Communication method and application apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and an application apparatus. The method comprises: receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) of a network device, wherein the SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB, the first SSB corresponds to a first beam, the second SSB corresponds to a second beam, and the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted by using the first beam is greater than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted by using the second beam; and on the basis of the received SSB, receiving first information transmitted by means of the network device using a beam corresponding to the SSB. By means of the technical solutions provided in the present application, at least one beam can be used to transmit related information of an SSB corresponding to the beam, such that communication apparatuses within the coverage of the beam receive the information, thereby improving the practicability of information transmission. In the case of repeated transmission of information, coverage enhancement can be achieved.

Description

Communication methods and application devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510088063.5, filed on January 20, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Application Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Compared to terrestrial networks, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) utilize high, medium, and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to achieve wide-area or even global coverage, providing seamless communication services to users worldwide. NTN communication systems can be integrated with terrestrial network systems, leveraging their respective strengths to create a globally seamless, integrated sea, land, air, and space communication network. This meets diverse user needs and represents a crucial direction for future communication development.

[0004] However, while a satellite has a very large potential coverage area, the number of beams it can transmit simultaneously is limited. As a supplement to the terrestrial network, it is necessary to make the most of the limited number of beams to provide effective coverage. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and application apparatus that can use at least one beam to transmit information related to the SSB corresponding to the beam, enabling communication devices within the coverage area of ​​the beam to receive the information, thereby improving the practicality of information transmission. Coverage enhancement can be achieved in the case of repeated information transmission.

[0006] Firstly, this application provides a communication method that can be executed by a terminal device, a module applied to the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. The method may include: receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) from a network device; and receiving first information transmitted using the beam corresponding to the received SSB. The SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB. The first SSB corresponds to a first beam, and the second SSB corresponds to a second beam. The number of times the information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is greater than the number of times the information transmitted using the second beam is repeated. That is, the number of times the first information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is greater than the number of times the first information transmitted using the second beam is repeated. Thus, at least one beam can be used to transmit the relevant information of the SSB corresponding to that beam. When the first beam and the second beam are used together to transmit information, the advantages of different types of beams can be combined, improving the reliability of information received by the terminal device and thus enhancing the user's communication experience. Different types of beams can transmit the same or different information, improving the practicality of information transmission when each type of beam corresponds to the access needs of users within its coverage area. Using beams to repeatedly transmit information can enhance coverage, further improving the reliability of information reception by terminal devices.

[0007] In this application, the synchronization signal block (SSB) can be a type of downlink information, which may include a synchronization signal (SS) and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The synchronization signal can be used to assist the terminal device in downlink synchronization, such as time synchronization or frequency synchronization, to prepare for subsequent access to the wireless network. The PBCH can be used to transmit the master information block (MIB), where the MIB can indicate basic information related to the terminal device's access to the wireless network, such as indicating the candidate time-domain position of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The candidate time-domain position of the PDCCH can also be referred to as the PDCCH search space.

[0008] In this application, the first information can be one or more types of downlink information excluding SSB, and this type of downlink information can be determined by SSB. For example, the first information can be downlink control information (DCI), such as common control signals (CCS); the first information can also be broadcast information scheduled by downlink control information, such as remaining minimum system information (RMSI), and RMSI can include system information block type 1 (SIB1), etc.

[0009] In addition to the downlink information described above, other downlink information, such as message 2 (Msg2) and message 4 (Msg4) used for random access, may also be transmitted or repeatedly transmitted through the first beam and / or the second beam, without limitation. Information transmitted using the first beam and / or the second beam may include the aforementioned first information and other downlink information, and may also include uplink data, such as the second information described later, without limitation.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the link budget of the second beam can be superior to that of the first beam. The link budget refers to the calculation of signal strength from the transmitter to the receiver, as well as the impact of various factors on signal gain and attenuation when transmitting signals through a beam. A superior link budget for the second beam can be understood as the receiver receiving a stronger signal through the second beam compared to the first beam, or as the signal attenuation being less severe when transmitted through the second beam compared to the first beam. If only the first beam is used for information transmission, the terminal device may receive a weaker signal or experience greater attenuation, potentially reducing the reliability of information reception and consequently degrading the user's communication experience.

[0011] In this application, the coverage areas of the first beam and the second beam may be the same or not exactly the same. Optionally, the coverage area of ​​the first beam may include the coverage area of ​​the second beam. For example, if the coverage area of ​​the first beam is larger than the coverage area of ​​the second beam, and the first information is transmitted using only the second beam, terminal devices in the coverage areas outside the coverage area of ​​the first beam may have difficulty receiving or transmitting information, thus reducing the user's communication experience.

[0012] This application does not limit the number of repeated transmissions. In some possible implementations, the number of repeated transmissions of the first information transmitted using the first beam is determined by the protocol or indicated by configuration information. Thus, under the protocol's stipulation or the configuration information's indication, the network device can repeatedly transmit the first information using the first beam, improving the reliability of received information and thereby enhancing the user's communication experience. Optionally, the number of repeated transmissions of the first information transmitted using the second beam is determined by the protocol or indicated by configuration information.

[0013] When the number of repeated transmissions takes the initial transmission into account, the number of repeated transmissions can be greater than or equal to 1. When the number of repeated transmissions does not take the initial transmission into account, the number of repeated transmissions can be greater than or equal to 0. In this application, the number of repeated transmissions is based on taking the initial transmission into account. For example, if the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using a beam is 1, it can be understood that the information is transmitted only once using that beam, and the information is not repeatedly transmitted using that beam.

[0014] In this application, there can be one or more first SSBs and second SSBs. Optionally, the sum of the number of first SSBs and the number of second SSBs can be less than or equal to the total number of SSBs in a single cell. A first SSB corresponds to a first beam, which can be understood as the first beam being used to transmit information corresponding to the first SSB, such as first information and second information. A second SSB corresponds to a second beam, which can be understood as the second beam being used to transmit information corresponding to the second SSB, such as first information and second information.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the first beam corresponds to the index of the first SSB, and the second beam corresponds to an index different from the first SSB. Thus, the first or second beam can be determined by the SSB index. In this application, the SSB index corresponding to the first beam can be agreed upon according to a protocol, and the indices of the remaining SSBs are assumed to correspond to the second beam by default. For example, if the SSB index is agreed to be 0, it corresponds to the first beam, and the remaining indices correspond to the second beam. If there are four SSBs in a cell, and the indices of the four SSBs correspond to 0 to 3 respectively, then the SSB with index 0 corresponds to the first beam, and the first information corresponding to that SSB can be transmitted using the first beam. SSBs with indices 1, 2, or 3 all correspond to the second beam, and the first information corresponding to that SSB can be transmitted using the second beam respectively.

[0016] In some possible implementations, where the second beam does not repeatedly transmit the first information, the timing of retransmitting the first information transmitted using the first beam is after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information transmitted using the first beam and after the search space of the first information transmitted using the second beam. That is, the first information is retransmitted using the first beam only after the first information is transmitted using the first beam and after information is transmitted using the second beam. This method avoids reconfiguring the resources occupied by different SSBs for initial information transmission, saving signaling. After the terminal device receives the initial transmitted information, it no longer needs to monitor subsequent information, saving power consumption. Transmitting the first information on more resources increases the beam's link budget and improves signal decoding performance.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the method may further include receiving configuration information from a network device, which indicates whether to disable the first beam or the second beam. In this way, the network device can manage beam usage to select the appropriate beam for transmission. Disabling either the first or second beam allows for consideration of both network-side power consumption and terminal communication performance.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the method may further include: upon receiving a first SSB based on the transmission period of a first beam, blindly detecting a second SSB and / or a second beam based on the transmission period of the first beam to obtain the transmission period of the second beam. Thus, the network device can obtain the transmission period of the second beam by blindly detecting the second SSB and / or the second beam based on the transmission period of the first beam, without indicating the first beam (as its index corresponds to the first SSB) and its transmission period, but without indicating the transmission periods of the second beam and the second beam, thereby saving signaling. The terminal device can access the wireless network using the second beam through the blindly detected second SSB, thus enabling multiple access methods and making the terminal device's access to the wireless network more flexible and variable.

[0019] In some possible implementations, the duration of blind detection of the second SSB and / or the second beam is longer than the transmission period of the first beam. This allows the terminal device to expand the search range beyond the transmission period of the first beam, enabling blind detection of the second SSB and / or the second beam within a larger search window, thus improving the success rate of blind detection.

[0020] In some possible implementations, the method may further include: if the first SSB is received based on the transmission period of the first beam, the second SSB is not monitored. This simplifies the information reception process of the terminal device and reduces its power consumption.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the method may further include: transmitting second information to a network device using the received beam, the second information being used to access the network device's communication network. Thus, the terminal device can initiate a random access procedure by transmitting the second information to the network device using the received beam.

[0022] In this application, the second information can be uplink information, such as message 1 (Msg1), message 3 (Msg3), etc., used for random access. Other uplink information not covered in this application may also be transmitted or repeatedly transmitted using the first beam and / or the second beam, and is not limited here.

[0023] In some possible implementations, a second information is transmitted to a network device using the received beam. This second information is used to access the network device's communication network. This includes transmitting the second information using the second beam after receiving both first information transmitted using the first beam and first information transmitted using the second beam. The link budget of the second beam is superior to that of the first beam. Thus, by using the second beam with the better link budget for access, the terminal device can improve the success rate of accessing the wireless network, reduce the time required to access the wireless network, and enhance communication performance and user experience.

[0024] Secondly, this application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device, a module applied to the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. The method may include: sending a synchronization signal block (SSB) to a terminal device; and transmitting first information using the beam corresponding to the SSB. The SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB. The first SSB corresponds to a first beam, and the second SSB corresponds to a second beam. The number of times the information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is greater than the number of times the information transmitted using the second beam is repeated.

[0025] In some possible implementations, when the first information is not repeatedly transmitted using the second beam, the timing of the repeated transmission of the first information using the first beam is located after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information using the first beam and the search space of the first information using the second beam.

[0026] In some possible implementations, the method may further include sending configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information being used to indicate whether to turn off the first beam or the second beam.

[0027] In some possible implementations, the first beam corresponds to the index of the first SSB, and the second beam corresponds to the index of the second SSB.

[0028] In some possible implementations, the method may further include: receiving second information transmitted by the terminal device using the beam corresponding to the SSB, the second information being used to access the communication network of the network device.

[0029] In some possible implementations, the number of times the information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is determined by the protocol or indicated by configuration information.

[0030] It should be understood that the implementing entity of the second aspect can be a network device, the specific content of the second aspect corresponds to the content of the first aspect, and the corresponding features of the second aspect and the beneficial effects achieved can be referred to the description of the first aspect. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0031] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device for executing the methods of the first aspect and its possible implementations, and the second aspect and its possible implementations. The communication device includes units for executing the methods of the first aspect and its possible implementations, and the second aspect and its possible implementations. The units in the third aspect can also be replaced by modules or means, etc. The aforementioned units can be implemented in software, in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0032] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, which may include a processor, a memory, an input interface, and an output interface. The input interface is used to receive information from other communication devices outside the device, and the output interface is used to output information to other communication devices outside the device. The processor invokes a computer program stored in the memory to execute the communication method provided by the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0033] Fifthly, this application provides a communication system including a terminal device and a network device. When the terminal device and the network device are running in the system, the terminal device is used to execute the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, and the network device is used to execute the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0034] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions or a computer program that, when executed, causes the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof, to be performed.

[0035] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product including instructions that, when the computer program product is run on a communication device, cause the methods in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof, to be executed.

[0036] Eighthly, this application provides a chip including at least one processor for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory, such that the methods in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof, are executed.

[0037] Ninthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory, such that the methods in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof, are executed.

[0038] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and may further include a memory, for implementing the methods of the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The device may be a chip system, which may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Attached Figure Description

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the background art, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application or the background art will be described below.

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figures 2a and 2b are schematic diagrams of the architecture of an NTN communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figures 3a, 3b, and 3c are schematic diagrams of the search space and transmission timing of a PDCCH provided by the prior art.

[0043] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the coverage area of ​​a beam provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the transmission period of a beam provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figures 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of a first information repetition transmission provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0047] FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a second information transmission provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0052] Terms such as "first" and "second" in the specification, claims and drawings of the present application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally further include unlisted steps or units, or may optionally further include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0053] Referring to "embodiment" herein means that a specific feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The phrase appearing at various positions in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0054] In the present application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three or more, and "and / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously. Among them, A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents that the associated objects before and after are an "or" relationship. "At least one (one) of the following or similar expressions" refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (one) or plural items (ones). For example, at least one (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, c can be single or multiple.

[0055] In this application, "send request" can be understood as one device sending a request to another device, or it can also be understood as one logic module within a device sending a request to another logic module. For example, "terminal device send request" can be understood as a terminal device sending a request to another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logic module 1 in the terminal device sending a request to logic module 2 in the terminal device.

[0056] In this application, "receive request" can be understood as one device receiving a request from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving a request from another logical module. For example, "terminal device receive request" can be understood as a terminal device receiving a request from another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the terminal device receiving a request from logical module 2 in the terminal device.

[0057] In this application, "send a request to (e.g., a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the request being the terminal. This can include sending the request directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receive a request from (e.g., a terminal)" or "receive a request from (e.g., a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include receiving the request directly or indirectly from the terminal. The request may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand a valid request from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0058] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) system, Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) system, and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) system. The technical solutions of this application embodiment can also be applied to other communication systems, such as public land mobile network (PLMN) systems, LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), 5th generation (5G), new radio (NR), machine-to-machine (M2M), NTN, or other future evolution communication systems. This application embodiment does not limit these applications. NTN can be a communication system integrated with other communication systems such as 4G, 5G, or future communication systems, such as NR NTN, Internet of Things (IoT) NTN, etc.

[0059] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of this application is described below:

[0060] For example, please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The terminal device can be connected to the network device wirelessly or via a wired connection, enabling uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) communication between the terminal device and the network device. Terminal devices can also be connected wirelessly or via a wired connection, enabling sidelink (SL) communication between them.

[0061] Terminal equipment can also refer to modules (e.g., chips) used in terminal equipment. Terminal equipment is an entity on the user side used to receive or transmit signals, such as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device. Terminal devices can also include mobile phones, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, terminal devices in 5G networks, and terminal devices in PLMNs that evolve after 5G. In addition, terminal devices may also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas station sensors. Their main functions include collecting data (for some terminal devices), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and transmitting uplink data to network devices by sending electromagnetic waves. This application does not limit these aspects.

[0062] As an example and not a limitation, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on only one type of application function and require the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry.

[0063] In Figure 1, network devices are exemplified using access network (AN) devices. Access network devices, also known as radio access network (RAN) devices, or simply access networks, are nodes or devices that connect terminal devices to a wireless network. In other words, the access network provides access services to terminal devices, enabling them to access (or connect to) the network. Access networks can support both wired and wireless access.

[0064] A network area network (RAN) typically includes base stations and radio antennas. A base station is a network device with wireless transceiver capabilities used to communicate with terminal devices, or it can be a device that connects terminal devices to a wireless network. A base station can be a node (or device) in the RAN, or it can be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, a next-generation Node B (gNB) in 5G networks, a base station in a future public land mobile network (PLMN), a broadband network gateway (BNG), an aggregation switch, or a non-3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access device, etc. Base stations can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, equipment that implements base station functions in communication systems evolved after 5G, access points (APs), transmitting and receiving points (TRPs), transmitting points (TPs) in WiFi systems, mobile switching centers, and equipment that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. They can also include centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs) in cloud radio access networks (C-RAN) systems, network equipment (such as satellites) in NTN communication systems, evolved universal terrestrial radio access networks (E-UTRAN) in evolved packet systems (EPS), and next-generation radio access networks (NGRs) in 5G systems (5GS). network, NG-RAN).E-UTRAN, as the RAN of EPS, is responsible for transmitting data between terminal equipment and the evolved packet core (EPC); NG-RAN, as the RAN of 5GS, is responsible for transmitting data between terminal equipment and the 5G core (5GC).

[0065] In the embodiments of this application, although access network devices and terminal devices are shown in the network architecture shown in FIG1, the application scenario may not be limited to access network devices and terminal devices. For example, it may also include devices for carrying virtualized network functions, which are obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0066] Furthermore, the number and types of network devices and terminal devices included in the network architecture shown in Figure 1 are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, it may also include more or fewer terminal devices communicating with the network devices. As another example, it may also include more or fewer network devices communicating with the terminal devices. For the sake of brevity, they are not described one by one in the accompanying drawings.

[0067] Optionally, the communication system may also include network devices not shown in Figure 1, such as core network (CN) devices, data network (DN) devices, cellular internet of things (CIoT) devices, etc.

[0068] In different communication systems, the core network equipment (hereinafter referred to as the core network) can correspond to different devices. For example, in a 3G communication system, the core network can correspond to the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and / or the Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN); in EPS, the core network can correspond to the EPC, which is responsible for implementing core functions such as user access, session management, policy control, and data forwarding. The EPC can include the Mobility Management Entity (MME) network element, Serving Gateway (SGW), Home Subscriber Server (HSS) network element, Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW), Short Message Service Gateway Mobile Switching Center (SMS-GMSC), Interworking Mobile Switching Center (IWMSC), Short Message Service Router (SMS-Router), Interworking Function (IWF) network element, and Policy and Charging Rules function. In 5GS, the core network can correspond to 5GC, which is responsible for managing terminal equipment access, session management, data flow control, and network service quality. 5GC can include user plane processing units and control plane processing units. The control plane processing unit can include access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, service capability exposure function (SCEF) network elements, etc. The user plane processing unit can include user plane function (UPF) network elements, etc.

[0069] In some satellite communication scenarios, network equipment can also be satellite communication terminals, such as portable stations, fixed stations, vehicle-mounted or airborne satellite communication terminals, etc. It should be understood that in these scenarios, the satellite communication terminal communicates with the satellite and can act as a micro base station to further provide data interfaces to user equipment accessing the satellite communication terminal. In the embodiments of this application, the satellite can be a low-Earth orbit satellite, a medium-Earth orbit satellite, a high-Earth orbit satellite, a broadband internet satellite, a mobile communication satellite, an IoT communication satellite, a dedicated communication satellite, a satellite relay communication satellite, a broadcast and multicast satellite, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this. The satellite mentioned in the embodiments of this application can refer to a collection of satellites and other network devices related to satellite communication. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, the descriptions "satellite" and "satellite network device" are equivalent, and will not be elaborated further thereafter.

[0070] This application does not limit the location of the terminal equipment and network equipment. The terminal equipment and network equipment can be in a fixed state or in a mobile state. The terminal equipment and network equipment can be deployed on land, or on water, in the air, etc.

[0071] For example, please refer to Figures 2a and 2b, which are schematic diagrams of the architecture of an NTN communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figures 2a and 2b illustrate an NTN communication system integrated with a 5G communication system, which can be understood as an NTN-based NG-RAN architecture. It should be understood that the solution provided in this embodiment can also be applied to NTN communication systems integrated with 4G communication systems, NTN communication systems integrated with future evolving communication systems, etc., and this embodiment does not limit its application in this regard. The architecture of the NTN communication system shown in Figures 2a and 2b may include:

[0072] 1) Terminal equipment: The description of the terminal equipment can be found in Figure 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0073] 2) Satellite: The description of the satellite can be found above and will not be repeated here. In Figure 2a, the satellite can be responsible for the functions of the access network device, used to connect terminal devices to the wireless network. The description of the access network device can be found in the description of the network device in Figure 1 and will not be repeated here. In Figure 2b, the satellite can be a transparent node and does not perform the functions of the access network device.

[0074] 3) Ground Station: In Figure 2a, the ground station can be a transparent node responsible for forwarding signaling and service data between the satellite and the core network equipment on the ground. In Figure 2b, the ground station can be responsible for the functions of access network equipment, used to connect terminal equipment to the wireless network. The description of the access network equipment can be found in the description of the network equipment in Figure 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0075] 4) Core network equipment: The core network equipment can be 5GC. The description of 5GC can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0076] 5) Data network equipment: Data network equipment is a data network for user data, used to provide data traffic transmission and management, and to connect various data communication services. Data network equipment can be the Internet or a private network for enterprises.

[0077] 6) New Radio (NR) Interface: The NR interface is used for communication between terminal equipment and satellites.

[0078] 7) Xn interface: The Xn interface is used for communication and coordination between different satellites.

[0079] 8) Next Generation (NG) Interface: The NG interface is used for communication between ground stations and core network equipment. For example, it can be used to transmit non-access stratum (NAS) signaling of core network equipment and user service data.

[0080] As shown in Figure 2a, the satellite is responsible for the functions of the access network equipment. The satellite communicates directly with the terminal equipment through the NR interface and communicates and coordinates with other satellites through the Xn interface. Additionally, the satellite transmits data to the ground station through the NG interface. The ground station connects to the core network equipment, which ultimately connects to the data network equipment. As shown in Figure 2b, the ground station is responsible for the functions of the access network equipment, while the satellite is a transparent node and does not handle these functions. The satellite communicates directly with the terminal equipment through the air interface, but satellites cannot communicate or coordinate directly with each other. Furthermore, the satellite transmits data to the ground station through the air interface. The ground station connects to the core network equipment, which ultimately connects to the data network equipment.

[0081] The system architecture shown in Figures 2a and 2b does not limit the number of network devices such as terminal devices, satellites, or ground stations. For example, it may include multiple terminal devices and multiple network devices. For the sake of simplicity, they are not described one by one in the figures.

[0082] This application does not limit the form of network devices such as terminal devices, satellites, or ground stations. The device used to implement the functions of a terminal device can be the terminal device itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing that function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. Similarly, the device used to implement the functions of a network device can be a network device; it can also be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing that function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete components.

[0083] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the relevant concepts involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced first.

[0084] (1) SSB: The SSB can include a synchronization signal and a PBCH. The synchronization signal helps the terminal device perform downlink synchronization, such as time synchronization or frequency synchronization, to prepare for subsequent access to the wireless network. The PBCH can be used to transmit the MIB, which indicates basic information related to the terminal device's access to the wireless network. For example, it indicates the candidate time domain position of the PDCCH, which can also be called the PDCCH search space, and this search space can be the common search space (CSS). The PDCCH can also be used to transmit downlink control information, which instructs the terminal device when or on what frequency to receive broadcast information scheduled by the downlink control information, such as RMSI.

[0085] (2) RMSI: RMSI is used to supplement the information provided by MIB, providing terminal devices with the key parameters required for random access. RMSI may include SIB1, which is mainly sent through the Physical Down Link Shared Channel (PDSCH). The PDSCH channel requires downlink control information from PDCCH for scheduling. SIB1 can be used to indicate the location of the random access opportunity (RO). The terminal device can send Msg1 to the network device on the RO. Msg1 can also be called a preamble and can be used in the communication network to access the network device, for example, in the random access procedure.

[0086] After receiving the SSB, the terminal device can achieve time or frequency synchronization with the network device. Then, the terminal device determines the search space of the PDCCH based on the SSB, performs blind detection on the downlink control information of the PDCCH within this search space, and subsequently obtains the RMSI, such as SIB1, based on the downlink control information.

[0087] The candidate time-domain location of the PDCCH can be related to different frequency bands, different subcarrier spacings, and the time-frequency relative positions of the SSB and PDCCH. For a subcarrier spacing of (15, 30, 60, 120) kHz (subcarrier spacing = 15 * 2^μ), the search space for the PDCCH is time slot n0 and time slot n0+1. That is, the PDCCH may be in time slot n0 or time slot n0+1, and the terminal device needs to receive the PDCCH through blind detection. The time slot n0 in which the PDCCH search space is located can satisfy the following formula:

[0088] Where O can be the time slot offset. M can be a parameter related to the number of search spaces in each time slot. For example, M=1 can mean that there is 1 search space in each time slot, and M=0.5 can mean that there is 2 search spaces in each time slot. It can be the number of time slots included in a system frame, i can be the index of the SSB, and μ can be a parameter related to the subcarrier spacing. This can be represented as the product of i and M rounded down. It can represent Divide by Take the remainder.

[0089] When μ∈{0,1,2,3,5,6}, if the following conditions are met Then time slot n0 is located in a frame with an even system frame number (SFN). If the following conditions are met... Then time slot n0 is located in a frame where SFN is odd.

[0090] The candidate time-domain position of the PDCCH can be related to different frequency bands, different subcarrier spacings, and the time-frequency relative position relationship between the SSB and the PDCCH. When the frequency band is band 1 (FR1) (less than 6 GHz) and the relative position relationship between the SSB and the PDCCH is time-division, the starting symbol of the candidate time-domain position of the PDCCH can be determined by the following Table 1.

[0091] Table 1

[0092] As shown in Table 1, an index can be used to indicate the starting symbol of the search space, and this index can be indicated by the MIB message in the SSB. O and M can be referenced above. This could be the number of symbols occupied by a PDCCH. For example, if the index is 1, If the value of i is 2 and i is odd, then according to Table 1, the starting symbol of the search space is 2. If the number of search spaces is 2, it means that i = 0 needs to... Blind detection is performed in two search spaces, i=1 needs to Use two search spaces to search.

[0093] Optionally, when the search spaces of the PDCCHs corresponding to two SSBs overlap, the network device can schedule the two PDCCHs to be placed in different search spaces, transmitting them at different times to avoid duplication of transmission times. For example, please refer to Figures 3a, 3b, and 3c. Figures 3a, 3b, and 3c use time slots n0 and n0+1 as examples, each time slot including 14 symbols, labeled 0 to 13. The time-domain resources corresponding to symbols 0 to 3 in time slots n0 and n0+1 are the search space of SSB0, and the time-domain resources corresponding to symbols 2 to 5 in time slots n0 and n0+1 are the search space of SSB1. Symbols filled with black horizontal lines indicate the transmission time of the PDCCH corresponding to SSB0, and symbols surrounded by dashed lines indicate the transmission time of the PDCCH corresponding to SSB1. It is evident that even if the search spaces of the PDCCHs corresponding to the two SSBs overlap, the PDCCHs corresponding to the two SSBs can be transmitted separately at different transmission times, thereby avoiding the transmission of PDCCHs on the same resource.

[0094] The process for a terminal device to access the network may include a random access procedure. For example, a random access procedure may include the following steps: the terminal device sends Msg1 to the network device; the network device sends Msg2 to the terminal device; the terminal device sends message 3 (Msg3) to the network device; and the network device sends Msg4 to the terminal device.

[0095] Msg1 can include a preamble sequence. When sending the preamble sequence, the terminal device can randomly select a resource to send it. If multiple terminal devices send the same preamble sequence on the same resource, a collision will occur. If multiple terminals send different preamble sequences on the same resource, and these sequences are orthogonal, then a collision will not occur.

[0096] Msg2 can carry the preamble sequence, indicating that the network device has detected it. Msg2 can also carry a random access response (RAR). If the network device detects m preamble sequences on this time-frequency resource, Msg2 will carry m RARs (random access responses). Here, m is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0097] Optionally, the random access response may include at least one of the following: timing advanced command, uplink grant (UL grant), cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and reserved bits.

[0098] Optionally, Msg2 may include uplink authorization information. This uplink authorization information may include first indication information, which indicates the allowed transport block size in Msg3.

[0099] For the terminal device, upon receiving Msg2, it checks whether Msg2 contains a preamble sequence previously sent by the terminal device. If Msg2 does not contain a preamble sequence previously sent by the terminal device, random access is considered to have failed, and the terminal device needs to re-execute the step of sending Msg1. If Msg2 contains a preamble sequence previously sent by the terminal device, the terminal device sends Msg3 according to the time-frequency resources specified in the uplink grant indication in the random access response corresponding to the preamble sequence. When sending the message, the terminal device carries its identifier (such as C-RNTI or a terminal device identifier from the core network) in message 3. Therefore, Msg3 carries the identifier of the terminal device to identify the current terminal device requesting access. Msg4 can be understood as a contention resolution message.

[0100] The above random access procedure can be a contention-based random access procedure or a non-contention-based random access procedure. In addition to the steps described above, the random access procedure may include other steps, or may not include the steps described above; this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0101] This application proposes a communication method that can use at least one beam to transmit information related to the SSB corresponding to that beam, enabling communication devices within the coverage area of ​​the beam to receive the information, thereby improving the practicality of information transmission. Coverage enhancement can be achieved in the case of repeated information transmission.

[0102] The following descriptions will illustrate these methods through various embodiments. It should be understood that these methods can be used in combination. The technical solutions provided in this application are not limited to the processes described below. Furthermore, the scenario descriptions in this application are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the solutions described. The solutions in this application are applicable not only to the described scenarios but also to scenarios with similar problems.

[0103] The terminal device in this application embodiment can be the terminal device shown in Figure 1, the terminal device shown in Figure 2a, or the terminal device shown in Figure 2b. The functions performed by the terminal device in this application embodiment can also be performed by a device (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) within the terminal device. The network device in this application embodiment can be the network device shown in Figure 1, the satellite shown in Figure 2a, or the ground station shown in Figure 2b. The functions performed by the network device in this application embodiment can also be performed by a device (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) within the network device. The embodiments of this application are uniformly described here and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0104] Optionally, the communication method is applicable to NTN communication scenarios, meaning that the network device in the method can be a non-terrestrial network device.

[0105] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4:

[0106] Step S401: The network device sends an SSB to the terminal device; wherein, the SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB, the first SSB corresponds to a first beam, the second SSB corresponds to a second beam, and the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the first beam is greater than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the second beam.

[0107] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the SSB from the network device.

[0108] The description of SSB can be found above and will not be repeated here. SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB. That is, the network device can transmit the first SSB and the second SSB, or it can transmit the first SSB without transmitting the second SSB, or it can transmit the second SSB without transmitting the first SSB.

[0109] In the embodiments of this application, the first SSB corresponds to the first beam, which can be understood as the first beam being used to transmit information corresponding to the first SSB, such as first information and second information. The second SSB corresponds to the second beam, which can be understood as the second beam being used to transmit information corresponding to the second SSB, such as first information and second information.

[0110] In some possible implementations, the first beam corresponds to the index of the first SSB, and the second beam corresponds to the index of the second SSB. Thus, the first or second beam can be determined by the SSB index. In this application, the SSB index corresponding to the first beam can be agreed upon according to the protocol, and the indices of the remaining SSBs are assumed to correspond to the second beam by default. That is, the second beam corresponds to an index different from the first SSB index. This saves signaling. For example, if the SSB index is specified as 0, it corresponds to the first beam, and the remaining indices correspond to the second beam. If there are four SSBs in a cell, and the indices of the four SSBs correspond to 0 to 3 respectively, then the SSB with index 0 corresponds to the first beam, and the first information corresponding to that SSB can be transmitted using the first beam. SSBs with indices of 1, 2, or 3 all correspond to the second beam, and the first information corresponding to that SSB can be transmitted using the second beam respectively.

[0111] The above example uses 0 as the index of the first SSB. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the index of the first SSB; it is understood that other indices suitable for actual applications can be selected. Optionally, the correspondence between different beams and SSB indices can be agreed upon through a protocol or indicated according to configuration information. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the correspondence between beams and indices; it is understood that other methods suitable for actual applications can also be selected, and will not be elaborated further hereafter.

[0112] Network devices can use the beam corresponding to the SSB and transmit the SSB to the terminal device via broadcast. Understandably, other methods of transmitting SSB that suit the actual application can also be chosen, which will not be elaborated further.

[0113] This application does not specify the type and number of beams. The first beam can be a wide beam, and the second beam can be a narrow beam. Understandably, other types that suit the actual application can also be chosen, which will not be elaborated further.

[0114] In this application, the coverage areas of the first beam and the second beam may be the same or not exactly the same. Optionally, the coverage area of ​​the first beam may include the coverage area of ​​the second beam. The following example illustrates a case where the coverage areas of the first beam and the second beam are not exactly the same. Please refer to Figure 5, which shows a first cell and a second cell. The first cell includes the receiving areas of four SSBs (SSBs) from SSB0 to SSB3, and the second cell includes the receiving areas of three SSBs (SSBs) from SSB0 to SSB2. The receiving area of ​​SSB0 in these two cells is the entire cell, while the receiving areas of SSB1, SSB2, and SSB3 can be partial areas within the cell or partial cells. When SSB0 corresponds to the first beam, terminal devices in any area of ​​the entire cell may receive SSB1 and information transmitted using the first beam. When SSB1, SSB2, and SSB3 correspond to the second beam, the SSB and information transmitted using the second beam can be received within the receiving areas of these SSBs in the cell, but may not be received outside the receiving areas of these SSBs. In other words, the coverage area of ​​the first beam is the receiving area of ​​SSB0 in Figure 5, and the coverage area of ​​the second beam is the receiving area of ​​SSB1, SSB2 or SSB3 in Figure 5.

[0115] The receiving area of ​​the second SSB can be a hotspot area, such as an area with high demand for terminal device traffic, a concentrated number of users, or frequent resource usage.

[0116] Figure 5 illustrates an example with one first SSB and multiple second SSBs. In reality, there can be multiple first SSBs and one second SSB. The sum of the first and second SSB counts can be less than or equal to the total number of SSBs in a single cell. As shown in Figure 5, a cell has a total of 4 SSBs, the first cell has 4 SSBs, and the second cell has 3 SSBs. This application does not limit the total number of SSBs in a single cell; the total number of SSBs in a single cell can be related to the frequency band of that cell.

[0117] When the total number of SSBs in a single cell is M, if the coverage area of ​​the first beam is the entire cell, then the number of the first SSB can be 1, and the number of the second SSB can be M-1. This application does not specifically limit M in its embodiments.

[0118] The link budgets of the first and second beams can differ. The link budget refers to the calculation of signal strength from the transmitter to the receiver, as well as the impact of various factors on signal gain and attenuation when transmitting signals through a beam. For example, the link budget of the second beam can be superior to that of the first beam. This can be understood as the receiver receiving a stronger signal through the second beam compared to the first beam, or as the signal attenuation being less when transmitted through the second beam compared to the first beam. Therefore, the second beam can provide better communication quality.

[0119] If the link budget of the second beam is better than that of the first beam, and the first information is transmitted using only the first beam, the signal strength that the terminal device can receive through the first beam may be lower or the attenuation may be greater, which may reduce the reliability of the information received by the terminal device and thus reduce the user's communication experience.

[0120] When the coverage area of ​​the first beam is greater than that of the second beam, if the second beam is used alone to transmit the first information, the terminal device may be unable to receive the information or may have difficulty receiving it in certain areas. This could reduce the reliability of the terminal device's information reception and thus potentially degrade the user's communication experience. However, when both the first and second beams are used to transmit the first information, the advantages of different beam types can be combined, improving the reliability of the terminal device's information reception and thus enhancing the user's communication experience.

[0121] This application does not limit the duration of the transmission period of the first beam and the transmission period of the second beam; they can be the transmission periods of the corresponding SSBs. If a beam corresponds to multiple SSBs, the transmission period of the beam can be the shortest transmission period, the longest transmission period, or the average duration of the transmission periods of the multiple SSBs, etc., and is not limited here.

[0122] In this application, the duration of the transmission period of the first beam and the second beam may include any of the following forms:

[0123] In the first scenario, the transmission periods of both the first and second beams can be fixed values. For example, the transmission period of the first beam can be 160ms, and the transmission period of the second beam can be 320ms.

[0124] The second approach involves using a fixed transmission period for the first beam and a variable transmission period for the second beam. For example, the transmission period of the second beam can vary between a threshold A2 and a threshold B2. Threshold A2 can be the minimum transmission period of the second beam, and threshold B2 can be the maximum transmission period of the second beam.

[0125] Thirdly, the transmission periods of both the first and second beams can be variable. For example, the transmission period of the first beam varies between threshold A1 and threshold B1, and the transmission period of the second beam varies between threshold A2 and threshold B2. Threshold A1 can be the minimum transmission period of the first beam, and threshold B1 can be the maximum transmission period of the first beam. Threshold A2 can be the minimum transmission period of the second beam, and threshold B2 can be the maximum transmission period of the second beam.

[0126] This application does not specifically limit the thresholds A1, A2, B1, and B2. Thresholds B1 and B2 can be the same or different; it is understood that other thresholds suitable for practical applications can be selected. In this application, thresholds B1 and B2 can be configured. That is, the upper limit of the transmission period can be limited. In this way, the beam corresponding to an SSB can be determined within the longest time required to detect an SSB beam.

[0127] The duration of the transmission period of the first beam may be less than the duration of the transmission period of the second beam, or the duration of the transmission period of the first beam may be equal to the duration of the transmission period of the second beam, or the duration of the transmission period of the first beam may be greater than the duration of the transmission period of the second beam. This application embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0128] For example, please refer to Figure 6. In Figure 6, the grid surrounded by solid lines can represent information transmitted using the first beam, and the grid surrounded by dashed lines can represent information transmitted using the second beam. The transmission period of the first beam is labeled "first period," and the transmission period of the second beam is labeled "second period." As shown in Figure 6, the transmission period of the first beam is shorter than the transmission period of the second beam.

[0129] In some possible implementations, prior to step S401, configuration information may be used to indicate the transmission period of the beam. The beam may be a first beam and a second beam, or one of the first beam and a second beam; this is not limited here.

[0130] In this application, the configuration information can be a MIB or a part of a MIB. The description of the MIB can be found above and will not be repeated here. When the configuration information is used to indicate the transmission period of the first beam, the terminal device can determine the transmission period of the second beam by blind detection. The protocol can be used to help the terminal device determine the beam type by blind detection, and it can also be used to help the terminal device determine the beam transmission period by blind detection.

[0131] Optionally, after step S402, the method may further include: when receiving a first SSB based on the transmission period of the first beam, blindly detecting a second SSB and / or a second beam based on the transmission period of the first beam to obtain the transmission period of the second beam. In this way, the network device can blindly detect the second SSB and / or the second beam based on the transmission period of the first beam to obtain the transmission period of the second beam when indicating the first beam (such as corresponding to the index of the first SSB) and the transmission period of the first beam, without indicating the second beam and the transmission period of the second beam, which can save signaling. The terminal device can use the second beam obtained by blind detection to access the wireless network through the second SSB, so that multiple access methods can be realized, making the solution for the terminal device to access the wireless network more flexible and variable.

[0132] Exemplarily, the terminal device may use the end time of the transmission period of the first beam as the initial time for blindly detecting the second SSB and / or the second beam. When the received SSB does not correspond to the first beam afterwards, for example, the index of the SSB is not the index of the first SSB, the second SSB obtained by blind detection is determined. The transmission period of the second beam may be determined according to the duration of receiving the second SSB and the transmission period of the first beam. For example, the transmission period of the second beam is the sum of the transmission period of the first beam and the duration of receiving the second SSB, or may be the sum of the transmission period of the first beam, the duration of receiving the second SSB, and a preset duration, etc. This application does not limit the preset duration, which may be agreed upon by the protocol or configured by the network side, etc.

[0133] In some possible implementation manners, the duration of blindly detecting the transmission period of the second SSB and / or the second beam by the terminal device may be greater than the duration of the transmission period of the first beam. For example, the duration of the transmission period of the first beam may be a milliseconds, and the duration of the transmission period of the second beam may be b milliseconds, where a < b. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the values of a and b. For example, a is 160 and b is 320. The terminal device may increase the search range based on the duration of the transmission period of the first beam, so as to blindly detect the transmission period of the second SSB and / or the second beam within a time window corresponding to a larger search range (such as 320 ms), which is beneficial to improving the success rate of blind detection.

[0134] Optionally, if the terminal device first receives the first SSB and determines that the first SSB corresponds to the first beam, the terminal device may continue to wait for receiving SSBs with other indexes. If the terminal device does not receive SSBs with other indexes within the maximum value of the transmission period of the second beam, it indicates that there is no second SSB sent in the current coverage area.

[0135] This application does not specifically limit the method of blind detection of the second beam transmission period of the terminal device in the embodiments. It is understood that other methods that conform to the actual application can also be selected, which will not be elaborated hereafter.

[0136] Optionally, after determining the transmission period of the second beam, the terminal device can obtain the first information transmitted using the second beam according to the transmission period of the second beam, thereby enabling it to access the wireless network using the second beam.

[0137] Optionally, after step S402, the method may further include: if a first SSB is received based on the transmission period of the first beam, then the second SSB is not monitored. For example, assuming the transmission period of the first beam is 160ms, when the terminal device detects the wide beam within a 160ms window, there is no need to monitor the second SSB. This simplifies the information reception process of the terminal device and reduces its power consumption.

[0138] Optionally, before step S401, the method may further include: the network device sending configuration information to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information from the network device. This configuration information is used to indicate whether to turn off the first beam or the second beam.

[0139] The configuration information can be a MIB or a part of a MIB. The description of the MIB can be referred to above and will not be repeated here. The configuration information can be the aforementioned configuration information or other configuration information. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the configuration information. It is understood that other configuration information that conforms to the actual application can also be selected, which will not be repeated here.

[0140] The configuration information is used to indicate whether to turn off the first beam or the second beam. That is, the configuration information can be used to indicate that the first beam is turned off and the second beam is not turned off; the configuration information can also be used to indicate that the second beam is turned off and the first beam is not turned off; the configuration information can also be used to indicate that the first beam and the second beam are turned off; the configuration information can also be used to indicate that the first beam and the second beam are not turned off, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0141] Optionally, after step S401 and before step S402, or after step S402, the network device may send configuration information to the terminal device based on different channel quality feedback. This configuration information indicates whether to turn off the first beam or the second beam. Channel quality refers to the quality of the wireless channel between the terminal device and the network device, and it is typically evaluated using parameters such as signal-to-noise ratio, bit error rate, and bandwidth utilization.

[0142] For example, if the channel quality is good within the coverage area of ​​the second beam (e.g., signal-to-noise ratio higher than threshold x, bandwidth utilization lower than threshold y, and bit error rate lower than threshold z), the terminal device can obtain high-quality communication within the coverage area of ​​the second beam. Therefore, based on the feedback from the above channel quality, the network device can send configuration information to the terminal device, which can be used to instruct the first beam to be turned off. This application does not specifically limit the thresholds x, y, and z; it is understood that other thresholds suitable for actual applications can be selected.

[0143] Understandably, in this method, network devices can manage beam usage through configuration information to select suitable beams for transmission. By disabling either the first or second beam, the power consumption on the network side and the communication performance of the terminal can be considered together.

[0144] Step S402: The network device uses a beam to transmit the first information to the terminal device.

[0145] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first information transmitted by the network device using the beam corresponding to the received SSB. The beam may include a first beam and / or a second beam. That is, in this embodiment, the SSB received by the terminal device may include the following three cases:

[0146] In the first scenario, the network device uses the first beam to transmit the SSB corresponding to the first beam to the terminal device, and the network device does not use the second beam to transmit the SSB corresponding to the second beam to the terminal device.

[0147] In the second scenario, the network device uses the second beam to transmit the SSB corresponding to the second beam to the terminal device, and the network device does not use the first beam to transmit the SSB corresponding to the first beam to the terminal device.

[0148] In the third case, the network device uses the first beam to transmit the SSB corresponding to the first beam to the terminal device, and the network device also uses the second beam to transmit the SSB corresponding to the second beam to the terminal device.

[0149] In this embodiment, the first information can be one or more downlink information excluding SSB, and this type of downlink information can be determined by SSB. For example, the first information can be downlink control information, such as CCS; the first information can also be broadcast information scheduled by downlink control information, such as RMSI, and RMSI can include SIB1, etc. In addition to the downlink information described above, other downlink information, such as Msg2, Msg4, etc., are used for random access. This embodiment does not specifically limit the first information, and it is understood that other first information that conforms to the actual application can also be selected, which will not be described again here. The information transmitted using the first beam and / or the second beam can include the above-mentioned first information and other downlink information, and can also include uplink data, such as the second information described later, etc., which are not limited here.

[0150] The number of times the information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is greater than the number of times the information transmitted using the second beam is repeated. Therefore, in step S402, the number of times the first information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is greater than the number of times the first information transmitted using the second beam is repeated. For example, the number of times the CCS transmitted using the first beam is repeated is 4, and the number of times the CCS transmitted using the second beam is repeated is 1.

[0151] In this embodiment, considering the initial transmission, the number of repeated transmissions can be greater than or equal to 1. In the case where the initial transmission is not considered, the number of repeated transmissions can be greater than or equal to 0. The number of repeated transmissions in this embodiment is based on the initial transmission and will not be elaborated further. If the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the first beam is greater than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the second beam, the information transmitted using the first beam is repeated; the information transmitted using the second beam may or may not be repeated, without limitation. When using the second beam, the number of repeated transmissions of the same information only needs to be less than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the first beam.

[0152] In some possible implementations, the number of times information transmitted using the first beam is repeated can be determined by a protocol or indicated by configuration information. The type of configuration information is as described above and will not be repeated here. Similarly, the number of times information transmitted using the second beam is repeated can be determined by a protocol or indicated by configuration information. The number of times information is repeated using the first beam and the number of times information is repeated using the second beam can be indicated by the same protocol or the same configuration information, or by different protocols or different configuration information.

[0153] In some other possible implementations, the number of retransmissions of information transmitted using the first beam is determined by blind detection. The number of retransmissions of information transmitted using the second beam is also determined by blind detection. Thus, the number of retransmissions of information transmitted using the beams does not need to be configured, thereby saving signaling.

[0154] In some possible implementations, the terminal device can determine the beam type through blind detection. For example, the terminal device performs blind detection on the received information to obtain the SSB index, thereby determining the beam corresponding to the SSB index. As mentioned earlier, if the SSB index is 1, it is determined that the first beam can be used to transmit information. If the SSB index is not 1, it is determined that the second beam can be used to transmit information.

[0155] In some possible implementations, without using the second beam to repeatedly transmit the first information, the timing of retransmitting the first information using the first beam is after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information using the first beam and the search space corresponding to the first information using the second beam. That is, the first information is retransmitted using the first beam only after the first transmission of the first information using the first beam and after the transmission of information using the second beam. This method avoids reconfiguring the resources occupied by different SSB initial transmissions, saving signaling. After the terminal device receives the initial transmission information, it no longer needs to monitor subsequent information, saving power consumption.

[0156] The search space can be referred to above and will not be repeated here. Taking the first beam corresponding to the SSB, and the first information including downlink control information and broadcast information scheduled by the downlink control information as an example, the schematic diagram of repeated transmission of the first information can be referred to Figure 7 or Figure 8. In Figure 7 and Figure 8, SSB0 corresponds to the first beam, and SSB1, SSB2, and SSB3 correspond to the second beam. The cell labeled "SSB0 CSS" can represent the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information transmitted using the first beam, and the cells labeled "SSB1 CSS", "SSB2 CSS", and "SSB3 CSS" can represent the search space of the first information transmitted using the second beam. A cell marked 0 and surrounded by a solid line represents the transmission timing of downlink control information transmitted using the first beam. A cell marked 0 and surrounded by a dashed line represents the transmission timing of broadcast information scheduled by downlink control information transmitted using the first beam. A cell marked 1, 2, or 3 and surrounded by a solid line represents the transmission timing of downlink control information transmitted using the second beam. A cell marked 1, 2, or 3 and surrounded by a dashed line represents the transmission timing of broadcast information scheduled by downlink control information transmitted using the second beam. In Figure 7, both the downlink control information transmitted using the first beam and the broadcast information scheduled by downlink control information are repeated 4 times. In Figure 8, both the downlink control information transmitted using the first beam and the broadcast information scheduled by downlink control information are repeated 2 times. As shown in Figure 7 or Figure 8, the retransmission timing of the first information transmitted using the first beam is located after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information transmitted using the first beam and the search space of the first information transmitted using the second beam.

[0157] In some possible implementations, the maximum number of times the first information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is N. N can be any value and is not limited here. As shown in Figure 7, the number of times the broadcast information scheduled by downlink control information is repeated using the first beam is 4. The value of N can be agreed upon by the protocol or indicated by configuration information. Optionally, the terminal device can attempt to receive the first information repeatedly transmitted using the first beam within N-1 time units after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information transmitted using the first beam and the search space of the first information transmitted using the second beam, and then merge and decode these first information messages. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the time unit; the time unit can be a single time slot or multiple consecutive time slots, or a single symbol or multiple consecutive symbols within a single time slot.

[0158] In the method embodiment shown in Figure 4, at least one SSB is received, and then first information transmitted using the beam corresponding to that SSB is received based on the received SSB. In this way, at least one beam can be used to transmit the relevant information of the SSB corresponding to that beam. When both the first and second beams are used to transmit information, the advantages of different types of beams can be combined, improving the reliability of information reception by the terminal device and thus enhancing the user's communication experience. Different types of beams can transmit the same or different information, improving the practicality of information transmission when each type of beam corresponds to the access needs of users within its coverage area. When using beams to repeatedly transmit information, coverage enhancement can be achieved, further improving the reliability of information reception by the terminal device.

[0159] In some feasible examples, the terminal device transmits second information to the network device using the beam corresponding to the received SSB. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information transmitted by the terminal device using the beam corresponding to the received SSB. This second information is used to access the network device's communication network. Thus, the terminal device can initiate a random access procedure by transmitting second information to the network device using the received beam.

[0160] In this application, the second information can be uplink information, such as message 1 (Msg1), message 3 (Msg3), etc., used for random access. Other uplink information not covered in this application may also be transmitted or repeatedly transmitted using the first beam and / or the second beam, and is not limited here.

[0161] In some possible implementations, a second information is transmitted to a network device using the received beam. This second information is used to access the network device's communication network. This includes: upon receiving both first information transmitted using the first beam and first information transmitted using the second beam, the terminal device uses the second beam to transmit the second information to the network device. The link budget of the second beam is superior to that of the first beam. Thus, by using the second beam with the better link budget for access, the terminal device can improve the success rate of accessing the wireless network, reduce the time required to access the wireless network, and enhance communication performance and user experience.

[0162] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the method may include, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0163] Step S901: The network device sends an SSB to the terminal device; wherein, the SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB, the first SSB corresponds to a first beam, the second SSB corresponds to a second beam, and the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the first beam is greater than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the second beam.

[0164] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the SSB from the network device.

[0165] Step S902: The network device uses the beam corresponding to the SSB to transmit the first information to the terminal device.

[0166] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first information transmitted by the network device using the beam corresponding to the SSB based on the received SSB.

[0167] Steps S901 and S902 can be referred to the descriptions of steps S401 and S402 above, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0168] Step S903: The terminal device uses the beam corresponding to the received SSB to transmit second information to the network device, which is used to access the communication network of the network device.

[0169] Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information transmitted by the terminal device using the beam corresponding to the SSB.

[0170] The second information can be uplink information, such as Msg1, which can be used to access the communication network of the network device, for example, in a random access procedure. This application does not specifically limit the second information; it is understood that other second information suitable for actual applications can also be selected, and will not be elaborated further hereafter.

[0171] The number of times information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is greater than the number of times information transmitted using the second beam. In other words, the number of times the second information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is greater than the number of times the second information transmitted using the second beam; therefore, the second information will be repeatedly transmitted when using the first beam. When using the second beam, the second information may or may not be repeatedly transmitted; this is not limited, as long as the number of times the second information is repeatedly transmitted using the second beam is less than the number of times the second information is transmitted using the first beam.

[0172] For example, please refer to Figure 10. The first and second cycles in Figure 10 can be referred to the description in Figure 6, which will not be repeated here. As shown in Figure 10, the cell marked "RO" can represent the random access timing of the second information. The cell marked "Rep1" can represent the second information transmitted for the first time using the beam, and the cell marked "Rep2" can represent the second information transmitted for the second time using the beam. Among them, the dashed cell corresponds to the second beam, realizing the correspondence between the cell and the first beam. That is to say, the terminal device in the coverage area of ​​one SSB corresponding to the first beam can use the first beam to send the second information to the network device, and the second information is subsequently retransmitted once. The terminal device in the coverage area of ​​the three SSBs corresponding to the second beam can use the second beam to send the second information to the network device, and the second information is not retransmitted subsequently.

[0173] In some possible implementations, step S903 may include: if the terminal device receives first information transmitted using a first beam but does not receive first information transmitted using a second beam, the terminal device transmits second information to the network device using the first beam; if the terminal device receives first information transmitted using a second beam but does not receive first information transmitted using the first beam, the terminal device transmits second information to the network device using the second beam. In other words, if the terminal device receives only first information transmitted using one beam, initiating access using that beam avoids situations where information cannot be transmitted using the other beam, thus improving the success rate of network access.

[0174] In some possible implementations, step S903 may include: upon receiving first information transmitted using a first beam and first information transmitted using a second beam, the terminal device uses the second beam to transmit second information to the network device. The link budget of the second beam is superior to that of the first beam. Thus, by using the second beam with the better link budget for access, the terminal device can improve the success rate of accessing the wireless network, reduce the time required to access the wireless network, and enhance communication performance and user experience.

[0175] In the method embodiment shown in Figure 9, the terminal device receives at least one SSB, and then receives first information transmitted using the beam corresponding to that SSB based on the received SSB. In this way, at least one beam can be used to transmit the relevant information of the SSB corresponding to that beam, and the access procedure can be initiated using the beam corresponding to the received SSB. When the first and second beams are used together to transmit information, the advantages of different types of beams can be combined, improving the reliability of information reception by the terminal device and thus enhancing the user's communication experience. Different types of beams can transmit the same or different information, improving the practicality of information transmission when each type of beam corresponds to the access needs of users within its coverage area. When beams are used to repeatedly transmit information, coverage enhancement can be achieved, further improving the reliability of information reception by the terminal device.

[0176] The apparatus involved in the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0177] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device and network device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0178] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device and network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0179] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a transceiver unit 1101 and a processing unit 1102. The communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 9. Wherein:

[0180] The transceiver unit 1101 is used to receive a synchronization signal block (SSB); wherein the SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB, the first SSB corresponds to a first beam, the second SSB corresponds to a second beam, and the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the first beam is greater than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the second beam.

[0181] The transceiver unit 1101 is also used to receive first information transmitted using the beam corresponding to the SSB based on the received SSB.

[0182] In some possible implementations, without using the second beam to repeatedly transmit the first information, the timing of repeated transmission of the first information using the first beam is located after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information using the first beam and the search space of the first information using the second beam.

[0183] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1101 is also configured to receive configuration information from the network device, which indicates whether to turn off the first beam or the second beam.

[0184] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to, upon receiving a first SSB based on the transmission period of the first beam, blindly detect a second SSB and / or a second beam based on the transmission period of the first beam to obtain the transmission period of the second beam.

[0185] In some possible implementations, the duration of blind detection of the second SSB and / or the second beam is longer than the duration of the transmission period of the first beam.

[0186] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1101 is also configured not to monitor the second SSB if the first SSB is received during the transmission period based on the first beam.

[0187] In some possible implementations, the first beam corresponds to the index of the first SSB, and the second beam corresponds to an index different from the index of the first SSB.

[0188] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to transmit second information to the network device using the beam corresponding to the received SSB, the second information being used to access the communication network of the network device.

[0189] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1101 is specifically used to transmit the second information when receiving first information transmitted using the first beam and first information transmitted using the second beam; wherein the link budget of the second beam is better than the link budget of the first beam.

[0190] In some possible implementations, the number of times the information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is determined by the protocol or indicated by configuration information.

[0191] The communication device 1100 is also used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 9 above. Wherein:

[0192] The transceiver unit 1101 is used to transmit a synchronization signal block (SSB); wherein the SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB, the first SSB corresponds to a first beam, the second SSB corresponds to a second beam, and the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the first beam is greater than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the second beam.

[0193] The transceiver unit 1101 is also used to transmit the first information using the beam corresponding to the SSB.

[0194] In some possible implementations, without using the second beam to repeatedly transmit the first information, the timing of repeated transmission of the first information using the first beam is located after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information using the first beam and the search space of the first information using the second beam.

[0195] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1101 is also used to send configuration information that indicates whether to turn off the first beam or the second beam.

[0196] In some possible implementations, the first beam corresponds to the index of the first SSB, and the second beam corresponds to an index different from the index of the first SSB.

[0197] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit 1101 is also used to receive second information transmitted using the beam corresponding to the SSB, the second information being used to access the communication network of the network device.

[0198] In some possible implementations, the number of times the information transmitted using the first beam is repeated is determined by the protocol or indicated by configuration information.

[0199] Please refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the network element of this application. For example, the network element can be a network device, a terminal device, a DU, or a CU. The device 1200 can be the network element, or a device that can be installed in the network element, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the network element; there are no limitations. For example, the device can be a chip or a chip system. As shown in Figure 12, the device 1200 includes an interface 1201 and a processor 1202. Optionally, the processor 1202 is used to execute program 1204. The processor 1202 can store program 1204, or obtain program 1204 from other devices or other equipment (e.g., from memory 1203 or downloaded from a third-party website). Optionally, the device 1200 includes a memory 1203. The memory 1203 is used to store program 1205. Program 1205 can be pre-stored or loaded later. Optionally, the memory 1203 can also be used to store necessary data. These components work together to provide the various functions described in this application.

[0200] Processor 1202 may include one or more processors as a combination of computing devices. Processor 1202 may include one or more of the following: microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), digital signal processing device (DSPD), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), gated logic, transistor logic, discrete hardware circuitry, processing circuitry, or other suitable hardware, firmware, and / or combinations of hardware and software configured to perform the various functions described in this application. Processor 1202 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, processor 1202 may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). A baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data. A CPU may be used to execute software programs and process data within those software programs.

[0201] Interface 1201 may include any suitable hardware or software for enabling communication with one or more computer devices (such as the network elements of this application). For example, in some embodiments, interface 1201 may include wires for coupling wired connections or terminals and / or pins for coupling wireless connections with wireless transceivers. In some embodiments, interface 1201 may include a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, and / or an antenna. The interface may be configured to enable communication between computer devices (such as the network elements of this application) using any available protocol (such as 3GPP standard protocols).

[0202] In this application, "program" refers to software in a broad sense. This software can be program code, a program, a subroutine, an instruction set, code, a code segment, a software module, an application program, a software application, etc. The program can run on a processor and / or computer to perform the various functions and / or processes described in this application.

[0203] Memory 1203 may store necessary data required by processor 1202 when executing software. Memory 1203 may be implemented using any suitable storage technology. For example, memory 1203 may be any available storage medium accessible to the processor and / or computer. Non-limiting examples of storage media include: random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), removable media, optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage media, magnetic storage devices, flash memory, registers, state memory, remote mounting memory, local or remote memory components, or any other medium that can carry or store software, data, or information and is accessible to the processor / computer.

[0204] The memory 1203 and the processor 1202 can be configured separately or integrated together. The processor 1202 can read information from the memory 1203, store and / or write information to the memory. The memory 1203 can be integrated into the processor 1202. The processor 1202 and the memory 1203 can be disposed in an integrated circuit (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC). This integrated circuit can be disposed in the network element of this disclosure or other network nodes.

[0205] Optionally, the apparatus 1200 in the embodiments of this application can be used to perform the methods described in the embodiments of this application.

[0206] Please refer to Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. For ease of explanation, Figure 13 only shows the main components of the terminal device. As shown in Figure 13, the terminal device 1300 includes a processor, a memory, a control circuit, an antenna, and input / output devices. The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire terminal, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and the processing of radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touch screens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0207] When the terminal is powered on, the processor can read the software program from the storage unit, parse and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal to obtain the RF signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna. This RF signal is further converted into a baseband signal and output to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal back into data and processes the data.

[0208] For ease of explanation, Figure 13 shows only one memory and processor. In a real terminal, multiple processors and memories may exist. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0209] As an optional implementation, the processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is mainly used to control the entire terminal, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. The processor in Figure 13 integrates the functions of a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that a terminal may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and a terminal may include multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in the memory unit as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0210] In one example, the antenna and control circuit with transceiver functions can be considered as the transceiver unit 1301 of the terminal device 1300, and the processor with processing functions can be considered as the processing unit 1302 of the terminal device 1300. As shown in Figure 13, the terminal device 1300 includes the transceiver unit 1301 and the processing unit 1302. The transceiver unit can also be called a transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit 1301 used to implement the receiving function can be considered as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 1301 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered as the transmitting unit, that is, the transceiver unit 1301 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. For example, the receiving unit can also be called a receiver, receiver circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc. Optionally, the above-mentioned receiving unit and transmitting unit can be integrated into one unit, or they can be multiple independent units. The above-mentioned receiving unit and transmitting unit can be in one geographical location or distributed in multiple geographical locations.

[0211] In one embodiment, the transceiver unit 1301 is used to perform the operations performed by the transceiver unit 1101 in the above embodiment, and the processing unit 1302 is used to perform the operations performed by the processing unit 1102 in the above embodiment. The terminal device 1300 can also be used to perform various methods performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, which will not be elaborated further.

[0212] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon. When executed by a processor, the program can implement the processes related to the core network device, the source non-terrestrial network device, the target non-terrestrial network device, and the terminal device in the communication method provided in the above method embodiments.

[0213] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a computer or processor, causes the computer or processor to execute one or more steps of any of the above-described communication methods. If the constituent modules of the aforementioned devices are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in the computer-readable storage medium.

[0214] This application also provides a chip or chip system, including at least one processor and a communication interface. The communication interface and the at least one processor are interconnected via a circuit. The at least one processor is used to run computer programs or instructions to perform some or all of the steps described in any of the corresponding method embodiments above. This chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0215] This application also provides a communication system, which includes core network equipment, source non-terrestrial network equipment, target non-terrestrial network equipment, terminal equipment, etc. For a detailed description, please refer to the method shown above.

[0216] It should be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). Memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code having the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiments of this application may also be circuitry or any other means capable of implementing storage functions for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0217] It should also be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0218] In this application, when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) is integrated into the processor.

[0219] It should be noted that the memories described herein are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0220] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0221] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments provided herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0222] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0223] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0224] The unit described as a separate component may or may not be physically separate. The component shown as a unit may or may not be a physical unit; that is, it may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0225] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0226] If this function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the technology, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0227] The steps in the method of this application embodiment can be adjusted, combined, or deleted according to actual needs.

[0228] The modules / units in the device of this application embodiment can be merged, divided, and deleted according to actual needs.

[0229] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a terminal device, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive a synchronization signal block (SSB) from a network device; wherein the SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB, the first SSB corresponds to a first beam, the second SSB corresponds to a second beam, and the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the first beam is greater than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the second beam. Based on the received SSB, the first information is transmitted using the beam corresponding to the SSB.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the first information is not repeatedly transmitted using the second beam, the timing of the repeated transmission of the first information using the first beam is located after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information using the first beam and the search space of the first information using the second beam.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives configuration information from the network device, which indicates whether to turn off the first beam or the second beam.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the first SSB is received based on the transmission period of the first beam, the transmission period of the second beam is obtained by blindly detecting the second SSB and / or the second beam based on the transmission period of the first beam.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Blindly detect that the transmission period of the second SSB and / or the second beam is longer than the transmission period of the first beam.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the first SSB is received based on the transmission period of the first beam, the second SSB is not monitored.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first beam corresponds to the index of the first SSB, and the second beam corresponds to an index that is different from the index of the first SSB.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second information is sent to the network device using the beam corresponding to the received SSB, and the second information is used to access the communication network of the network device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The step of sending the second information to the network device using the beam corresponding to the received SSB includes: Upon receiving both first information transmitted using the first beam and first information transmitted using the second beam, the second information is transmitted using the second beam; wherein the link budget of the second beam is superior to the link budget of the first beam.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The number of repeated transmissions of information using the first beam is determined by the protocol or indicated by the configuration information.

11. A communication method applied to a network device, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a synchronization signal block (SSB) to the terminal device; wherein the SSB includes a first SSB and / or a second SSB, the first SSB corresponds to a first beam, the second SSB corresponds to a second beam, and the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the first beam is greater than the number of repeated transmissions of information transmitted using the second beam. The first information is transmitted using the beam corresponding to the SSB.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, When the first information is not repeatedly transmitted using the second beam, the timing of the repeated transmission of the first information using the first beam is located after the search space corresponding to the initial transmission timing of the first information using the first beam and the search space of the first information using the second beam.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, Also includes: The terminal device is sent configuration information, which indicates whether to turn off the first beam or the second beam.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The first beam corresponds to the index of the first SSB, and the second beam corresponds to an index that is different from the index of the first SSB.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, Also includes: The terminal device receives second information transmitted using the beam corresponding to the SSB, and the second information is used to access the communication network of the network device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The number of repeated transmissions of information using the first beam is determined by the protocol or indicated by the configuration information.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor and a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 to be implemented.

19. A computer-readable storage medium or computer program product, characterized in that, Includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 to be performed.

20. A chip or chip system, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor for retrieving and executing instructions stored in a memory, causing a communication device equipped with a chip or chip system to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

21. A communication system, characterized in that, The method includes a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-10, and the network device is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 11-16.

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