission beam corresponding to the connection establishment message) based on the field.

[0154] For example, suppose the first communication device is grouped by preamble time-frequency resources, and each first communication device is configured with 4 beams. The MAC PDU fed back by the second communication device contains 10 subPDUs. The beam indication field is 01001011100100011011. The current first communication device determines its own corresponding subPDU as the fifth subPDU by parsing the MAC PDU. Since each first communication device is configured with 4 beams, 2 bits are needed for indication. Therefore, the current first communication device beam finds the indication field corresponding to itself in the beam indication field according to the position information, that is, the ninth and tenth bits (10) in the beam indication field. Therefore, the current first communication device can determine that the optimal transmission beam is the third beam.

[0155] It can be seen that by adding beam indication information to the random access response message fed back to the first communication device, the second communication device can enable the first communication device to select the optimal transmission beam according to the beam indication information after receiving the random access response message, and use the optimal transmission beam to send subsequent messages. This can overcome the performance loss caused by the lack of reciprocity of beams and improve communication quality.

[0156] In another alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one first MAC subPDU, the first MAC subPDU including a subheader containing a T field, the T field including beam indication information.

[0157] Specifically, referring to the relevant descriptions in Figures 6-8 above, the T field in the subPDU header is used to indicate the backoff indication. For the second type of subPDU (the header contains RAPID) and the third type of subPDU (the header contains RAPID and MAC RAR), the T field is a redundant bit, so it can be used for beam indication.

[0158] It should be understood that the T field occupies only one bit, so when used for beam indication, it can only indicate one of the two beams. For example, when the T field is 0, it indicates that the optimal transmission beam is the first beam, and when the T field is 1, it indicates that the optimal transmission beam is the second beam.

[0159] Optionally, the MAC PDU may also include a second MAC subPDU, which is the first MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU, and the T field of the second MAC subPDU indicates whether the second MAC subPDU contains BI.

[0160] Specifically, when there is a first type of subPDU in the MAC PDU, it must be transmitted in the first subPDU of the MAC PDU because the protocol stipulates that it must be transmitted in the first subPDU of the MAC PDU. Therefore, for the first MAC subPDU (i.e. the second MAC subPDU) in the MAC PDU, the T field is not used for beam indication, but is used to indicate whether BI is included. For example, when the T field is 0, it indicates that BI is included, and when the T field is 1, it indicates that BI is not included.

[0161] Optionally, when the MAC PDU includes a second MAC subPDU, since the second MAC subPDU has no redundant bits, the default optimal transmission beam is the first beam.

[0162] It should be noted that by using the above method for beam indication, the existing protocol's description of MAC subPDUs will be adapted accordingly. For example, in the description of the T field, for the first MAC subPDU, a T field value of 0 indicates that it includes BI, and a T field value of 1 indicates that it does not include BI; for other MAC subPDUs, a T field value of 0 indicates the transmit beam corresponding to the first random access, and a T field value of 1 indicates the transmit beam corresponding to the second random access.

[0163] In another alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU, the MAC subPDU including a subheader and a MAC RAR, the MAC RAR including an R field, the R field including beam indication information.

[0164] Specifically, referring to the relevant description in Figure 9 above, the R field in the MAC RAR is a reserved bit, so this R field can be used for beam indication.

[0165] It should be understood that the R field occupies only one bit, so when used for beam indication, it can only indicate one of the two beams. For example, when the R field is 0, it indicates that the optimal transmission beam is the first beam, and when the R field is 1, it indicates that the optimal transmission beam is the second beam.

[0166] In another alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU, the MAC subPDU including a subheader and a MAC RAR, the MAC RAR containing a timing advance instruction field, the timing advance instruction field including beam indication information.

[0167] Specifically, a portion of the bits in the time advance instruction field (e.g., k bits) can be used for beam indication, while the remaining bits (12-k) indicate the time advance instruction. Consequently, since a portion of the bits is used for beam indication, the indication range of the time advance instruction will be reduced compared to before. Without affecting the normal indication of the time advance instruction, the value of k can be set according to actual needs, and this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0168] For example, referring to Figure 11, Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a time advance command field indicating beam according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, assuming k=2, that is, using 2 bits in the time advance command field for beam indication, and the time advance command field has a total of 12 bits, the remaining 10 bits are still used to indicate the time advance command. The original time advance command field can indicate a range of 0-4095. After 2 bits are occupied, its indication range is reduced to 0-1023. It should be noted that this application does not limit the position of the selected k bits. In Figure 11 above, the first two bits are selected as an example for illustration. Of course, 2 bits in other positions can also be selected, such as the last two bits.

[0169] In another alternative implementation, the random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU, the MAC subPDU including a subheader and a MAC RAR, the MAC RAR including an uplink scheduling information field, the uplink scheduling information field including beam indication information.

[0170] Specifically, some bits (such as p bits) in the uplink scheduling information field can be used for beam indication, while the remaining bits indicate the uplink scheduling information. Similarly, since some bits are used for beam indication, the indication range of the uplink scheduling information will be reduced compared to before. Without affecting the normal indication of the uplink scheduling information, the value of p can be set according to actual needs, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0171] For example, referring to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of an uplink scheduling information field provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the uplink scheduling information field includes a frequency hopping flag field, a PUSCH frequency resource allocation field, a PUSCH time resource allocation field, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field, a PUSCH power control command (TPC command for PUSCH) field, a channel state information request (CSI request) field, and a channel access CPext (CPext) field. The frequency hopping flag field occupies 1 bit. In the absence of shared spectrum channel access operation, the PUSCH frequency resource allocation field occupies 14 bits; if a shared spectrum channel access operation exists, the PUSCH frequency resource allocation field occupies 12 bits. The PUSCH time resource allocation field occupies 4 bits, the modulation and coding scheme field occupies 4 bits, the PUSCH power control command field occupies 3 bits, and the channel state information request field occupies 1 bit. In the absence of a shared spectrum channel access operation, the channel access CPext field occupies 0 bits, meaning it does not exist. If a shared spectrum channel access operation is present, the channel access CPext field occupies 2 bits.

[0172] Referring to Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of beam indication in an uplink scheduling information field according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, taking the extraction of a portion of bits from the PUSCH time resource allocation field for beam indication as an example, assuming p=2, that is, 2 bits from the PUSCH time resource allocation field are used for beam indication. The PUSCH time resource allocation field has a total of 4 bits, and the remaining 2 bits are still used to indicate the PUSCH time resource allocation. The descriptions of the uplink scheduling information field and the PUSCH time resource allocation field contained therein in the corresponding existing protocols will also be adapted accordingly. As shown in Figure 13, in its related description, if the UE belongs to set 1 based on preamble ID (i.e., the UE does not support beam indication function and does not need to perform beam indication), then the length of this field is 4 bits; if the UE belongs to set 2 based on preamble ID (i.e., the UE supports beam indication function and needs to perform beam indication), then the length of this field is 2 bits. A beam indication field has been added to the uplink scheduling information field. The corresponding description is as follows: if the UE belongs to set 1 based on preamble ID groups, the length of this field is 0 bits, meaning the field does not exist; if the UE belongs to set 2 based on preamble ID groups, the length of this field is 2 bits. It should be understood that this application does not limit the position of the selected p bits. Furthermore, beam indication can also be achieved by selecting bits from other fields in the uplink scheduling information field (such as the modulation and coding field), and the specific implementation is similar to the above. For simplicity, it will not be elaborated further here.

[0173] It should be noted that the above beam indication schemes can be used individually or in combination to indicate beams. For example, the R field and the time advance instruction field in the MAC RAR can be used simultaneously to indicate the beam, or the T field, the time advance instruction field, and the uplink scheduling information field can be used simultaneously to indicate the beam, or other combinations thereof. This application does not limit these combinations.

[0174] In another alternative implementation, the first communication device receives downlink control information for scheduling the retransmission of connection establishment messages. The downlink control information includes a new data indication field and a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number field, wherein the new data indication field and / or the HARQ process number field includes beam indication information.

[0175] Specifically, in the scenario of connection establishment message retransmission, the second communication device sends downlink control information at the same time as sending the random access response message. The random access response message is transmitted on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the downlink control information is transmitted on the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The downlink control information is used to schedule the transmission of PDSCH.

[0176] Furthermore, the retransmission of the connection establishment message is scheduled by DCI0_0 (this message is scrambled by the temporary UE identifier TC-RNTI), so the reserved bits in DCI0_0 can be used to indicate the transmission beam. Since it is always a retransmission and there is no parallel PUSCH transmission (the default is to use HARQ process0 for transmission), the 1-bit new data indication field and the 4-bit HARQ process number field in DCI0_0 can be regarded as reserved bit fields and can be used for beam indication.

[0177] It should be understood that beam indication can be performed using the New Data Indicator field or the HARQ Process Number field alone, or by combining them; this application does not limit this. When beam indication is performed using the combination of the New Data Indicator field and the HARQ Process Number field, since it occupies a total of 5 bits, it contains 32 states. State 0 (which can be any of the 32 states) indicates the use of the same beam as the initial connection establishment message. States 1 to 31 are used to indicate the new beam used when retransmitting the connection establishment message.

[0178] Optionally, the new data indication field includes beam switching information, which indicates whether the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is consistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message. If the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is inconsistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message, the transmit beam is determined according to the HARQ process number field.

[0179] Specifically, the new data indication field is used to indicate whether the retransmission beam of the connection establishment message is consistent with the initial transmission beam. If they are consistent, the HARQ process number field can be ignored and the beam used in the initial transmission can continue to be used. If they are inconsistent, the first communication device further determines the transmission beam based on the 4 bits of the HARQ process number field and uses the newly determined transmission beam to retransmit the connection establishment message.

[0180] In another alternative implementation, the first communication device receives a PDCCH for scheduling a PDSCH, the PDCCH including a reserved bit field including beam indication information, and the PDSCH carrying a random access response message.

[0181] Specifically, since the random access response message is carried in the PDSCH, the first communication device must rely on the PDCCH sent by the second communication device for scheduling the PDSCH in order to successfully obtain the random access response message. The PDCCH contains a reserved bit field (up to 16 bits), therefore, the second communication device can use this reserved bit to send beam indication information to the first communication device.

[0182] It should be understood that the beam indication information carried in the reserved bits of the PDCCH is for all first communication devices. The second communication device allocates a corresponding beam indication field to each first communication device based on these 16 bits (e.g., allocating a beam indication field of the same size to each first communication device on an equal footing), and uses the allocated beam indication field to indicate the optimal transmission beam for that first communication device. For example, there are a total of 8 first communication devices. The second communication device allocates a 2-bit beam indication field to each first communication device. After receiving the PDCCH, the first communication device determines its optimal transmission beam using the 2-bit beam indication field allocated to it, and uses this optimal transmission beam to send a connection establishment message.

[0183] S103: The first communication device sends a connection establishment message to the second communication device according to the beam indication information.

[0184] Specifically, after receiving the random access response message sent by the second communication device, the first communication device determines the transmission beam based on the beam indication information contained therein, and then uses the transmission beam to send a connection establishment message.

[0185] Optionally, S104: The first communication device receives an instruction message sent by the second communication device.

[0186] Specifically, the second communication device may receive connection establishment messages from multiple first communication devices simultaneously. Among these multiple first communication devices, there may be first communication devices that have selected the same preamble and sent messages in the same RO resource. In this scenario, the second communication device will only send an indication message to one of the first communication devices. This indication message is used to indicate that the connection has been successfully established. For the first communication device that does not receive the indication message, it means that the random access has failed. After waiting for a period of time, the first communication device that failed to access will re-initiate the random access procedure. The specific process can be referred to the relevant description above, and will not be repeated here.

[0187] Furthermore, the instruction message contains radio resource control (RRC) configuration information. The first communication device can establish an RRC connection with the second communication device based on the RRC configuration information, and the first communication device and the second communication device can then communicate and interact through the RRC connection.

[0188] In summary, this communication method adds beam indication information to the random access response message, enabling the receiving end to determine the optimal transmission beam based on the received beam indication information. This allows the optimal transmission beam to be accurately found even in scenarios where beams are not reciprocal, and the connection establishment message can be sent using the optimal transmission beam. This reduces performance loss and improves communication quality.

[0189] The methods of the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. In order to facilitate the better implementation of the above solutions of the embodiments of this application, correspondingly, related devices for cooperating in the implementation of the above solutions are also provided below.

[0190] This application divides the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiments. 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 as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0191] As shown in Figure 14, this application embodiment provides a communication device 200. The communication device 200 can be a first communication device or a second communication device, and can also be a component of the first communication device (e.g., an integrated circuit, a chip, etc.) or a component of the second communication device (e.g., an integrated circuit, a chip, etc.). The communication device 200 can also be other communication units used to implement the methods in the method embodiments of this application. The communication device 200 may include a processing unit 210. Optionally, the communication device 200 may further include a communication unit 220, where the processing unit 210 controls the communication unit 220 to perform data / signaling transmission and reception. The communication unit 220 may also be called a transceiver unit. Optionally, the communication unit 220 may include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit can be used to send data / signaling, and the receiving unit can be used to receive data / signaling. Optionally, the communication device 200 may further include a storage unit 230, which can be used to store information and / or data and / or instructions, etc. The storage unit 230 can interact with the processing unit 210 and also with the communication unit 220.

[0192] In one possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 200 is used to implement the function of the first communication device in the above method embodiment:

[0193] Communication unit 220 is used to send random access request messages.

[0194] The communication unit 220 is also configured to receive a random access response message, which includes beam indication information.

[0195] The processing unit 210 is used to determine the transmission beam based on the beam indication information.

[0196] The communication unit 220 is also used to send a connection establishment message using the determined transmission beam.

[0197] In another possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 200 is used to implement the function of the second communication device in the above method embodiments:

[0198] The communication unit 220 is used to receive random access request messages.

[0199] Processing unit 210 is used to determine beam indication information based on random access request messages.

[0200] The communication unit 220 is also used to send a random access response message, which includes beam indication information.

[0201] The communication unit 220 is also used to establish a beam receiving connection via beam indication information.

[0202] The embodiments of this application and the method embodiments shown above are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description of the embodiments shown above, which will not be repeated here.

[0203] As shown in Figure 15, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 300. The communication device 300 can be a UE or a RAN, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the UE in implementing the above methods, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the RAN in implementing the above methods. This device can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0204] The communication device 300 may include one or more processors 301. The processor 301 can be used to implement some or all of the functions of the UE or RAN through logic circuits or by running computer programs. The processor 301 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or CPU. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs. The communication device may be, for example, a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal, a terminal chip, a distributed unit (DU), or a centralized unit (CU).

[0205] Optionally, the communication device 300 may include one or more memories 302, which may store instructions 304 that can be executed on the processor 301, causing the communication device 300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 302 may also store data. The processor 301 and the memories 302 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0206] The memory 302 may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memory such as hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), ROM or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc.

[0207] Optionally, the communication device 300 may further include a transceiver 305 and an antenna 306. The transceiver 305 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmission and reception functions. The transceiver 305 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be referred to as a receiver or receiving circuit, etc., and is used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or transmitting circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0208] In one possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 300 is used to implement the functions of the UE in the above method embodiments:

[0209] Transceiver 305 is used to send random access request messages.

[0210] Transceiver 305 is also used to receive random access response messages, which include beam indication information.

[0211] Processor 301 is used to determine the transmission beam based on beam indication information.

[0212] Transceiver 305 is also used to send connection establishment messages using the determined transmit beam.

[0213] In another possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 300 is used to implement the RAN function in the above method embodiments:

[0214] Transceiver 305 is used to receive random access request messages.

[0215] Processor 301 is used to determine beam indication information based on random access request messages.

[0216] Transceiver 305 is also used to send a random access response message, which includes beam indication information.

[0217] Transceiver 305 is also used for beam receiving connection establishment messages indicated by beam indication information.

[0218] In another possible design, the processor 301 may include a transceiver for implementing receive and transmit functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receive and transmit functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit can be used for reading and writing code / data, or it can be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0219] In another possible design, the processor 301 may optionally store instructions 303, which, when executed on the processor 301, cause the communication device 300 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Instructions 303 may be embedded in the processor 301; in this case, the processor 301 may be implemented in hardware.

[0220] In another possible design, the communication device 300 may include circuitry that performs the functions of transmitting, receiving, or communicating as described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application embodiment can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0221] Those skilled in the art will also understand that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps listed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functionality is implemented through hardware or software depends on the specific application and the overall system design requirements. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality using various methods for each specific application, but such implementation should not be construed as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0222] The embodiments of this application and the above-described method embodiments are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description in the above-described method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0223] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer software instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0224] This application also provides a computer program product for storing computer software instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0225] This application also provides a computer program that, when run on a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0226] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., SSDs), etc.

[0227] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send a random access request message; Receive a random access response message, the random access response message including beam indication information; A connection establishment message is sent based on the beam indication information.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The beam indication information is used to indicate the transmit beam, and the step of sending a connection establishment message according to the beam indication information includes: The transmission beam is determined based on the beam indication information, and the connection establishment message is sent using the transmission beam.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The random access request message includes a random access preamble index value, and the random access response message includes a Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU). The MAC PDU includes at least one Media Access Control Sub-Protocol Data Unit (MAC subPDU) and a beam indication field. Determining the transmit beam based on the beam indication information includes: The MAC subPDU corresponding to the random access request message and the location information of the MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU are determined based on the random access preamble index value. The transmission beam is determined based on the location information, the beam indication field, and the number of beams.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Before sending the random access request message, the method further includes: Receive configuration information, the configuration information including the number of beams corresponding to the connection establishment message, or The configuration information includes a mapping relationship between the number of beams corresponding to the connection establishment message and the number of random access request messages sent.

5. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The random access response message includes beam indication information, including: The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one first MAC subPDU. The first MAC subPDU includes a subheader, which contains a T field, and the T field includes the beam indication information.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The MAC PDU also includes a second MAC subPDU, which is the first MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU. The T field of the second MAC subPDU indicates whether the second MAC subPDU contains a fallback indication BI.

7. The method as described in claim 1, 5, or 6, characterized in that, The random access response message includes beam indication information, including: The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a Media Access Control Random Access Response (MAC RAR). The MAC RAR contains an R field, which includes the beam indication information.

8. The method as described in claim 1, 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that, The random access response message includes beam indication information, including: The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a Media Access Control Random Access Response (MAC RAR). The MAC RAR includes a time advance instruction field, which includes the beam indication information.

9. The method as described in claim 1, 5, 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that, The random access response message includes beam indication information, including: The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a Media Access Control Random Access Response (MAC RAR). The MAC RAR contains a time uplink scheduling information field, which includes the beam indication information.

10. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive downlink control information, which is used to schedule the retransmission of connection establishment messages. The downlink control information includes a new data indication field and a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process number field. The new data indication field and / or the HARQ process number field includes the beam indication information.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The new data indication field includes beam switching information, which indicates whether the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is consistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message. When the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is inconsistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message, the transmit beam is determined according to the HARQ process number field.

12. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The Physical Layer Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) is received. The PDCCH is used to schedule the Physical Layer Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). The PDCCH includes a reserved bit field, which includes the beam indication information. The PDSCH includes the random access response message.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive random access request messages; Based on the random access request message, a random access response message is sent, the random access response message including beam indication information; The beam receiving connection establishment message is indicated by the beam indication information.

14. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU and a beam indication field.

15. The method as described in claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, Before receiving the random access request message, the method further includes: Send configuration information, which includes the number of beams corresponding to the connection establishment message, or The configuration information includes a mapping relationship between the number of beams corresponding to the connection establishment message and the number of random access request messages sent.

16. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The random access response message includes beam indication information, including: The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one first MAC subPDU. The first MAC subPDU includes a subheader, which contains a T field, and the T field includes the beam indication information.

17. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The MAC PDU also includes a second MAC subPDU, which is the first MAC subPDU in the MAC PDU. The T field of the second MAC subPDU indicates whether the second MAC subPDU contains a fallback indication BI.

18. The method as described in claim 13, 16, or 17, characterized in that, The random access response message includes beam indication information, including: The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a Media Access Control Random Access Response (MAC RAR). The MAC RAR contains an R field, which includes the beam indication information.

19. The method as described in claim 13, 16, 17 or 18, characterized in that, The random access response message includes beam indication information, including: The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a Media Access Control Random Access Response (MAC RAR). The MAC RAR includes a time advance instruction field, which includes the beam indication information.

20. The method as described in claim 13, 16, 17, 18 or 19, characterized in that, The random access response message includes beam indication information, including: The random access response message includes a MAC PDU, which includes at least one MAC subPDU. The MAC subPDU includes a subheader and a Media Access Control Random Access Response (MAC RAR). The MAC RAR contains a time uplink scheduling information field, which includes the beam indication information.

21. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send downlink control information, which is used to schedule the retransmission of connection establishment messages. The downlink control information includes a new data indication field and a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process number field. The new data indication field and / or the HARQ process number field includes the beam indication information.

22. The method as described in claim 21, characterized in that, The new data indication field includes beam switching information, which indicates whether the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is consistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message. When the transmit beam of the current connection establishment message is inconsistent with the transmit beam of the first connection establishment message, the HARQ process number field includes the beam indication information.

23. The method as described in claim 21, characterized in that, The method further includes: The Physical Layer Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) is transmitted. The PDCCH is used to schedule the Physical Layer Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). The PDSCH includes a reserved bit field, which includes the beam indication information. The PDSCH also includes the random access response message.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units or modules for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, Including memory and processor; The memory is used to store instructions or computer programs; The processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 23.

26. A wireless communication system, characterized in that, include: A first communication device for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and / or a second communication device for performing the method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes a communication device including the processor to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 23.

28. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising: Computer program code, when executed by a processor, causes a communication device including the processor to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 23.

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