Access method, method for indicating message format, and apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Provided are an access method, a method for indicating a message format, and an apparatus and a system. In the access method, a first device receives a first message sent by a second device, and sends data on the basis of the first message. The first message carries first information used for indicating whether at least one first device has an access response, such that the first device can use the first information to quickly determine whether the second device has responded to the access thereof, so as to execute a subsequent data sending process, thereby reducing the processing complexity of the first message during the access of a device, and further reducing the energy consumption of the device.

Description

Access methods, methods, apparatus and systems for indicating message formats

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510127592.1, filed on January 27, 2025, entitled "Access Method, Method, Apparatus and System for Indicating Message Format", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to an access method, a method, apparatus, and system for indicating message formats. Background Technology

[0003] When Internet of Things (IoT) devices interact with network devices or intermediary devices, they first need to connect to the network to ensure successful connection.

[0004] During the access process, IoT devices need to read messages sent by the reader (such as network devices, or through intermediate devices such as user equipment (UE) or other access points), such as the Random Access Response (RAR) message, also known as the second message msg2, to determine whether their access request has been received and processed.

[0005] However, the messages sent by the Reader are currently too long and complex, which will cause IoT devices to consume a lot of energy when reading msg2. This is especially true for Ambient IoT (A-IoT) devices, which usually rely on ambient energy to operate and have extremely limited energy resources. Excessive energy consumption will significantly affect the normal operation and lifespan of these devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides an access method, a method, apparatus, and system for indicating message format, which can save energy consumption of devices, especially A-IoT devices, during the access process.

[0007] In a first aspect, an access method is provided, which can be applied to a communication device, which may be a first device (such as an A-IoT device or a UE, or other devices) or a component of the first device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). The method includes: receiving a first message sent by a second device, the first message including first information, the first information being used to indicate whether at least one of the first devices has accessed the network; and transmitting data based on the first message.

[0008] By carrying first information in the first message to indicate whether at least one first device has accessed the device, the first device can use the first information to quickly determine whether the second device has responded to its access, thereby reducing the processing complexity of the first message during the access process and saving device energy.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible design, the size of the first information is determined based on time-frequency resources used for at least one of the first devices to send an access request, the access request including random access identification information.

[0010] By designing the size (e.g., length) of the first information and utilizing the time-frequency resources for sending the access request to determine the size of the first information, the redundancy and complexity of the first information can be reduced while ensuring reliable transmission of the access request, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the first message.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index.

[0012] By employing bitmaps, indexes, and other methods, devices can easily read information by using the corresponding bit in the bitmap or the index value in the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), the MAC PDU including a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each first MAC sub-PDU corresponding to information of the first device; the first header includes at least one of the following: first information; MAC PDU type indication; information for indicating the transmission of the data.

[0014] By designing the MAC PDU format, common information containing the first message can be carried in the first header, which can reduce duplicate information in the message and only requires parsing the common information once, without repeating the parsing in each MAC sub-PDU message, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible design, the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC service data unit (SDU), wherein the first MAC sub-header includes random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes an index of the first device.

[0016] By further carrying the device's random access identification information, index, and other information in the MAC sub-PDU, if the MAC sub-header does not contain the random access identification information of the first device, the corresponding MAC sub-PDU can be discarded without being parsed, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), the MAC PDU including a second header and a second MAC SDU, the second MAC SDU including one or more random access identification information and / or indexes of the first device; the second header including at least one of the following: first information; MAC PDU type indication; information for indicating the transmission of the data.

[0018] By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first information in the second header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced, and the common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in the MAC SDU, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the message. At the same time, by merging the random access identification information and index of multiple first devices into one MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced, network load can be reduced, and the time for multiple first devices to wait for a response individually can be reduced.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible design, the MAC PDU further includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs, each second MAC sub-PDU including a second MAC sub-header and a third MAC SDU, the second MAC sub-header including a type indication of the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU being used to indicate information on the data transmission corresponding to one or more of the first devices.

[0020] By utilizing the MAC subheader in one or more second MAC subPDUs to carry the type indication corresponding to the second MAC subPDU, and the third MAC SDU to carry the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices, the scheduling information can be flexibly combined with other information as a separate MAC subPDU. For example, the scheduling information can be part of msg2 or part of other R2D messages to further reduce the processing complexity of the device.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), the MAC PDU including one or more third MAC sub-PCUs, each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC sub-header, or each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC sub-header and a fourth MAC SDU, each third MAC sub-PDU corresponding to information of the first device; wherein, the third MAC sub-header includes first information, the fourth MAC SDU includes the first device's random access identification information and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device; or, the third MAC sub-header includes the first information and the first device's random access identification information.

[0022] By designing a MAC PDU format, the first information is carried in the third MAC header of one or more third MAC sub-PDUs. The first device can quickly identify whether it has successfully connected by parsing the corresponding MAC sub-PDU, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible design, the data transmission based on the first message includes: determining whether the first device has successfully connected based on the first message; and, if the first device has successfully connected, transmitting data based on the information carried in the first message. Based on this design, the first device can quickly execute subsequent data transmission procedures upon successful connection, improving data interaction efficiency.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible design, the method further includes: determining whether the access contention failed or the contention resolution failed when the first device fails to access the network. Based on this design, the first device can quickly adopt relevant strategies (such as resending the access request) to re-access the network when the contention fails, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible design, the first device includes an environmental IoT device (A-IoT); and / or, the second device includes a network-side device or a user device. Based on this design, energy consumption of A-IoT devices or other IoT devices can be saved in various access scenarios.

[0026] Secondly, an access method is provided, applicable to a communication device, which can be a second device (such as a network-side device or a user equipment). The method includes: in response to an access request sent by at least one first device, sending a first message to at least one first device. The first message includes first information, which is used by the second device to respond to whether the at least one first device has accessed the network. By carrying first information in the first message indicating whether the at least one first device has responded to the access request, the first device can quickly determine whether the second device has responded to its access request using the first information, reducing the processing complexity of the first message during the access process and thus saving device power consumption.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible design, the size of the first information is determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one of the first devices to send an access request, the access request including random access identification information. By designing the size of the first information (e.g., its length) and utilizing the time-frequency resources for sending the access request to determine the size of the first information, the redundancy and complexity of the first information can be reduced while ensuring reliable transmission of the access request, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the first message.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect described above, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or similar methods, the device can quickly read information using the corresponding bit in the bitmap or the index value in the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each corresponding to information of the first device. The first header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first message in the first header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced, and the common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in each MAC sub-PDU message, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible design, the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC Service Data Unit (SDU). The first MAC sub-header includes the random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes an index of the first device. By further carrying the device's random access identification information, index, and other information in the MAC sub-PDU, if the random access identification information of the first device is not present in the MAC sub-header, it indicates that the access contention has not yet succeeded, and the corresponding MAC sub-PDU can be discarded without parsing, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0031] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes random access identification information and / or an index of one or more of the first devices. The second header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating the data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first information in the second header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced, and the common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in the MAC SDU, thereby further reducing the message processing complexity. At the same time, by merging the random access identification information and index of multiple first devices into one MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced, network load can be reduced, and the time for multiple first devices to wait for a response individually can be reduced.

[0032] In conjunction with the second aspect described above, in one possible design, the MAC PDU further includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs. Each second MAC sub-PDU includes a second MAC header and a third MAC SDU. The second MAC header includes a type indicator for the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU indicates the data transmission information corresponding to one or more of the first devices. By utilizing the MAC header of one or more second MAC sub-PDUs to carry the type indicator corresponding to the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU to carry the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices, the scheduling information can be flexibly combined with other information as a separate MAC sub-PDU. For example, the scheduling information can be part of msg2 or other R2D messages to further reduce the processing complexity of the device.

[0033] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs, each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC header, or each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about the first device. The third MAC header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the first device's random access identifier information and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device. Alternatively, the third MAC header includes the first information and the first device's random access identifier information. By designing the MAC PDU format, the first information is carried in the third MAC header of one or more third MAC sub-PDUs. The first device can quickly identify whether it has successfully accessed the network by parsing the corresponding MAC sub-PDU, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0034] Thirdly, a method for indicating message format is provided. This method can be applied to a communication device (such as a network-side device or a UE), or any other electronic device, such as a terminal device or a server device. The method includes: determining the size of first information in a first message based on time-frequency resources used by a first device to send an access request to a second device, wherein the first information is used by the second device to respond to at least one request from the first device regarding access; and determining the first message based on the size of the first information. Utilizing the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send the access request to the second device to design the size of the first information avoids the first message being overly lengthy or complex, facilitates correct device parsing, reduces device processing complexity, thereby saving energy and reducing signaling overhead of the first message, thus saving signaling resources.

[0035] In conjunction with the third aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or other methods, the device can quickly read information using the bits corresponding to the bitmap or the index value corresponding to the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0036] In conjunction with the third aspect described above, in one possible design, determining the size of the first information in the first message based on the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device includes: when the number of time-frequency resources is a first value, the size of the bitmap is a first value, wherein each resource position of the time-frequency resources is determined as a bit in the bitmap. Based on this design, by determining the size of the bitmap to the value corresponding to the number of time-frequency resources, unnecessary bitmap overhead can be reduced.

[0037] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible design, determining the size of the first information in the first message based on the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device includes: when the number of time-frequency resources is within a first range, the size of the bitmap is a second value, and the correspondence between the first range and the second value is predefined or indicated by the second device to the first device. Based on this design, the length of the bitmap is determined according to the range of the number of time-frequency resources, supporting variable bitmap size (e.g., length) and allowing flexible adjustment of bitmap overhead.

[0038] Fourthly, a communication device is provided. In one design, the device may include modules corresponding to the methods described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. Optionally, the device includes: a first transceiver unit for receiving a first message sent by a second device, the first message including first information used to indicate whether at least one of the first devices has accessed the network; and a first processing unit for transmitting data based on the first message. By carrying first information in the first message indicating whether at least one of the first devices has an access response, the first device can quickly determine whether the second device has responded to its access by using the first information, reducing the processing complexity of the first message during the access process and thus saving device energy.

[0039] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible design, the size of the first information is determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one of the first devices to send an access request, the access request including random access identification information. By designing the size of the first information (e.g., its length) and utilizing the time-frequency resources for sending the access request to determine the size of the first information, the redundancy and complexity of the first information can be reduced while ensuring reliable transmission of the access request, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the first message.

[0040] In conjunction with the fourth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or other methods, the device can quickly read information using the corresponding bit in the bitmap or the index value in the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0041] In conjunction with the fourth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each corresponding to information about the first device. The first header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format and utilizing common information containing the first message in the first header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced. Furthermore, the common information only needs to be parsed once, eliminating the need for repeated parsing in each MAC sub-PDU message. This allows for rapid determination of whether the second device responds to the access of the first device, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0042] In conjunction with the fourth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC Service Data Unit (SDU). The first MAC sub-header includes the random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes an index of the first device. By further carrying the device's random access identification information, index, and other information in the MAC sub-PDU, if the random access identification information of the first device is not present in the MAC sub-header, it indicates that the access contention has not yet succeeded, and the corresponding MAC sub-PDU can be discarded without parsing, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0043] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes random access identification information and / or an index of one or more of the first devices. The second header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating the data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first information in the second header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced, and the common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in the MAC SDU, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the message. At the same time, by merging the random access identification information and index of multiple first devices into one MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced, network load can be reduced, and the time for multiple first devices to wait for a response individually can be reduced.

[0044] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible design, the MAC PDU further includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs. Each second MAC sub-PDU includes a second MAC header and a third MAC SDU. The second MAC header includes a type indicator for the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU indicates the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices. By utilizing the MAC header of one or more second MAC sub-PDUs to carry the type indicator corresponding to the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU to carry the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices, the information required by the first device can be quickly parsed and used for data transmission when successful device access is determined.

[0045] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs, each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC header, or each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about the first device. The third MAC header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the first device's random access identifier information and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device. Alternatively, the third MAC header includes the first information and the first device's random access identifier information. By designing the MAC PDU format, the first information is carried in the third MAC header of one or more third MAC sub-PDUs. The first device can quickly identify whether it has successfully accessed the network by parsing the corresponding MAC sub-PDU, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0046] In conjunction with the fourth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first processing unit is specifically used to determine whether the first device has successfully connected based on the first message; when the first device successfully connects, it sends data according to the information carried in the first message. Based on this design, the first device can quickly execute the subsequent data sending process upon successful connection, improving data interaction efficiency.

[0047] In conjunction with the fourth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the communication device further includes: a first processing unit, configured to determine whether the access contention has failed or the contention resolution has failed when the first device fails to access the network. Based on this design, the first device can quickly adopt relevant strategies (such as resending the access request) to re-access the network when the contention fails, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0048] In conjunction with the fourth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first device includes an environmental IoT device (A-IoT); and / or, the second device includes a network-side device or a user device. Based on this design, energy consumption of A-IoT devices or other IoT devices can be saved in various access scenarios.

[0049] Fifthly, a communication device is provided. In one design, the device may include modules corresponding to the methods described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. Optionally, the device includes a second transceiver unit, configured to send a first message to at least one first device in response to an access request sent by at least one first device. The first message includes first information indicating whether the at least one first device has accessed the device. By carrying first information in the first message indicating whether the at least one first device has responded to the access request, the first device can quickly determine whether the second device has responded to its access request using the first information, reducing the processing complexity of the first message during the access process and thus saving device power consumption.

[0050] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible design, the size of the first information is determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one of the first devices to send an access request, the access request including random access identification information. By designing the size of the first information (e.g., length) and utilizing the time-frequency resources for sending the access request to determine the size of the first information, the redundancy and complexity of the first information can be reduced while ensuring reliable transmission of the access request, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the first message.

[0051] In conjunction with the fifth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or other methods, the device can quickly read information using the corresponding bit in the bitmap or the index value in the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0052] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each corresponding to information of the first device. The first header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first message in the first header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced, and the common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in each MAC sub-PDU message, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0053] In conjunction with the fifth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC Service Data Unit (SDU). The first MAC sub-header includes the random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes an index of the first device. By further carrying the device's random access identification information, index, and other information in the MAC sub-PDU, if the random access identification information of the first device is not present in the MAC sub-header, it indicates that the access contention has not been successful, and the corresponding MAC sub-PDU can be discarded without parsing, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0054] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes random access identification information and / or an index of one or more of the first devices. The second header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating the data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first information in the second header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced, and the common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in the MAC SDU, thereby further reducing the message processing complexity. At the same time, by merging the random access identification information and index of multiple first devices into one MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced, network load can be reduced, and the time for multiple first devices to wait for a response individually can be reduced.

[0055] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible design, the MAC PDU further includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs. Each second MAC sub-PDU includes a second MAC header and a third MAC SDU. The second MAC header includes a type indicator for the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU indicates the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices. By utilizing the MAC header of one or more second MAC sub-PDUs to carry the type indicator corresponding to the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU to carry the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices, the information required by the first device can be quickly parsed and used for data transmission when successful device access is determined.

[0056] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs, each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC header, or each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about the first device. The third MAC header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the first device's random access identifier information and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device. Alternatively, the third MAC header includes the first information and the first device's random access identifier information. By designing the MAC PDU format, the first information is carried in the third MAC header of one or more third MAC sub-PDUs. By parsing the corresponding MAC sub-PDU, the first device can quickly identify whether the second device has responded to the first device's access, or whether the first device has successfully accessed (i.e., successful access contention), thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0057] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. Optionally, the device may include modules corresponding to the methods described in the third aspect or any of the embodiments of the third aspect. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. In one design, the device includes: a second processing unit, configured to determine the size of first information in a first message based on time-frequency resources used by a first device to send an access request to a second device, wherein the first information is used by the second device to indicate whether at least one of the first devices has accessed the network; the first processing unit is further configured to determine the first message based on the size of the first information. Utilizing the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device to design the size of the first information avoids the first message being too long or complex, facilitates correct device parsing, reduces device processing complexity, thereby saving energy and reducing signaling overhead of the first message, thus saving signaling resources.

[0058] In conjunction with the sixth aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or other methods, the device can quickly read information using the bits corresponding to the bitmap or the index value corresponding to the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0059] In conjunction with the sixth aspect above, in one possible design, the first processing unit is specifically configured to, when the number of time-frequency resources is a first value, have a bitmap size of a first value, wherein each resource position of the time-frequency resources is determined as a bit of the bitmap. Based on this design, by determining the size of the bitmap to the value corresponding to the number of time-frequency resources, unnecessary bitmap overhead can be reduced.

[0060] In conjunction with the sixth aspect above, in one possible design, the first processing unit is specifically configured to, when the number of time-frequency resources is within a first range, have a second value for the size of the bitmap, wherein the correspondence between the first range and the second value is predefined or indicated by the second device to the first device. Based on this design, the length of the bitmap is determined according to the range of the number of time-frequency resources, supporting variable bitmap size (e.g., length) and allowing flexible adjustment of bitmap overhead.

[0061] A seventh aspect provides a communication device including a processor. The processor can implement the methods of the first to third aspects and any possible implementations thereof. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory and can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods of the first to third aspects and any possible implementations thereof. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. In the embodiments of this application, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a pin, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interface, and is not limited thereto.

[0062] In one implementation, the communication device is a communication equipment (such as a first device, a second device, or other devices). When the communication device is a communication equipment, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0063] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured within a communication device. When the communication device is a chip configured within a communication device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0064] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0065] Eighthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0066] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0067] Ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods of the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0068] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0069] Eleventhly, a chip system is provided, which is applied to an electronic device. The chip system includes one or more processors, which are used to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the methods of the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0070] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one of the aforementioned first devices and at least one of the aforementioned second devices.

[0071] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the features corresponding to the first aspect in the seventh to twelfth aspects can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the first to twenty-six aspects above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0072] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 2b is a schematic diagram of another possible application scenario provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0075] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating one of the access methods provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 4a is a second schematic flowchart of an access method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 4b is a schematic flowchart of an access method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 5a is an example diagram of time-frequency resources in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 5b is an example diagram of the initial transmission of the first message in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 5c is an example diagram of retransmission of the first message in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 6a is one of the schematic diagrams of the first message in the embodiments of this application;

[0082] Figure 6b is a second schematic diagram of the first message in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 7a is a third schematic diagram of the first message in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 7b is a fourth schematic diagram of the first message in the embodiments of this application;

[0085] Figure 8a is a fifth schematic diagram of the first message in the embodiments of this application;

[0086] Figure 8b is a schematic diagram of the first message in an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 9 is the seventh schematic diagram of the first message in the embodiments of this application;

[0088] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a message format specification according to an embodiment of this application.

[0089] Figure 11 is a block diagram of one of the apparatuses for implementing the access method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 12 is a second block diagram of an apparatus for implementing the access method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0091] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for implementing a method for indicating message format provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 14 is a second schematic block diagram of the apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0093] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of the terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0094] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0095] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the embodiments of this application will be given first:

[0096] The Internet of Things (IoT) is applied in various scenarios, including smart homes, smart cities, health monitoring, traffic management, and more. Each application scenario may require tens of thousands or even more devices to achieve comprehensive coverage and functionality, making the power consumption of IoT devices a major concern. For IoT scenarios, reducing device size and complexity can potentially increase the number of devices that can be accommodated. This includes battery-free IoT devices, hereinafter referred to as A-IoT (Ambient IoT) devices. For example, the peak power consumption of A-IoT devices ranges from 1μW to several hundred μW. Uplink transmission can be generated internally by the device or requires backscattering based on an externally provided carrier wave. Specifically, A-IoT devices with a peak power consumption of 1μW (Type 1) do not have uplink or downlink amplification capabilities, while A-IoT devices with a peak power consumption of several hundred μW (Type 2) have uplink and / or downlink amplification capabilities. By using reflection and scattering, they do not require the device to generate a strong signal itself, thus reducing power consumption. The aforementioned methods for reducing power consumption focus on optimizing the hardware design and transmission methods of IoT devices. However, low-power designs are often accompanied by lower processing and communication capabilities. Some applications requiring high performance or real-time response may not be able to use these devices, or they may be highly dependent on the environment (e.g., relying on external carrier signals), thus limiting their application scenarios. Therefore, this application investigates a method to reduce the processing complexity of devices, thereby saving energy consumption in IoT devices. This energy reduction process requires no hardware design modifications and does not rely on external environments.

[0097] Research has revealed that when an IoT device accesses a network, it needs to read messages sent by the Reader, such as the Random Access Response (RAR), i.e., the second message msg2, to determine whether its access request has been successfully received and processed. Since the messages sent by the Reader need to convey various important information to ensure the success and validity of the connection, the messages are often excessively long and complex. This results in significant energy consumption for IoT devices when reading msg2, especially for A-IoT, thus impacting the lifespan of the IoT device. Based on this finding, this application's embodiments design the messages sent by the Reader in the IoT device access process to reduce the device's processing complexity, thereby saving energy consumption in IoT devices.

[0098] It should be noted that the IoT devices mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be A-IoT devices, or any device that supports IoT functions, such as user equipment (UE), smart home devices, wearable devices, industrial IoT devices, etc. Furthermore, the embodiments of this application can be applied not only to IoT devices, but also to any electronic device capable of wireless communication, in order to solve the power consumption problem of any device.

[0099] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information for indicating A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0100] In this application, " / " can indicate that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" can be used to describe three relationships between the related objects. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0101] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more, such as three, four, or more. Similar expressions (such as at least one, at least one, etc.) are used in the same way. "At least one of the following," "one or more of the following," or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, which may include only a single item or a combination of multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, or b, or c; a and b; or a and c; or b and c; or a, b, and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0102] In this application, for the convenience of describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish them. The terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0103] In this application, the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "example," or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. The use of the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0104] In this application, "sending information / data" only indicates the direction of information / data transmission, including direct transmission via the device's communication interface (such as an air interface, or simply air interface). "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of a module interface. "Sending" can include indirect transmission by the processing unit through the communication interface, meaning that after the processing unit outputs information / data through the module interface, it is transmitted to the device's communication interface and then sent out. "Receiving information / data" only indicates the direction of information / data transmission, including direct reception via the communication interface. "Receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of a module interface. "Receiving information / data" can include indirect reception by the processing unit through the communication interface, meaning that after the communication interface receives information / data, it is transmitted to the processing unit's module interface and then input to the processing unit. "Sending information / data to… (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. It can include sending information / data directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information / data from… (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include receiving information / data directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information / data may undergo necessary processing, such as format changes, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information / data from the source. Similar statements in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be repeated here.

[0105] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th Generation (5G) communication systems, satellite communication systems, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) systems, and the solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems or other communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0106] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the access method provided in this application. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a radio access network (RAN) 10 and a core network (CN) 20. Optionally, the communication system 100 also includes an Internet 30. The RAN 10 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 10 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. The RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 20. The core network devices in the core network 20 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 10 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0107] RAN 10 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 10 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. RAN 10 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0108] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, is part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 100 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 10 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0109] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0110] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0111] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0112] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0113] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal and network device can be hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the terminal and network device.

[0114] The following describes the application scenario of this application embodiment using A-IoT devices. This application scenario may include, but is not limited to, Topology 1 shown in Figure 2a and Topology 2 shown in Figure 2b. Topology 1 shows the Reader as a base station (i.e., the network device shown in Figure 1, RAN node 110) communicating directly with the A-IoT device. Topology 2 shows the base station and the A-IoT device communicating through an intermediate device (such as a UE). In this case, the Reader is the intermediate device. Optionally, the base station or intermediate device can be any device performing services with the A-IoT device (referred to as a Reader). The A-IoT device can be replaced by any electronic device, such as a UE, a tag, or other IoT device. The Reader can also be replaced by a network device or terminal device such as an Interrogator. The Reader and Device can communicate through R2D messages and D2R messages. R2D messages are Reader-to-Device messages from the Reader to the Device, and D2R messages are Device-to-Reader messages from the Device to the Reader. In the access process of A-IoT devices, the A-IoT device can send msg1 (the first message, message 1, corresponding to the access request sent by the A-IoT device to the Reader) to the base station or UE to request network access. The base station or UE responds to msg1 by sending msg2 (the second message, message 2) to the A-IoT device. The A-IoT device uses msg2 to determine whether its access request has been successfully received and processed by the Reader, thereby executing subsequent service processes. It should be noted that msg1 can be called an access request message, a random access request message, an access message, or a random access message, or other named messages, and this application does not limit the name. msg2 can be called an access response message, a random access response message, or other named messages, and this application does not limit the name.

[0115] Since base stations or UEs typically respond to access requests from multiple A-IoT devices simultaneously, and msg2 needs to convey various important information to ensure the success and validity of the connection, the msg2 message can become excessively lengthy and complex. In related technologies, A-IoT devices need to parse the msg2 message layer by layer to determine whether their access requests have been successfully received and processed by the Reader. This results in excessively high processing complexity and energy consumption for A-IoT devices, which have extremely limited energy resources. Excessive energy consumption can significantly impact the normal operation and lifespan of the device. Therefore, this application's embodiments design the access process by including first information in the msg2 message to indicate whether at least one A-IoT device has accessed the device. Further design of the size or content of this first information, or the MAC PDU format of msg2, can reduce the complexity of message processing and thus reduce device energy consumption.

[0116] It should be noted that the network architecture and application scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0117] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0118] Figure 3 illustrates an access method provided in this embodiment. This access method is applied to a first device, which may be the terminal 120 in the aforementioned system architecture, an A-IoT device in the aforementioned application scenario, or other devices, or components of the first device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.). This embodiment describes the access method using an A-IoT device as the executing entity. The method may include steps S301 to S302:

[0119] Step S301: The first device receives a first message sent by the second device. The first message includes first information, which is used to indicate whether at least one first device has accessed the system.

[0120] Optionally, the first device includes an environmental IoT device (A-IoT); and / or, the second device includes a network-side device (such as a base station) or a user equipment. The first device, besides an A-IoT device, can be any other device, and the second device can be any device that performs business with the first device; hereinafter referred to as a Reader. Based on this design, energy consumption of A-IoT devices or other devices can be saved in various access scenarios.

[0121] Optionally, the first message can be a message used by the second device to respond to the access request of the first device. For example, the first device sends an access request to the second device, and the second device's response based on the access request is the first message. The access request can be msg1, and the first message can be msg2.

[0122] Wherein, at least one first device indicates that the first message can respond to whether one or more first devices are connected at the same time. For example, if multiple A-IoT devices send access requests to a second device, the first message can respond to multiple A-IoT devices that receive the access requests.

[0123] Step S302: The first device sends data based on the first message.

[0124] Understandably, after receiving the first message, the device determines whether the second device's response to the first device has successfully connected before executing subsequent data transmission procedures, i.e., upper-layer data transmission or upper-layer data reception procedures. Specifically, if the second device responds to the first device's access request, it means that the second device has received the first device's access request at the corresponding access occasion (e.g., receiving valid random access identification information). At this access occasion, multiple first devices may initiate access requests. The device can further parse the first message and, upon determining successful access (e.g., the first message contains the random access identification information of the first device's access request, indicating successful resolution of the access contention), continue to receive and process data from the application layer or transport layer of the network. This data transmission and reception occurs after the device has successfully connected to the network to ensure that the device can communicate normally with other nodes in the network.

[0125] In contrast to related technologies, where the first message needs to be parsed layer by layer to determine whether the second device responds to the access of the first device, this embodiment carries first information in the first message to indicate whether at least one first device has accessed. The first device can use this first information to quickly determine whether the second device has responded to its access. If the first device does not respond (i.e., no access request is received at the corresponding access time), or if the second device does not respond to the first access, the first message can be discarded and no longer parsed. This reduces the message parsing process to a certain extent, lowers the processing complexity of the first message during the access process, and thus saves device energy consumption.

[0126] Optionally, as shown in Figure 4a, the access process for the first device may include the following steps:

[0127] S401. (At least one) First device sends a random access request to second device.

[0128] The second device can be a Reader.

[0129] The random access request may include the device’s random access identification information, such as a 16-bit random number (RN16) generated by the device.

[0130] Optionally, multiple first devices may simultaneously send random access requests to the second device at one or more access occasions. Different first devices may send random access requests to the second device at the same or different access occasions.

[0131] S402. In response to a random access request sent by at least one first device, the second device sends a first message to (one or more) the first devices, the first message including first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the response to at least one first device is to access.

[0132] Upon receiving a random access request, the second device can send a random access response to the first device. When receiving random access requests from multiple first devices, the second device can send random access responses to all of them, and can respond to multiple first devices simultaneously in a single message.

[0133] The first message includes first information. After receiving the first message, the first device can use this first information to quickly determine whether the second device has responded to the access request. At any given access attempt, at most one access identifier can be successfully parsed; that is, only one first device can successfully compete for the access.

[0134] Optionally, in addition to the first information, the first message may also include scheduling information for subsequent messages or data, etc. The scheduling information may include scheduling resource information.

[0135] S403, The first device receives the first message sent by the second device.

[0136] The first message may include first information, which is used to respond to whether the first device has accessed the network. For example, if the first information is a bitmap, a bit of "1" indicates that the second device has responded to the access request sent by the first device at the corresponding access time. That is, the access request was received at the access time. The first device can further parse the first message and execute the subsequent data sending process. If the bit of "0" indicates that the second device did not receive the access request at the corresponding access time, the first device does not need to parse the first message.

[0137] S404. Data is sent according to the first message.

[0138] Optionally, the first message indicates that the first device has successfully accessed the network, and the first device can continue subsequent data transmission services. For example, the first device can use the resources allocated by the second device in the first message to continue sending the second message (corresponding to msg3 in the following text), and so on. If the indication is unsuccessful, it confirms that the contention resolution has failed or has not been successful, and executes other procedures, such as resending the random access request, etc.

[0139] To facilitate understanding, the following section provides a further explanation using an exemplary access process for A-IoT devices. In the A-IoT interface, communication between the A-IoT device and the Reader requires executing an access process before subsequent data transmission and reception can occur. This access process, also known as a random access process, can be illustrated as follows (for example, Figure 4b):

[0140] Step 1. Based on the service request from the core network, the Reader sends an "Initial Trigger Message" (similar to a paging message) to the A-IoT device (hereinafter referred to as the device) to indicate which device(s) needs to respond. For example, the "Initial Trigger Message" carries indication information (e.g., mask information / filtering information / device group information) to indicate which device(s) needs to respond. If the device determines that it matches the indication information, it begins the access process. It should be noted that the "Initial Trigger Message" can also be called an A-IoT paging message, or other named messages; this application does not limit the terminology.

[0141] Step 2. The Reader sends an R2D message (e.g., the QueryRep message in Figure 4b) to the device, which contains access configuration information (e.g., indicating one or more access occasions each time, i.e., the time-frequency resources for sending msg1, such as X time-domain resources and Y frequency-domain resources, X=1 or X>=1, Y=1 or Y>=1). For example, each of the X time-domain resources further indicates Y frequency-domain resources; in this case, the first information indicates X*Y time-frequency resources used to send random access requests. This R2D message and the "Initial Trigger Message" can be the same message, or a message with other names.

[0142] Step 3. Once the device receives the "R2D message indicating access timing", it randomly selects its own access timing according to the access configuration information and starts waiting for its own access timing to send msg1, which is a random access request. msg1 includes "random access identification information", which can be a random number generated by the device itself.

[0143] Step 4. Since multiple devices may choose the same access timing and "random access identification information," resulting in contention, if the Reader successfully receives and parses the "random access identification information" in msg1 at a certain access timing, it sends msg2 in response. msg2 can be understood as a random access response, i.e., an access identification response message. msg2 needs to indicate a specific "random access identification information" at a particular access timing to indicate which device successfully resolved the contention. Simultaneously, msg2 can also schedule the resources for msg3 (i.e., the third message, which can be upper-layer data sent by the device), i.e., scheduling information for msg3 resources, or information indicating msg3 resources, instructing the device that successfully resolved the contention to send msg3 at the specified time-frequency resource location.

[0144] Optionally, if the Reader does not receive the corresponding msg3 on the corresponding msg3 resource, for example, the device may not have received the previous msg2, or the device may have received msg2 but the sent msg3 was not successfully received by the Reader, then the Reader can further schedule the retransmission of msg2 and instruct the device to resend msg3.

[0145] This embodiment designs msg2 by including first information in msg2 to indicate whether at least one first device has accessed the device. The device can use this first information to quickly determine whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device without having to parse msg2 layer by layer, thereby reducing the processing complexity of the device and thus reducing the device's power consumption.

[0146] Step 5. If the content of the received msg2 matches the msg1 sent by itself, as indicated by the first information (e.g., msg2 contains random access identification information sent by the device), the device considers the contention to be resolved successfully. The device will then send msg3 to the Reader. msg3 is upper-layer data. For example, in the inventory service, the upper-layer data may include the device identifier.

[0147] Optionally, the device can continue transmitting upper-layer data. For example, in command-line operations, there are also read, write, disable, and feedback messages.

[0148] In one possible implementation, the problem of the length and complexity of the first message can be further addressed by designing the first information, such as its format or size.

[0149] In one possible design of this possible implementation, the first information may be a bitmap (hereinafter referred to as bitmap), or an index (hereinafter referred to as index), or both a bitmap and an index.

[0150] The bitmap can be a sequence of 0s and 1s, corresponding to the access status of one or more devices. For example, each bit in the bitmap can correspond to an access opportunity. At most one device can successfully access the network during an access opportunity, meaning at most one access identifier can be successfully parsed. Optionally, a bit value of 1 indicates that the random access identifier for that access opportunity was successfully received, while a value of 0 indicates that no random access identifier was received during that access opportunity. A device can check the value at the corresponding position in the bitmap based on its own access opportunity. If the value is 1, it means that random access identifier information was successfully received during that access opportunity, and the device can further parse whether the corresponding random access identifier information was sent by the device. If the value is 0, it means that no valid random access identifier information was received during that access opportunity, and the device has not yet successfully accessed the network.

[0151] The index can be a single number or a set of numbers, with each number or set of numbers corresponding to a successful device access. For example, the index indicates an access opportunity, and at most one device can successfully access the device during an access opportunity, meaning that at most one access identifier can be successfully parsed during an access opportunity. The device checks whether the index corresponding to the access opportunity it sent exists. If it exists (i.e., the first message includes the index), it means that random access identifier information was successfully received during that access opportunity, and further parses the corresponding random access identifier information to see if it is the random access identifier information it sent.

[0152] In some possible designs, the first information can be used in other ways besides bitmaps and indexes, such as flag bits, encoding, etc. This embodiment does not make any special limitations on this.

[0153] By employing the aforementioned bitmap and index methods, the device can quickly read whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device by using the bitmap corresponding to the bit or the index value corresponding to the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0154] In another possible design of this possible implementation, the size of the first information can be determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one first device to send an access request, which includes random access identification information.

[0155] Continuing with the exemplary access process described above, an R2D message can indicate X*Y time-frequency resources for msg1 transmission, as shown in Figure 5a, where yellow, green, and blue squares represent the corresponding time-frequency resource positions. Once all X*Y time-frequency resources are used up, i.e., after msg1 transmission is complete, the Reader begins sending msg2 in response. The Reader can respond to these X*Y msg1 resources using one or more msg2 messages, and each msg2 message can respond to one or more msg1 messages.

[0156] As shown in Figures 5b and 5c, Figure 5b illustrates the initial transmission and retransmission of msg2 using bitmap mode (1), while Figure 5c illustrates the initial transmission and retransmission of msg2 using index mode (2). In bitmap mode (1), each bit of the bitmap corresponds to the resource location of msg1, and the value of the corresponding bit indicates whether there is a corresponding "random access identifier" (RN16, short for Random Number 16, a 16-bit random number). For example, a bit value of 1 indicates that there is a corresponding "random access identifier," which is then carried sequentially. In index mode (2), the value of index corresponds to the resource location of msg1. If index exists, it indicates that there is a corresponding "random access identifier," which is then carried sequentially. In the example in Figure 5b, msg1 at the time-frequency resource location corresponding to the yellow square was not successfully received. After msg2 was retransmitted, msg1 at the time-frequency resource location corresponding to the yellow square was successfully received.

[0157] Assuming a maximum time-domain resource X of 6 and a maximum frequency-domain resource Y of 8, msg2 can respond to msg1 from a maximum of 48 devices, using a 48-bit bitmap. However, if this R2D message only schedules X*Y = 2*3, a total of 6 resources, then at most 6 devices can successfully compete for the resource, meaning only msg1 needs to be responded to from a maximum of 6 devices. Using a 48-bit bitmap for the response wastes msg2 resources and makes msg2 verbose. Similarly, the index method also has type issues.

[0158] In this design, the size of the first information is designed based on the time-frequency resources used by at least one first device to send an access request, such as designing the length of a bitmap or an index. When the number of time-frequency resources is a first value, the size of the bitmap is the first value, where each resource position of the time-frequency resources is determined as a bit position of the bitmap. The time-frequency resources used by at least one first device to send an access request can be the time-frequency resources used by at least one first device scheduled by the second device through an R2D message, that is, the time-frequency resources X*Y scheduled by the above R2D message. Taking the bitmap as an example, instead of the bitmap length being 48 bits in the related art, X*Y is 2*3 = 6 bits.

[0159] Optionally, byte alignment can also be maintained through the bitmap, and multiple different formats can be designed to support bitmaps of different lengths. When the number of time-frequency resources is within a first range, the size of the bitmap is a second value, and the corresponding relationship between the first range and the second value is predefined or indicated by the second device to the first device. For example, the format of msg2 used is determined according to the range of X*Y. For example, if the threshold thresh1 < X*Y <= the threshold thresh2, then a certain format is used. It can be understood that the above range of X*Y can also be thresh1 <= X*Y < thresh2, or thresh1 <= X*Y <= thresh2, and other ranges can also be adopted. This embodiment does not limit this. An optional example is shown in Table 1 below:

[0160] Table 1

[0161] By designing the size of the first information in this way and using the time-frequency resources for sending the access request to determine the size of the first information, it is possible to reduce the verbosity and complexity of the first information while ensuring the reliable transmission of the access request, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the first message and achieving the effect of reducing device power consumption.

[0162] In addition to reducing the processing complexity of the first message by designing the size or content of the first information in the first message, in another possible implementation, the overall format of the first message can also be designed to further solve the problems of verbosity and complexity of the first message.

[0163] Next, another possible implementation of this embodiment will be further introduced:

[0164] In one possible design of another possible implementation, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each first MAC sub-PDU corresponding to information of a first device. The first header includes at least one of the following:

[0165] First information;

[0166] MAC PDU type indicator;

[0167] Information used to indicate data transmission.

[0168] Understandably, the Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is the basic structural unit used by the MAC layer for data transmission. The MAC layer is responsible for coordinating access to the shared communication medium between network nodes to ensure efficient data transmission. By encapsulating the first message into a MAC PDU for transmission, the MAC layer's functionality can be utilized to ensure reliable message transmission and perform retransmission and error handling when necessary.

[0169] In addition to containing corresponding random access response information (such as random access identification information), MAC PDUs typically include scheduling information for subsequent messages or data, enabling the device to perform necessary operations according to network instructions, such as information indicating data transmission, etc. In this design, by designing the overall format of the first message, that is, designing the complete format of the MAC PDU, the complexity of the MAC PDU can be reduced, making it easier for the device to parse it correctly.

[0170] The first header is a common sub-header of the MAC PDU, which can be used to carry common information of multiple first devices (in response to the second device), such as first information. The first MAC sub-PDU is a component of the MAC PDU, and each first MAC sub-PDU can correspond to a random access response from a first device. Optionally, the first header may contain only the first information, or only a MAC PDU type indication, or only information indicating data transmission, or any combination of the above information, or may include other information; this embodiment does not particularly limit this.

[0171] The first piece of information can be a bitmap, an index, or something similar.

[0172] The MAC PDU type indicator can be either a MAC PDU content type indicator or a MAC PDU format type indicator. That is, it is used to indicate the content and / or type of the PDU. For example, the type indicator field can be used to identify the type of the MAC PDU or to identify which message the MAC PDU carries (e.g., "initial trigger message", or msg2, or other R2D messages) to help the device correctly parse and process the MAC PDU.

[0173] The information used to indicate data transmission can be common scheduling information used by the first device to transmit data, such as parameters related to the resource location for subsequent uplink transmission of the first device.

[0174] For example, Figure 6a illustrates a possible MAC PDU format design using the bitmap method. In this example, the MAC PDU includes a common first header, i.e., a common header or a common subheader, and one or more MAC sub-PDUs (e.g., MAC sub-PDU 1, MAC sub-PDU 2, ..., MAC sub-PDU N). Optionally, it may also include a MAC sub-PDU with padding bits. By adding extra bits to the data units, specific format requirements or alignment needs are met to achieve byte alignment of the entire MAC PDU. Optionally, the first header is used to carry common information, such as one or more of the following: message type indicator (i.e., MAC PDU type indicator, Type), bitmap, common scheduling information. Figure 6a shows a case where these several pieces of information are included simultaneously. In some examples, other information carrying methods may be used, which will not be elaborated further here. Optionally, one MAC sub-PDU corresponds to one device. If the msg1 response is for multiple devices, it may include multiple MAC sub-PDUs. Each MAC sub-PDU may carry information corresponding to a device, such as random access identification information RN16. Optionally, it may also include specific scheduling information for that device.

[0175] In related technologies, when multiple devices attempt to access the network simultaneously, the network needs to send random access response messages to these devices. By using separate MAC sub-PDUs in the MAC PDU to individually indicate the information of each device, such as scheduling information, this results in a large amount of duplicate information in the message, increasing the processing complexity and resource consumption of the message.

[0176] This embodiment utilizes common information containing the first message carried in the first header, which can reduce duplicate information in the message. The device only needs to parse the common information once, without having to parse it repeatedly in each MAC sub-PDU message, so as to quickly determine whether the second device responds to the access of the first device, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0177] Furthermore, the first MAC sub-PDU may include a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU may include a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC service data unit (SDU), the first MAC sub-header may include random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header may include an index of the first device.

[0178] In an optional approach, the first MAC sub-PDU may include a first MAC sub-header, which may include the random access identifier information of the first device. The first device parses the first MAC sub-header of its own first MAC sub-PDU. If its random access identifier exists, or the indicated random access identifier matches its own random access identifier, it indicates that the access contention has been successfully resolved. If its own random access identifier does not exist, or the indicated random access identifier does not match its own random access identifier, it indicates that the contention has not yet succeeded, and there is no need to parse the subsequent content of the message (e.g., MAC SDU). In this case, the first information included in the first header can be a bitmap, and the device determines its own first MAC sub-PDU by parsing the bitmap.

[0179] Optionally, in addition to the first MAC sub-PDU, the first MAC sub-PDU may also include the MAC payload, that is, the first MAC SDU. The first MAC SDU may include information about the first device, such as specific scheduling information for the first device.

[0180] For example, continuing as shown in Figure 6a, each first MAC sub-PDU (i.e., MAC sub-PDU 1, MAC sub-PDU 2, ..., MAC sub-PDU N in the figure) includes a MAC sub-header and a MAC SDU. The MAC sub-header carries a first device random access identification information RN16. Optionally, the MAC SDU carries specific scheduling information or other information for the first device.

[0181] In another alternative approach, the first MAC sub-PDU may include a first MAC sub-header, which may include an index of the first device. If the index of the first device exists, the device further parses the corresponding subsequent content, such as a random access identifier. If its random access identifier exists, or the indicated random access identifier matches its own random access identifier, it indicates that the access contention has been successfully resolved. If its random access identifier does not exist, or the indicated random access identifier does not match its own random access identifier, it indicates that the contention has not yet succeeded, and there is no need to parse the content of the corresponding MAC SDU. If its index does not exist, it indicates that the contention has not yet succeeded, and there is no need to parse the content of the corresponding MAC SDU. Optionally, the random access identifier may be carried in the first MAC sub-header or in the corresponding MAC SDU. In this case, the first header may not include first information, such as a bitmap.

[0182] Optionally, in addition to the first MAC sub-header, the first MAC sub-PDU may also include the MAC payload, that is, the first MAC SDU. The first MAC SDU may include information about the first device, such as the random access identifier, and / or specific scheduling information for the first device.

[0183] For example, Figure 6b illustrates a possible MAC PDU format design using the index method. In this example, the MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more MAC sub-PDUs, optionally including a MAC sub-PDU padded with padding bits. A first header is introduced to carry common information, such as one or more of the following: a message type indicator, and common scheduling information. Optionally, one MAC sub-PDU corresponds to one device; that is, if multiple devices respond to msg1, there are multiple MAC sub-PDUs. Each MAC sub-PDU contains a MAC sub-header and a MAC payload (i.e., a MAC SDU).

[0184] Optionally, as shown in option 1-1 of Figure 6b, the MAC subheading may include an index of the first device, and the MAC SDU may include the random access identifier (RN16) of the first device. The random access identifier and the index have a one-to-one correspondence; that is, the index and random access identifier correspond to the same first device. Optionally, the MAC payload may also contain scheduling information specific to the first device. As mentioned above, the first device can parse the MAC subheading. If the MAC subheading contains the index of the first device, it can further parse the content of the corresponding MAC SDU. If the corresponding index does not exist, the corresponding MAC SDU is discarded and not parsed at all, thereby reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0185] Optionally, as shown in option 1-2 of Figure 6b, the MAC subheader may include the index of the first device and the random access identifier (RN16) of the first device. The random access identifier and the index have a one-to-one correspondence; that is, the index and random access identifier correspond to the same first device. Optionally, the MAC SDU may contain information about the first device, such as scheduling information specific to that first device. Compared to option 1-1 in Figure 6, the MAC subheader also includes the random access identifier (RN16), which allows for rapid identification of cases where the message contains the index of the first device but the random access identifier is abnormal (e.g., missing random access identifier, or the indicated random access identifier is not its own), without needing to further parse the corresponding MAC SDU. Specifically, the first device parses the MAC subheader. If the MAC subheader contains the first device's index and the corresponding random access identifier information, it indicates that the contention has been resolved successfully. However, if the first device's index exists but the corresponding random access identifier information is missing, or the random access identifier information is not its own, it indicates that the contention has not yet succeeded. This reduces the processing complexity of the device and makes it easier for the first device to confirm the reason why the contention has not yet succeeded (e.g., the first device can clearly know that the contention failed because the random access identifier information is missing or mismatched, rather than for other reasons. This clarity helps the device to take corresponding measures, such as re-initiating the random access procedure or adjusting its random access identifier, etc.).

[0186] Understandably, in the example of Figure 6b, the first header may only contain the indication type and common scheduling information. In some examples, it may also be designed in combination with the information in the first header of Figure 6a, that is, it may also include a bitmap or index, or it may be designed in other ways, such as only containing information for data transmission, such as common scheduling information, etc.

[0187] By further carrying the device's random access identification information, index, and other information in the MAC sub-PDU, if the MAC sub-header does not contain the random access identification information or index of the first device, the message does not need to be parsed. For example, the corresponding MAC sub-PDU can be directly discarded without parsing, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0188] In another possible design of another possible implementation, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes one or more random access identification information and / or an index of the first device. The second header includes at least one of the following:

[0189] First information;

[0190] MAC PDU type indicator;

[0191] Information used to indicate data transmission.

[0192] Similarly, the information in the second header can be one of these information, or any combination of any of them. In some embodiments, it may also include other information. Furthermore, the information carried in the second header may be the same as or different from the information carried in the first header in the above design.

[0193] Compared to the aforementioned .MAC PDU format design, this design can utilize a second MAC SDU to carry information about multiple first devices, such as random access identification information and index information. By merging the information of multiple first devices into a single MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, the first device can also identify whether its access request has been successfully received through the MAC SDU, for example, whether the MAC SDU contains its random access identification information. If it does, it indicates that the access contention has been successfully resolved.

[0194] In one example, as shown in Figure 7a, a possible MAC PDU format using bitmap mode is illustrated. Optionally, the MAC PDU may include a sub-header, i.e., a second header, and a MAC payload, i.e., a second MAC SDU. Optionally, it may also include a MAC sub-PDU padded with padding bits. The second header may include, for example, one or more of the following: a message type indicator (i.e., a MAC PDU type indicator, or a MAC PDU format type indicator, or a MAC sub-PDU content type indicator), a bitmap, and common scheduling information (used to indicate the resource location of subsequent messages or data). The second MAC SDU corresponds to one or more devices; that is, if a second device responds to multiple msg1 messages from a first device, the response information of the second device is contained in this single second MAC SDU. For example, this second MAC SDU may contain the random access identification information RN16 of multiple devices. Optionally, the MAC SDU may also contain device-specific scheduling information, which may correspond one-to-one with the random access identifier information RN16. For example, the correspondence may be indicated by placing it in consecutive positions before and after the "random access identifier information", that is, "random access identifier information 1" is followed by specific scheduling information 1, and "random access identifier information 2" is followed by specific scheduling information 2, and so on.

[0195] In another example, as shown in Figure 7b, a possible MAC PDU format for the index method is illustrated. Optionally, the MAC PDU includes a sub-header, i.e., a second header, and a MAC payload, i.e., a second MAC SDU. Optionally, it may also include a MAC sub-PDU padded with padding bits. The second header includes, for example, one or more of the following: a message type indicator (i.e., a MAC PDU type indicator, or a MAC PDU format type indicator, or a MAC sub-PDU content type indicator), and common scheduling information (used to indicate the resource location of subsequent messages or data). The MAC payload corresponds to one or more devices; that is, if the msg1 response is for multiple devices, it is all included in this one second MAC SDU, for example, containing the indices of multiple devices and random access identification information RN16. Optionally, the MAC SDU may also contain device-specific scheduling information, which can correspond one-to-one with the random access identification information RN16. For example, the correspondence can be indicated by placing it in consecutive positions before and after the corresponding index, i.e., index 1 followed by "random access identification information 1" followed by specific scheduling information 1, and index 2 followed by "random access identification information 2" followed by specific scheduling information 2, and so on.

[0196] Understandably, in the example of Figure 7b above, the second header may only contain the indication type and common scheduling information. In some examples, it may also be designed in combination with the information in the second header of Figure 7a, that is, it may also include a bitmap or index, or it may be designed in other ways, such as only containing information for data transmission, such as common scheduling information, etc.

[0197] By designing the MAC PDU format to include the first information in the second header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced. The common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in the MAC SDU, which can quickly determine whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing. At the same time, by merging the random access identification information and index of multiple first devices into a single MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced, network load can be reduced, and the time for multiple first devices to wait for a response can be reduced.

[0198] Furthermore, the MAC PDU also includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs, each second MAC sub-PDU including a second MAC sub-header and a third MAC SDU. The second MAC sub-header includes a type indicator of the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU is used to indicate information on data transmission corresponding to one or more first devices.

[0199] Optionally, this design can utilize the second MAC SDU to contain response information from multiple devices to reduce message signaling overhead. In some scenarios, the second MAC SDU may not carry information for device data transmission, such as common scheduling information or device-specific scheduling information; instead, the scheduling information can be carried in one or more other MAC sub-PDUs.

[0200] Each second MAC sub-PDU may include a MAC sub-header (i.e., the second MAC sub-header) and a MAC SDU (i.e., the third MAC SDU). The second MAC sub-header includes a type indicator for the second MAC sub-PDU. Specifically, the type indicator can identify the type of the second MAC sub-PDU. For example, it can indicate that the MAC sub-PDU carries information for device data transmission, such as scheduling information. By explicitly identifying the type of the MAC sub-PDU, the device can correctly parse and process the information in the sub-PDU, thereby obtaining the scheduling information corresponding to one or more devices.

[0201] In one example, as shown in Figure 8a, a possible MAC PDU format design in bitmap mode is illustrated. Optionally, the MAC PDU includes a second header and a second MAC SDU, and optionally, it may also include a MAC sub-PDU with padding bits.

[0202] Meanwhile, the data transmission information corresponding to one or more devices, such as scheduling information, can be contained in a single MAC sub-PDU (second MAC sub-PDU). The MAC sub-PDU contains a MAC header and a MAC payload (i.e., a third MAC SDU). In one possible manner, the MAC header contains a message type indicator (i.e., a MAC sub-PDU type indicator, a MAC sub-PDU format type indicator, or a MAC sub-PDU content type indicator) to indicate that the MAC sub-PDU indicates scheduling information, and the MAC payload contains the specific scheduling information. In this case, the scheduling information can be shared by multiple devices; that is, one or more MAC sub-PDUs can be used to indicate scheduling information. For example, a single MAC sub-PDU can be used to indicate scheduling information, which can be common scheduling information, device-specific scheduling information, or a combination of common and device-specific scheduling information. This scheduling information can be applicable to multiple devices.

[0203] In another example, as shown in Figure 8b, a possible MAC PDU format design for the index method is illustrated. Optionally, the MAC PDU may include a second header and a second MAC SDU, and optionally, a MAC sub-PDU with padding bits. Meanwhile, scheduling information can be contained in a separate MAC sub-PDU (i.e., the second MAC sub-PDU). This MAC sub-PDU may contain a MAC sub-header and a MAC payload (i.e., the third MAC SDU). One possible approach is that the MAC sub-header may contain a message type indicator (i.e., a MAC sub-PDU type indicator, a MAC sub-PDU format type indicator, or a MAC sub-PDU content type indicator) indicating that the MAC sub-PDU is used to indicate scheduling information, while the MAC payload may contain the specific scheduling information. At this time, the scheduling information can be shared by multiple devices. That is, one or more MAC sub-PDUs can be used to indicate the scheduling information. For example, a MAC sub-PDU can be used to indicate the scheduling information. The scheduling information can be common scheduling information, specific scheduling information, or a combination of common scheduling information and specific scheduling information. The scheduling information can be applied to multiple devices.

[0204] By using the MAC subheader in one or more second MAC subPDUs to carry the type indication corresponding to the second MAC subPDU, and the third MAC SDU to carry the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices, the scheduling information can be flexibly combined with other information as a separate MAC subPDU. For example, the scheduling information can be part of msg2 or part of other R2D messages.

[0205] In yet another possible design of another possible implementation, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs, each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC sub-header, or each third MAC sub-PCU including a third MAC sub-header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information of a first device. The third MAC sub-header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the first device's random access identification information and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device. Alternatively, the third MAC sub-header includes the first information and the first device's random access identification information.

[0206] Compared to the above designs, the MAC PDU format in this design does not require a common header, such as a first or second header. Instead, it uses one or more MAC sub-PDUs (i.e., the third MAC sub-PDU) to carry information. Each MAC sub-PDU carries information about a single device. The device can quickly determine whether it has successfully resolved access contention by using its corresponding MAC sub-PDU, without having to repeatedly parse the information of other sub-PDUs. For example, it can identify whether the device has successfully resolved access contention by parsing the MAC sub-header in the corresponding MAC sub-PDU. If access contention is unsuccessful, the message can be discarded without further parsing, thereby reducing energy consumption.

[0207] Optionally, each MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about a first device. Each MAC sub-PDU may include a MAC sub-header, i.e., a third MAC sub-header, which may carry first information, such as the index of the first device or other information. In some examples, the MAC sub-header may also include random access identification information corresponding to the first device, and so on.

[0208] Optionally, each MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about a first device. Each MAC sub-PDU may include a MAC sub-header (i.e., a third MAC sub-header) and a MAC SDU (i.e., a fourth MAC SDU). In a MAC sub-PDU, the third MAC sub-header may carry the first information of a first device, and the fourth MAC SDU may carry the random access identifier information of the first device. Optionally, the fourth MAC SDU may also include data transmission information corresponding to the first device, such as scheduling information. In other examples, in a MAC sub-PDU, the third MAC sub-header may carry the first information of a first device and the random access identifier corresponding to the first device, and the fourth MAC SDU may carry data transmission information corresponding to the first device, such as scheduling information. The first information may be the index of the first device or other information.

[0209] It is understood that the MAC subheader and MAC SDU information in the third MAC sub-PDU in this embodiment correspond to the first device and to the same device, so that the device can quickly process the corresponding MAC sub-PDU. At the same time, the scheduling information of the device can be carried in the MAC sub-PDU, so that the network can flexibly allocate different resources and parameters to each device, and allow the network to optimize according to the specific needs and conditions of each device.

[0210] For example, as shown in Figure 9, a possible MAC PDU format design for the index method is illustrated. The MAC PDU includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs (i.e., the third MAC sub-PDU), and optionally, it may also include a MAC sub-PDU with padding bits (used for byte alignment of the entire MAC PDU). One MAC sub-PDU corresponds to one device, that is, if multiple devices respond to msg1, then there are multiple MAC sub-PDUs. In an optional method (1), corresponding to option 1-1 in Figure 9, a MAC sub-PDU contains a MAC sub-header and a MAC payload (i.e., the fourth MAC SDU). In one possible way, the MAC sub-header may contain a message type indicator (i.e., the MAC PDU type indicator, or the MAC PDU format type indicator, or the MAC sub-PDU content type indicator), the index of the first device; the MAC payload may contain the random access identification information RN16 of the first device, and optionally, it may also contain the scheduling information of the first device. In another alternative (2), corresponding to options 1-2 in Figure 9, a MAC sub-PDU can contain a MAC sub-header, and optionally, it can also contain a MAC payload (i.e., the fourth MAC SDU). One possible approach is that the MAC sub-header can contain a message type indicator (i.e., the MAC sub-PDU type indicator, or the MAC sub-PDU format type indicator, or the MAC sub-PDU content type indicator), the index of the first device, and the random access identification information RN16 of the first device. Optionally, the MAC payload can contain the scheduling information of the first device. It is understandable that the main difference between the two alternative approaches lies in whether the random access identification information RN16 is included in the MAC sub-header or in the MAC payload. The principles and technical effects of these two designs can be found in Figure 6b above, and the relevant explanations will not be elaborated further.

[0211] In some examples, not shown in Figure 9, a MAC sub-PDU may contain a MAC sub-header and a MAC payload (i.e., MAC SDU). In one possible way, the MAC sub-header may contain a message type indicator (i.e., a MAC PDU type indicator or a MAC PDU format type indicator). The MAC payload may contain an index of a first device and may also contain the random access identification information RN16 of the first device. Optionally, it may also contain the device's scheduling information.

[0212] As a further example, scheduling information can be contained in a single MAC sub-PDU. This MAC sub-PDU can contain a MAC header and a MAC payload (i.e., a MAC SDU). One possible approach is that the MAC header contains a message type indicator (i.e., a MAC PDU type indicator, a MAC PDU format type indicator, or a MAC sub-PDU content type indicator) indicating that the MAC sub-PDU indicates scheduling information, and the MAC payload contains the specific scheduling information. Optionally, the scheduling information can contain common scheduling information and / or device-specific scheduling information. In one approach, a device may have one MAC sub-PDU for responding to msg1, and another MAC sub-PDU for indicating scheduling information, such as device-specific scheduling information. The association between these two MAC sub-PDUs can be determined by their consecutive placement, indicating the same device. Another approach is to have one MAC sub-PDU for each device to respond to msg1, but the scheduling information is shared by multiple devices. That is, there is one MAC sub-PDU to indicate the scheduling information, such as common scheduling information and / or device-specific scheduling information, which is applicable to multiple devices. Figure 9 shows the use of one MAC sub-PDU to carry scheduling information that can be shared.

[0213] By designing a MAC PDU format, the first information is carried in the third MAC header of one or more third MAC sub-PDUs. The first device can quickly identify whether it has successfully resolved the contention by parsing the corresponding MAC sub-PDU, thereby further reducing message processing complexity. Furthermore, based on the different specific needs and conditions of different devices (such as resources and parameters), this design can utilize each third MAC sub-PDU to carry specific device information, such as scheduling information, enabling the network to flexibly allocate different resources and parameters to each device, allowing the network to optimize according to the specific needs and conditions of each device.

[0214] In some embodiments, step S302, which involves sending data based on the first message, may include the following steps: determining whether the first device has successfully accessed the network based on the first information in the first message; and when the first device successfully accesses the network, sending data based on the information carried in the first message. It should be noted that successful access can be considered as successful resolution of access contention, i.e., successful resolution of contention during the access process.

[0215] For example, when the first message is a bitmap, the system can determine whether the random access identifier information for that access time has been received by judging the bit positions in the bitmap. Each bit corresponds to an access opportunity, and by checking whether the bit value is "1" or "0", it can confirm whether the Reader's response is for its own access request, thus determining whether the access was successful. Upon successful access, the information carried in the first message, such as the resources allocated in the first message, can be used for subsequent data transmission. Based on this design, the first device can quickly execute subsequent data transmission processes upon successful access, improving data interaction efficiency.

[0216] As mentioned above, the first information can be in various forms besides a bitmap. For different forms of the first information, corresponding methods for determining whether the access was successful can be adopted. This embodiment will not elaborate further on this.

[0217] In some embodiments, the above method may further include the following steps: when the first device access fails, determine that the access contention has failed or the contention resolution has failed.

[0218] In this context, a failed access attempt or unsuccessful resolution of a network contention can occur when multiple devices attempt to access the network simultaneously. For example, multiple devices may attempt to access the network at the same time, while other devices at that time successfully access the network, but the first device fails to receive a network access response and needs to retry. This embodiment can use the first information to quickly identify the state of the first device's unsuccessful access.

[0219] Optionally, the first device can also use a bitmap-based determination method to determine whether its random access identification information has not been received, thereby confirming whether access was successful. If access is unsuccessful, it is determined that the access contention failed or the contention resolution was unsuccessful. Based on this design, the first device can quickly adopt relevant strategies (such as resending the access request or generating new random access identification information) to re-access when the contention fails, improving access efficiency.

[0220] In summary, based on the technical solution provided in the embodiments of this application, by carrying first information in the first message to indicate whether the second device responds to the access of one or more first devices, the first device can use the first information to quickly identify whether the device has an access response, and execute data transmission service after confirming successful access, without having to parse the first message layer by layer, reducing the device processing complexity and thus reducing energy consumption; furthermore, through the format design of the first information, the device processing complexity is further reduced, or through the overall format design of the first message, the device can correctly parse the message and reduce the resource overhead of the message, thereby further reducing the complexity of the message and significantly reducing the device energy consumption, which is especially suitable for A-IoT devices with extremely high energy resource requirements.

[0221] This application also provides another access method, which can be applied to a communication device, namely a second device, i.e., a Reader (such as a network-side device or a user equipment). Referring again to FIG4a, the method may include the following steps:

[0222] S402. In response to an access request sent by at least one first device, a first message is sent to at least one first device. The first message includes first information, which is used to indicate whether the at least one first device has accessed the device. By carrying first information in the first message to indicate whether the at least one first device has responded to the access request, the first device can use the first information to quickly determine whether the second device has responded to the access request of the first device, thereby reducing the processing complexity of the first message during the access process and saving device power consumption.

[0223] In one possible design, the size of the first information is determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one first device to send an access request, which includes random access identification information. By designing the size of the first information (e.g., its length) to be determined using the time-frequency resources for sending the access request, the redundancy and complexity of the first information can be reduced while ensuring reliable transmission of the access request, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the first message.

[0224] In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or similar methods, the device can easily use the bits corresponding to the bitmap or the index values ​​corresponding to the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0225] In conjunction with the second aspect mentioned above, in one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each corresponding to information about a first device. The first header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first message in the first header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced. Furthermore, the common information only needs to be parsed once, eliminating the need for repeated parsing in each MAC sub-PDU message. This allows for rapid determination of whether the second device has responded to the first device's access, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0226] In one possible design, the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC Service Data Unit (SDU). The first MAC sub-header includes the random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes an index of the first device. By further carrying the device's random access identification information, index, and other information in the MAC sub-PDU, if the MAC sub-header does not contain the random access identification information of the first device, the corresponding MAC sub-PDU can be discarded without parsing, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0227] In one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes random access identification information and / or an index of one or more first devices. The second header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first information in the second header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced. The common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in the MAC SDU, allowing for a quick determination of whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device, thereby further reducing message processing complexity. Simultaneously, by merging the random access identification information and index of multiple first devices into one MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced, network load can be lowered, and the time for multiple first devices to wait for a response individually can be reduced.

[0228] In one possible design, the MAC PDU also includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs. Each second MAC sub-PDU includes a second MAC header and a third MAC SDU. The second MAC header includes a type indicator for the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU indicates the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices. By utilizing the MAC header of one or more second MAC sub-PDUs to carry the type indicator corresponding to the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU to carry the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices, scheduling information can be flexibly combined with other information as a separate MAC sub-PDU. For example, scheduling information can be part of msg2 or other R2D messages to further reduce device processing complexity.

[0229] In one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). Each MAC PDU includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs, each containing a third MAC header, or each third MAC sub-PCU containing a third MAC header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about a first device. The third MAC header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the first device's random access identification information and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device. Alternatively, the third MAC header includes both the first information and the first device's random access identification information. By designing the MAC PDU format, the first information is carried in the third MAC header of one or more third MAC sub-PDUs. The first device can quickly identify whether it has successfully accessed the network by parsing the corresponding MAC sub-PDU, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0230] It should be noted that this embodiment is the peer process of the first device embodiment. For related undescribed principles or beneficial effects, please refer to the description of the corresponding method embodiment of the first device above, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for indicating a message format according to an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to a communication device (such as a network-side device or a UE), or any other electronic device, such as other terminal devices or server devices. As shown in Figure 10, the method may include steps S1001 and S1002.

[0232] Step S1001: Determine the size of the first information in the first message based on the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device. The first information is used by the second device to indicate whether at least one of the first devices has accessed the network.

[0233] Optionally, the first message can be a msg2 message sent by the second device (i.e., the Reader) to the first device, such as an access response message.

[0234] Optionally, the first information may include a bitmap.

[0235] At least one of the bits and indexes. By employing bitmaps, indexes, etc., the device can quickly read the bits corresponding to the bitmap or the index value corresponding to the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing. It should be noted that for the undescribed parts regarding the above-mentioned first message and first information, as well as the working mechanism corresponding to the first message, please refer to the description in the above embodiments.

[0236] Optionally, the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device can be the time-frequency resources currently actually scheduled by the second device for the first device to send an access request to the second device. For example, the second device can send R2D messages to one or more first devices. For example, the R2D message can be a QueryRep message, indicating the time-frequency resources that can be used by the first device to send an access request (such as msg1), i.e., the access timing. Optionally, the time-frequency resources specifically refer to the location of one or more time-frequency resources. That is, the indicated information includes: how many time-frequency resources are used to send access requests (i.e., the number of time-frequency resources), and the location of each time-frequency resource. However, considering that in some scenarios, such as for more flexible control, the second device may actually only schedule a small number of time-frequency resources. For example, the second device can schedule a maximum of N time-frequency resources for sending access requests each time, but the currently actually scheduled time-frequency resources for sending access requests are less than N. If N is still used to determine the size of the first information, it is easy to waste response resources and increase the processing complexity of the device. Taking the first information as a bitmap as an example:

[0237] For example, suppose the second device allows a maximum of N = X * Y = 6 * 8 time-frequency resources (where X is the time-domain resource for sending msg1, and Y is the frequency-domain resource for sending msg1; X and Y can be referred to the description in the above embodiment) to be used for sending access requests. However, in the current actual access process, the second device only schedules X * Y = 2 * 3 time-frequency resources, and the first device uses these X * Y = 2 * 3 time-frequency resources to send access requests. Instead of the second device responding to the access request using a 48-bit bitmap corresponding to X*Y = 6*8, this embodiment uses X*Y = 2*3 time-frequency resources to design the length of the bitmap. Each bit in the bitmap corresponds to an access opportunity (i.e., the time-frequency resource for sending msg1). By judging the value of the bit, such as whether it is "1" or "0", it is determined whether the random access identifier information corresponding to its access opportunity has been received. This allows it to confirm whether the Reader's response is for its own access request (the random access identifier in the Reader's response matches the random access identifier sent by itself), thus determining whether the access was successful. This method can effectively save response resources and reduce the processing complexity of the device. The same principle applies to other methods for the first information.

[0238] The above-mentioned determination of the size of the first information in the first message based on the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device can be understood as determining the length of the first information based on the number of time-frequency resources used to send the access request. For example, if the first information is a bitmap, the size of the first information is the total number of bits included in the bitmap.

[0239] In a possible design, determining the size of the first information in the first message according to the time-frequency resources used for the first device to send an access request to the second device includes: when the number of time-frequency resources is a first value, the size of the bitmap is the first value, where each resource position of the time-frequency resources is determined as a bit position of the bitmap.

[0240] Where the first value represents the number of resource units available within a specific time and frequency range.

[0241] Based on this design, by determining the size of the bitmap as the value corresponding to the number of time-frequency resources, not only can resources be efficiently allocated, but also the overhead of unnecessary bitmaps can be effectively reduced.

[0242] In a possible design, determining the size of the first information in the first message according to the time-frequency resources used for the first device to send an access request to the second device includes: when the number of time-frequency resources is within a first range, the size of the bitmap is a second value, and the corresponding relationship between the first range and the second value is predefined or indicated by the second device to the first device.

[0243] Where the first range can be multiple ranges. For example, the first range of the number of time-frequency resources X*Y is: thresh1 < X*Y <= thresh2, or, thresh1 <= X*Y < thresh2, or, thresh1 <= X*Y <= thresh2. Other ranges can also be adopted, and this embodiment does not limit this. Where thresh1 and thresh2 are the first threshold and the second threshold, which can be determined according to actual applications or empirical values. An optional example is as shown in Table 1 in the above embodiment. According to the first range of X*Y, the length of the bitmap is designed. In Table 1 above, each row of the first range of X*Y can respectively correspond to each row of the length of the bitmap. For example, when X*Y = (1, 8], or; when X*Y = (1, 8], (8, 16], the length of the bitmap can be 8, or 8 and 16.

[0244] Optionally, the corresponding relationship between the range of time-frequency resources and the size of the bitmap can be predefined, that is, in the system design or standard, it has been specified that a specific range of time-frequency resources corresponds to a specific size of the bitmap. Or, the corresponding relationship can be determined by dynamic indication. For example, the second device (such as a network-side device or a user device) can dynamically indicate this corresponding relationship to the first device (such as an A-IoT device). This indication can be implemented through control signaling or protocol messages, enabling the system to flexibly adjust resource allocation according to the current network conditions or requirements. Based on this design, determining the length of the bitmap according to the range of the number of time-frequency resources supports the size (such as length) of the bitmap to be variable, and the overhead of the bitmap can be flexibly adjusted.

[0245] Step S1002: Determine the first message based on the size of the first information.

[0246] Optionally, determining the first message based on the size of the first information can be understood as: determining how to parse the first message based on the size of the first information. For example, if the size of the first information is N, then N bits are parsed at the position corresponding to the first information to understand the first information, and the bits other than N bits are used to understand other information. For example, continuing with Figure 5b, where Figure 5b (1) shows the case where the first information is a bitmap, the bitmap includes 4 bits, that is, the size of the first information is 4. By parsing the value corresponding to each of these 4 bits, it is possible to quickly identify whether the first device has successfully accessed the network. For example, parsing the value of the bit of the time-frequency resource position (that is, the corresponding access timing) of the first device, thereby further matching the corresponding random access identification information, and determining that the random access identification information of the first device at the corresponding access timing has been successfully received by the Reader. Correspondingly, Figure 5b (2) shows the case where the first information is an index, the size of the first information is the size of the index value, such as index00. If there is an index corresponding to the size of this index value, then further matching the corresponding random access identification information, and determining that the random access identification information at the corresponding access timing has been successfully received by the Reader.

[0247] By utilizing the time-frequency resources of the first device sending an access request to the second device, the size of the first message is designed to avoid the first message being too long or complex, making it easier for the device to parse correctly and reducing the processing complexity of the device, thereby saving energy consumption. It can also reduce the signaling overhead of the first message and save signaling resources.

[0248] This application embodiment also provides a communication method. After the first device (A-IoT device) initiates the access process, the first device sends msg1 and receives msg2. If msg2 responds to its own msg1, the first device confirms successful access or successful contention resolution. The first device further sends msg3 according to the resource information of msg3 scheduled by msg2. Optionally, the first device can continue to transmit upper-layer data. For example, in command services, there are also read, write, disable, and feedback messages. For details regarding msg1, msg2, msg3, and the related upper-layer data, please refer to the description in the above embodiments. Compared to the above embodiments, in order to enable the first device to clearly know whether its sent message or its executed A-IoT process is successful, feedback information is introduced for the second device (Reader) to provide feedback to the first device (the second device can send a new message carrying this feedback information; or include the feedback information in any R2D message exchanged between the second and first devices, such as Queryrep, which is not particularly limited in this embodiment): whether the first device's sent msg3 was successful, and / or whether the first device's A-IoT process was successful (whether the A-IoT process is successful can be understood as whether the A-IoT process is completed). Therefore, the feedback information can indicate whether the first device's sent msg3 was successful, or the feedback information can indicate whether the first device's A-IoT process was successful, or the feedback information includes two types of feedback information: the first type indicates whether the first device's sent msg3 was successful, and the second type indicates whether the first device's A-IoT process was successful. The first and second types of feedback information can be sent simultaneously or separately. It should be noted that the feedback information is an optional naming method, and other naming methods can also be used; this embodiment does not particularly limit this.

[0249] Feedback information can indicate information about one or more first devices. For example, feedback information may use an index to indicate one or more devices. Optionally, an index may correspond to an access opportunity, and at most one first device can successfully access or resolve contention during each access opportunity. Each index corresponding to an access opportunity is equivalent to one first device successfully accessing or resolving contention during that access opportunity. Alternatively, feedback information may indicate information about one or more successful first devices, for example, by carrying one or more indices to indicate that the corresponding one or more first devices were successful, while unindicated first devices indicate failure or incomplete success; or, feedback information may indicate information about one or more failed first devices, for example, by carrying one or more indices to indicate that the corresponding one or more first devices failed, while unindicated first devices indicate success.

[0250] In one scenario, all first-access devices might succeed. If the feedback information indicates success (i.e., displays the index of the successful device), then the index of each successful first-access device needs to be included, resulting in high signaling overhead. In another scenario, all first-access devices might fail. If the feedback information indicates failure (i.e., displays the index of the failed device), then the index of each failed first-access device needs to be included, again resulting in high signaling overhead. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce feedback information that can directly indicate whether all first-access devices have succeeded or failed, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0251] The first device receives a first feedback message, which indicates at least one of the following: all msg3 messages sent by the accessing first devices were successful; the A-IoT process of all accessing first devices was successful; all msg3 messages sent by the accessing first devices failed; and the A-IoT process of all accessing first devices failed. It should be noted that the first feedback message uses an optional naming scheme, and other naming schemes can also be used; this embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on this.

[0252] The first device determines, based on the initial feedback, whether its sent msg3 was successful, its A-IoT process was successful, its sent msg3 failed, or its A-IoT process failed. The first device then determines whether to reconnect based on the success or failure result.

[0253] Optionally, all first devices accessing the network include all first devices that access the network during the current access process triggered by the second device. That is, all first devices that access the network during one or more access opportunities (i.e., sending msg1) indicated by the second device via an R2D message. Alternatively, all first devices accessing the network include all first devices that successfully access the network during the current access process triggered by the second device. That is, all first devices that access the network during one or more access opportunities (i.e., sending msg1) indicated by the second device via an R2D message and indicated successful contention resolution (i.e., receiving msg2 and responding to their own sent msg1).

[0254] Optionally, the first feedback information indicates that all first devices that sent msg3 successfully, or that the A-IoT process of all first devices that received the message succeeded, or that the msg3 sent by all first devices failed, or that the A-IoT process of all first devices failed. For example, if a first device receives an R2D message from a second device, and this R2D message includes 1 bit of first feedback information, then it knows whether all first devices have succeeded or failed. Whether the first feedback information indicates success or failure can be predetermined by the protocol, either by specifying whether the R2D message is used to indicate success or failure, or by indicating success or failure through other information fields in the R2D message. Similarly, whether the first feedback information indicates whether the sent msg3 is part of the A-IoT process can be predetermined by the protocol, either by specifying whether the R2D message is used to indicate whether the sent msg3 is part of the A-IoT process, or by indicating whether the sent msg3 is part of the A-IoT process through other information fields in the R2D message.

[0255] Optionally, the first feedback information can be specified by a special value or setting to indicate whether all msg3 sent by the accessing first devices were successful, or whether the A-IoT process of all accessing first devices was successful, or whether all msg3 sent by the accessing first devices failed, or whether the A-IoT process of all accessing first devices failed. For example, the first feedback information can be represented by feedback information that does not carry any index (the index in the feedback information is empty). If a first device receives an R2D message sent by a second device, and this R2D message includes feedback information but does not carry any index (the index in the feedback information is empty), then it is determined that all accessing first devices have either succeeded or failed. Receiving the feedback information in this R2D message can be understood as receiving the first feedback information. The first feedback information indicating success or failure can be predetermined by the protocol, either by specifying whether the R2D message is used to indicate success or failure, or by indicating success or failure through other information fields of the R2D message. Similarly, the first feedback information indicating whether the sent msg3 is an A-IoT process can be predetermined by the protocol, either by specifying whether the sent msg3 is used to indicate whether the sent msg3 is an A-IoT process, or by indicating whether the sent msg3 is an A-IoT process through other information fields of the R2D message.

[0256] For example, the protocol predetermines that the R2D message is used to indicate success, or success is indicated through other information fields in the R2D message. Success can be indicated by the sent msg3 indicating success or by the success of the A-IoT process. The R2D message includes feedback information. When a first device receives the R2D message, it knows that the message has indicated one or more successful first devices. However, if the feedback information does not carry any index, the first device interprets it as either all connected first devices being successful or all connected first devices failing.

[0257] For example, the protocol predetermines that the R2D message is used to indicate failure, or failure is indicated through other information fields in the R2D message. Failure could be a failure of the sent msg3 or a failure of the A-IoT process. The R2D message includes feedback information. When a first device receives the R2D message, it knows that the message has reported one or more failures. However, if the feedback message does not carry any index, the first device interprets it as either all connected first devices succeeding or all connected first devices failing.

[0258] By using the above technical solutions, simple instruction information can be used, or by not carrying any index and assigning a specific meaning to the setting method, to avoid overly lengthy feedback information, thereby reducing signaling overhead and saving signaling resources.

[0259] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to several accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0260] Figures 11 to 16 are schematic block diagrams of possible apparatuses provided in embodiments of this application. One apparatus provided in this application is shown in Figure 11. The apparatus 1100 includes a first transceiver unit 1110 and a first processing unit 1120.

[0261] One possible design is that the device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 above. For example, the device 1100 may correspond to the first device in FIG3.

[0262] The first transceiver unit 1110 is used to receive a first message sent by the second device. The first message includes first information, which is used to indicate whether at least one first device has an access response. The first processing unit 1120 is used to send data based on the first message. By carrying the first information indicating whether at least one first device has an access response in the first message, the first device can use the first information to quickly determine whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device, reducing the processing complexity of the first message during the access process and thus saving device power consumption.

[0263] In one possible design, the size of the first information is determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one first device to send an access request, which includes random access identification information. By designing the size of the first information (e.g., its length) to be determined using the time-frequency resources for sending the access request, the redundancy and complexity of the first information can be reduced while ensuring reliable transmission of the access request, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the first message.

[0264] In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or similar methods, the device can quickly read whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device by using the corresponding bit in the bitmap or the index value in the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0265] In one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each corresponding to information about a first device. The first header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first message in the first header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced. Furthermore, the common information only needs to be parsed once, eliminating the need for repeated parsing in each MAC sub-PDU message. This allows for rapid determination of whether a second device is responding to the access of the first device, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0266] In one possible design, the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC Service Data Unit (SDU). The first MAC sub-header includes the random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes an index of the first device. By further carrying the device's random access identification information, index, and other information in the MAC sub-PDU, if the MAC sub-header does not contain the random access identification information of the first device, the corresponding MAC sub-PDU can be discarded without parsing, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0267] In one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes random access identification information and / or an index of one or more first devices. The second header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first information in the second header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced. The common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in the MAC SDU, allowing for a quick determination of whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device, thereby further reducing message processing complexity. Simultaneously, by merging the random access identification information and index of multiple first devices into one MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced, network load can be lowered, and the time for multiple first devices to wait for a response individually can be reduced.

[0268] In one possible design, the MAC PDU also includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs. Each second MAC sub-PDU includes a second MAC header and a third MAC SDU. The second MAC header includes a type indicator for the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU indicates the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices. By utilizing the MAC header of one or more second MAC sub-PDUs to carry the type indicator corresponding to the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU to carry the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices, scheduling information can be flexibly combined with other information as a separate MAC sub-PDU. For example, scheduling information can be part of msg2 or other R2D messages to further reduce device processing complexity.

[0269] In one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). Each MAC PDU includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs, each containing a third MAC header, or each third MAC sub-PCU containing a third MAC header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about a first device. The third MAC header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the first device's random access identification information and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device. Alternatively, the third MAC header includes both the first information and the first device's random access identification information. By designing the MAC PDU format, the first information is carried in the third MAC header of one or more third MAC sub-PDUs. The first device can quickly identify whether it has successfully accessed the network by parsing the corresponding MAC sub-PDU, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0270] In one possible design, the first processing unit 1120 is specifically used to determine whether the first device has successfully connected based on the first information in the first message; when the first device successfully connects, it sends data according to the information carried in the first message. Based on this design, the first device can quickly execute the subsequent data sending process when the connection is successful, improving data interaction efficiency.

[0271] In one possible design, the first processing unit is further configured to determine whether the access contention failed or the contention resolution failed when the first device fails to access the network. Based on this design, the first device can quickly adopt relevant strategies (such as resending the access request) to re-access the network when the contention fails, thereby improving access efficiency.

[0272] In one possible design, the first device includes an environmental IoT device (A-IoT); and / or, the second device includes a network-side device or a user device. Based on this design, energy consumption of A-IoT devices or other IoT devices can be saved in various access scenarios.

[0273] Another device provided in this application embodiment is shown in FIG12. The device 1200 includes a second transceiver unit 1210.

[0274] One possible design is that the device 1200 is used to implement the function of the second device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 or 4a above. For example, the device 1200 may correspond to the first device in FIG3 or 4a.

[0275] The second transceiver unit 1210 is configured to send a first message to at least one first device in response to an access request sent by at least one first device. The first message includes first information indicating whether the at least one first device has responded to the access request. By carrying first information in the first message to indicate whether the at least one first device has responded to the access request, the first device can quickly determine whether the second device has responded to its access request using the first information, reducing the processing complexity of the first message during the access process and thus saving device power consumption.

[0276] In one possible design, the size of the first information is determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one first device to send an access request, which includes random access identification information. By designing the size of the first information (e.g., its length) to be determined using the time-frequency resources for sending the access request, the redundancy and complexity of the first information can be reduced while ensuring reliable transmission of the access request, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the first message.

[0277] In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or similar methods, the device can quickly read whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device by using the corresponding bit in the bitmap or the index value in the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0278] In one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each corresponding to information about a first device. The first header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first message in the first header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced. Furthermore, the common information only needs to be parsed once, eliminating the need for repeated parsing in each MAC sub-PDU message. This allows for rapid determination of whether a second device is responding to the access of the first device, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0279] In one possible design, the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC Service Data Unit (SDU). The first MAC sub-header includes the random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes an index of the first device. By further carrying the device's random access identification information, index, and other information in the MAC sub-PDU, if the MAC sub-header does not contain the random access identification information of the first device, the corresponding MAC sub-PDU can be discarded without parsing, thereby further reducing the processing complexity of the device.

[0280] In one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes random access identification information and / or an index of one or more first devices. The second header includes at least one of the following: first information; a MAC PDU type indicator; and information indicating data transmission. By designing the MAC PDU format to carry common information containing the first information in the second header, duplicate information in the message can be reduced. The common information only needs to be parsed once, without repeated parsing in the MAC SDU, allowing for a quick determination of whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device, thereby further reducing message processing complexity. Simultaneously, by merging the random access identification information and index of multiple first devices into one MAC SDU, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced, network load can be lowered, and the time for multiple first devices to wait for a response individually can be reduced.

[0281] In one possible design, the MAC PDU also includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs. Each second MAC sub-PDU includes a second MAC header and a third MAC SDU. The second MAC header includes a type indicator for the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU indicates the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices. By utilizing the MAC header of one or more second MAC sub-PDUs to carry the type indicator corresponding to the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU to carry the data transmission information corresponding to one or more first devices, scheduling information can be flexibly combined with other information as a separate MAC sub-PDU. For example, scheduling information can be part of msg2 or other R2D messages to further reduce device processing complexity.

[0282] In one possible design, the first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). Each MAC PDU includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs, each containing a third MAC header, or each third MAC sub-PCU containing a third MAC header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about a first device. The third MAC header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the first device's random access identification information and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device. Alternatively, the third MAC header includes both the first information and the first device's random access identification information. By designing the MAC PDU format, the first information is carried in the third MAC header of one or more third MAC sub-PDUs. The first device can quickly identify whether it has successfully accessed the network by parsing the corresponding MAC sub-PDU, thereby further reducing message processing complexity.

[0283] Another device provided in this application embodiment is shown in FIG13. The device 1300 includes a second processing unit 1310.

[0284] One possible design is that device 1300 may correspond to the first device in FIG3 or FIG4a, or the second device, or any other device.

[0285] The second processing unit 1310 is configured to determine the size of the first information in the first message based on the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device. The first information is used by the second device to respond to at least one first device regarding whether it has accessed the device. The second processing unit 1310 is also configured to determine the size of the first message based on the size of the first information. Utilizing the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device to design the size of the first information avoids the first message being too long or complex, facilitates correct parsing by the device, reduces the processing complexity of the device, thereby saving energy consumption, and can also reduce the signaling overhead of the first message, saving signaling resources.

[0286] In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index. By employing bitmaps, indexes, or similar methods, the device can quickly read whether the second device has responded to the access of the first device by using the corresponding bit in the bitmap or the index value in the index, thereby further reducing the complexity of message processing.

[0287] In one possible design, the second processing unit 1310 is specifically configured to, when the number of time-frequency resources is a first value, have a bitmap size of a first value, wherein each resource position of the time-frequency resources is determined as a bit in the bitmap. Based on this design, by determining the size of the bitmap to the value corresponding to the number of time-frequency resources, unnecessary bitmap overhead can be reduced.

[0288] In one possible design, the second processing unit 1310 is specifically configured to, when the number of time-frequency resources is within a first range, have a bitmap size of a second value, where the correspondence between the first range and the second value is predefined or indicated by the second device to the first device. Based on this design, the length of the bitmap is determined according to the range of the number of time-frequency resources, supporting variable bitmap size (e.g., length) and allowing flexible adjustment of bitmap overhead.

[0289] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed 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.

[0290] Figure 14 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the device 1400 includes one or more processors 1410. The processor 1410 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the device (e.g., a vehicle or a chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0291] Alternatively, in one design, processor 1410 may include a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be executed on processor 1410, causing device 1400 to perform the methods performed by the first or second device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, device 1400 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG. 14) for implementing the functions of the first or second device in the above method embodiments.

[0292] For example, processor 1410 can be used to execute a computer program in memory to implement the steps performed by the first or second device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 or FIG4a.

[0293] Optionally, the device 1400 may include one or more memories 1420 storing computer programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 1410, causing the device 1400 to perform the methods performed by the first or second device in the above embodiments.

[0294] Optionally, the processor 1410 and / or memory 1420 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0295] Optionally, the device 1400 may also include a communication interface 1430. The processor 1410, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., the first device or the second device). The communication interface 1430, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transceiver function of the device; for example, the communication interface 1430 can be used to receive first configuration information.

[0296] Optionally, the device 1400 also includes a communication interface 1430. The processor 1410 and the communication interface 1430 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1430 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0297] When device 1400 is used to implement the method shown in FIG3 or FIG4a, processor 1410 can be used to execute the function of the first processing unit 1420, and communication interface 1430 can be used to execute the function of the first transceiver unit 1110, the first processing unit 1120, or the second transceiver unit 1210. Whether communication interface 1430 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the scheme executed by device 1400 is used to perform a sending action or a receiving action.

[0298] When the aforementioned device 1400 is a chip applied to the first device, the chip implements the functions of the first device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the first device receives signals from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first device, and these signals may be sent to the first device by the second device; or, the chip of the first device sends signals to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first device, and these signals may be sent to the second device by the first device.

[0299] When the aforementioned device 1400 is a chip applied to the second device, the chip implements the functions of the second device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the second device receives signals from other modules in the second device, which may be signals sent from the first device to the second device; or, the chip of the second device sends signals to other modules in the second device, which may be signals sent from the second device to the first device.

[0300] It is understood that when the device 1400 is a first device or a second device, the communication interface 1430 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, with the transmitter used to send signals and the receiver used to receive signals. When the device 1400 is a chip applied to the first device or the second device, the communication interface 1430 can be an input / output circuit, wherein the input circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

[0301] Optionally, the device 1400 also includes a power supply circuit for supplying power to the device 1400.

[0302] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 15, the terminal device 1500 can be applied to the system shown in Figure 1 to perform the functions of the first device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4a. As shown, the terminal device 1500 includes a processor 1501 and a transceiver 1502. Optionally, the terminal device 1500 also includes a memory 1503. The processor 1501, transceiver 1502, and memory 1503 can communicate with each other through an internal connection path to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1503 is used to store computer programs, and the processor 1501 is used to call and run the computer programs from the memory 1503 to control the transceiver 1502 to transmit and receive signals. Optionally, the terminal device 1500 may also include an antenna 1504 for transmitting uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1502 via wireless signals.

[0303] The processor 1501 and the memory 1503 can be combined into a single processing device. The processor 1501 executes the program code stored in the memory 1503 to achieve the above-mentioned functions. In specific implementations, the memory 1503 can be integrated into the processor 1501 or be independent of the processor 1501.

[0304] The transceiver 1502 described above can correspond to the first transceiver unit in FIG11 or the communication interface in FIG14. The transceiver 1502 may include a receiver (or receiver circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0305] It should be understood that the terminal device 1500 shown in FIG15 can implement the various processes involving the first or second device in the method embodiments shown in FIG3 or FIG4a. The operation and / or function of each module in the terminal device 1500 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0306] The processor 1501 described above can be used to perform the actions implemented internally by the first or second device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the transceiver 1502 can be used to perform the actions described in the preceding method embodiments whereby the network device sends data to the terminal or the terminal receives data from the network device. Please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0307] Optionally, the terminal device 1500 may also include a power supply 1505 for providing power to various devices or circuits in the terminal.

[0308] In addition, to further enhance the functionality of the terminal, the terminal device 1500 may also include one or more of the following: an input unit 806, a display unit 807, an audio circuit 1508, a camera 1509, and a sensor 1510. The audio circuit may also include a speaker 1508a, a microphone 1508b, etc.

[0309] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the network device provided in an embodiment of this application, such as a schematic diagram of a base station. The base station 1600 can be applied to the system shown in Figure 1, performing the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3. As shown, the base station 1600 may include one or more of the following: one or more (DU+RU) 1610s and one or more CUs 1620s. The CU 1620 can communicate with the next-generation core (NG core). The DU may include at least one antenna 1611, at least one radio frequency unit 1612, at least one processor 1613, and at least one memory 1614. The DU is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals, converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals, and performing some baseband processing. The CU 1620 may include at least one processor 1622 and at least one memory 1621. The CU 1620 and the DU can communicate through an interface. The control plane (CP) interface can be Fs-C, such as F1-C, and the user plane (UP) interface can be Fs-U, such as F1-U. DUs and RUs can work together to implement the functions of the physical (PHY) layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DUs and RUs can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level and RF functions in the PHY layer. Higher-level functions in the PHY layer may include a portion of the PHY layer's functions, which are closer to the medium access control (MAC) layer, while lower-level functions in the PHY layer may include another portion of the PHY layer's functions, which are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0310] The CU 1620 is mainly used for baseband processing and base station control. The DU and CU 1620 can be physically installed together or separately, i.e., a distributed base station. The CU 1620 is the control center of the base station, which can correspond to the first processing unit in Figure 11 or the processor in Figure 12, and can also be called a processing unit, mainly used to complete baseband processing functions. For example, the CU 1620 can be used to control the base station to execute the network device operation flow described in the above method embodiments.

[0311] Specifically, baseband processing on the CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network. For example, the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above are set in the CU, while the functions of protocol layers below PDCP, such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the MAC layer, are set in the DU. Alternatively, the CU may implement the functions of the RRC and PDCP layers, while the DU may implement the functions of the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0312] Alternatively, the base station 1600 may include one or more radio frequency units (RUs), one or more DUs, and one or more CUs. A DU may include at least one processor 1613 and at least one memory 1614, an RU may include at least one antenna 1611 and at least one radio frequency unit 1612, and a CU may include at least one processor 1622 and at least one memory 1621.

[0313] In one example, the CU 1620 can be composed of one or more boards. These boards can collectively support a single access-indicating radio access network (such as a 5G network), or they can each support radio access networks with different access standards (such as LTE, 5G, or other networks). The memory 1621 and processor 1622 can serve one or more boards. That is, each board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each board can also have necessary circuitry. Similarly, the DU can be composed of one or more boards. These boards can collectively support a single access-indicating radio access network (such as a 5G network), or they can each support radio access networks with different access standards (such as LTE, 5G, or other networks). The memory 1614 and processor 1613 can serve one or more boards. That is, each board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each board can also have necessary circuitry.

[0314] It should be understood that the base station 1600 shown in Figure 16 can implement the various processes involving the second device in the method embodiments shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4a. The operation and / or function of each module in the base station 1600 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0315] It should be understood that the base station 1600 shown in Figure 16 is only one possible architecture for a network device and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way. The method provided in this application can be applied to network devices with other architectures, such as network devices including CU, DU, and AAU. This application does not limit the specific architecture of the network device.

[0316] It should be understood that Figure 16 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the network device may not depend on the structure shown in Figure 16. For example, the network device may also include an AAU, a CU and / or a DU, or a BBU and an adaptive radio unit (ARU). This application does not limit this.

[0317] The aforementioned CU and / or DU can be used to perform the actions implemented internally by the network device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the AAU can be used to perform the actions described in the preceding method embodiments whereby the network device sends data to the processing device or the processing device receives data from the network device. Please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0318] The above-described method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or through software instructions.

[0319] The aforementioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0320] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0321] The memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of 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). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0322] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions of the first or second device involved in any of the above method embodiments, such as receiving, sending, or processing information involved in the above methods.

[0323] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0324] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0325] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), wherein when the computer program is run, the method executed by the terminal in the embodiment shown in FIG3 or FIG4a is executed, or the method executed by the network device is executed.

[0326] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, the method executed by the terminal in the embodiment shown in FIG3 or FIG4a is executed, or the method executed by the network device is executed.

[0327] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned terminal and network equipment.

[0328] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When these computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0329] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed 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.

[0330] 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.

[0331] 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.

[0332] 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.

[0333] 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.

[0334] 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, or part of it, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0335] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

Claims

1. An access method, characterized in that, Applied to the first device, including: Receive a first message sent by a second device, the first message including first information, the first information being used to indicate whether at least one of the first devices has accessed; Data is sent based on the first message.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The size of the first information is determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one of the first devices to send an access request, the access request including random access identification information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index.

4. The access method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each first MAC sub-PDU corresponding to information of the first device. The first header includes at least one of the following information: First information; MAC PDU type indicator; Information used to indicate the transmission of the data.

5. The access method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC service data unit (SDU), the first MAC sub-header includes the random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes the index of the first device.

6. The access method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), which includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes one or more random access identification information and / or an index of the first device. The second header includes at least one of the following: First information; MAC PDU type indicator; Information used to indicate the transmission of the data.

7. The access method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The MAC PDU also includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs, each second MAC sub-PDU including a second MAC header and a third MAC SDU, the second MAC header including a type indicator of the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU used to indicate information about the data transmission corresponding to one or more of the first devices.

8. The access method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), which includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs. Each third MAC sub-PCU includes a third MAC header, or each third MAC sub-PCU includes a third MAC header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about one of the first devices. The third MAC sub-header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the random access identification information of the first device and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device; or... The third MAC subheader includes the first information and the random access identifier information of the first device.

9. The access method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The data transmission based on the first message includes: Determine whether the first device has successfully connected based on the first message; When the first device successfully connects, data is sent according to the information carried in the first message.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: If the first device fails to connect, it is determined that the access contention has failed or the contention resolution has failed.

11. The access method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The first device includes an environmental Internet of Things (A-IoT) device; and / or, the second device includes a network-side device or a user device.

12. An access method, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, including: In response to an access request sent by at least one first device, a first message is sent to at least one first device, the first message including first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the response to at least one first device is to access the device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The size of the first information is determined based on the time-frequency resources used for at least one of the first devices to send an access request, the access request including random access identification information.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index.

15. The access method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, The first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The MAC PDU includes a first header and one or more first MAC sub-PDUs, each first MAC sub-PDU corresponding to information of the first device. The first header includes at least one of the following information: First information; MAC PDU type indicator; Information used to indicate the transmission of the data.

16. The access method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header, or the first MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-header and a first MAC service data unit (SDU), the first MAC sub-header includes the random access identification information of the first device, and / or the first MAC sub-header includes the index of the first device.

17. The access method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, The first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), which includes a second header and a second MAC SDU. The second MAC SDU includes one or more random access identification information and / or an index of the first device. The second header includes at least one of the following: First information; MAC PDU type indicator; Information used to indicate the transmission of the data.

18. The access method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The MAC PDU also includes one or more second MAC sub-PDUs, each second MAC sub-PDU including a second MAC header and a third MAC SDU, the second MAC header including a type indicator of the second MAC sub-PDU, and the third MAC SDU used to indicate information about the data transmission corresponding to one or more of the first devices.

19. The access method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, The first message is a Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), which includes one or more third MAC sub-PCUs. Each third MAC sub-PCU includes a third MAC header, or each third MAC sub-PCU includes a third MAC header and a fourth MAC SDU. Each third MAC sub-PDU corresponds to information about one of the first devices. The third MAC sub-header includes first information, and the fourth MAC SDU includes the random access identification information of the first device and / or the data transmission information corresponding to the first device; or... The third MAC subheader includes the first information and the random access identifier information of the first device.

20. A method for indicating message format, characterized in that, The method includes: The size of the first information in the first message is determined based on the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device. The first information is used by the second device to respond to whether the first device has accessed the network. The first message is determined based on the size of the first information.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of a bitmap and an index.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, Determining the size of the first information in the first message based on the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device includes: When the number of time-frequency resources is a first value, the size of the bitmap is a first value, wherein each resource position of the time-frequency resources is determined as a bit of the bitmap.

23. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, Determining the size of the first information in the first message based on the time-frequency resources used by the first device to send an access request to the second device includes: When the number of time-frequency resources is within a first range, the size of the bitmap is a second value, and the correspondence between the first range and the second value is predefined or indicated by the second device to the first device.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, The processor includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing computer programs, and the processor for executing the computer programs stored in the memory. So that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11; or, So that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19; or, So that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 20 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to control the communication interface. To implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11; or, To achieve the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19; To implement the method as described in any one of claims 20 to 23.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 19, or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 23.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program that, when run, causes a computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or causes the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 19, or causes the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 23.

28. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system is applied to an electronic device, the chip system including one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19, or to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 20 to 23.

29. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, and the second communication device is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19; or, The first communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, and the second communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19.

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