Communication method and apparatus, communication device, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed are a communication method and apparatus, a communication device, a communication system, and a storage medium. The method comprises: within a target frame, sending a downlink signal to a terminal device in a first beam position by means of a downlink beam; and performing uplink beam scanning on the first beam position within the target frame, so as to receive an uplink signal sent by the terminal device, wherein a time interval between a start sending moment of the downlink beam and a start scanning moment of an uplink beam is greater than a first set threshold, and the first set threshold is determined on the basis of a propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or a propagation delay of the uplink signal. According to the present disclosure, switching between uplink and downlink beams can be performed within a target frame without waiting for the next round of scanning for a first beam position, so that a network device responds to a terminal device more quickly, thereby shortening the communication delay between the network device and the terminal device.

Description

Communication methods, devices, equipment, systems and storage media

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2025101345708, filed on February 6, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus, Communication Equipment, Communication System and Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, device, system and storage medium. Background Technology

[0004] Time Division Duplexing (TDD) is a duplexing method in communication systems. TDD separates the uplink and downlink using time; that is, the uplink and downlink use different time slots of the same frequency carrier as the carrying resources for their respective beam signals, and the signals are transmitted on the beams. This means that the uplink and downlink beams are discontinuous in the time domain. Therefore, for network devices, how to perform uplink and downlink beam switching in TDD mode is a crucial technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a communication method, apparatus, communication device, communication system, and storage medium.

[0006] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, applied to a network device, comprising:

[0007] Within the target frame, downlink signals are transmitted to the terminal device in the first position via downlink beams;

[0008] Within the target frame, uplink beam scanning is performed on the first wave position to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device;

[0009] Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam is greater than a first set threshold, the first set threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

[0010] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, applied to a terminal device, comprising:

[0011] The receiving network device transmits downlink signals to the first position where the terminal device is located via downlink beam within the target frame;

[0012] Within the target frame, an uplink signal is transmitted to the network device via an uplink beam;

[0013] Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam by the network device is greater than a first set threshold, the first set threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

[0014] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a communication apparatus is provided for use in a network device, comprising:

[0015] The transmitting module is used to transmit downlink signals to the terminal device in the first position via a downlink beam within the target frame;

[0016] The scanning module is used to perform uplink beam scanning on the first wave position within the target frame to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

[0017] Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam is greater than a first set threshold, the first set threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

[0018] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a communication device is provided for use in a terminal device, comprising:

[0019] The receiving module is used to receive downlink signals sent by the network device to the first wave position where the terminal device is located via downlink beam within the target frame;

[0020] The transmitting module is used to transmit uplink signals to the network device via an uplink beam within the target frame;

[0021] Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam by the network device is greater than a first set threshold, the first set threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

[0022] According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a communication device is provided, comprising:

[0023] At least one processor; and

[0024] A memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein,

[0025] The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, which, when executed by the at least one processor, enable the at least one processor to perform either the communication method described in the first aspect or the communication method described in the second aspect.

[0026] According to a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising: a network device and a terminal device; wherein the network device is configured to implement the communication method as described in the first aspect, and the terminal device is configured to implement the communication method as described in the second aspect.

[0027] According to a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores computer instructions for causing the computer to perform the communication method as described in the first aspect, or to perform the communication method as described in the second aspect.

[0028] According to an eighth aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the communication method as described in the first aspect, or implement the steps of the communication method as described in the second aspect.

[0029] The communication method, apparatus, equipment, system, and storage medium disclosed herein have the following beneficial effects:

[0030] Within the target frame, a downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the first wave position via a downlink beam; within the target frame, an uplink beam scan is performed on the first wave position to receive the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device; wherein the time interval between the start time of the downlink beam transmission and the start time of the uplink beam scan is greater than a first preset threshold, which is determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal. This disclosure allows for uplink and downlink beam switching within the target frame, that is, downlink beam transmission and uplink beam scanning can be performed on the first wave position within the target frame without waiting for the next round of scanning of the first wave position, thereby enabling network devices to respond to terminal devices more quickly and reducing communication latency between network devices and terminal devices.

[0031] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The accompanying drawings are provided to better understand this solution and do not constitute a limitation of this disclosure. Wherein:

[0033] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of round-trip time delay provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of uplink and downlink beam offset according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of beam scanning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a frame structure provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a target frame provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a target frame provided according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a target frame provided according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a communication device used to implement the communication method of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, including various details of the embodiments to aid understanding, and should be considered merely exemplary. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Similarly, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted in the following description.

[0049] In the technical solutions disclosed herein, the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, and disclosure of users' personal information are all carried out with the consent of the users, and all comply with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations, and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0050] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes a communication method, apparatus, device, system, and storage medium according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This communication method is applied to a network device. The present disclosure can be applied to message transmission scenarios involving responses between a network device and a terminal device. For example, the network device can refer to devices such as satellites and base stations, and the terminal device can refer to user equipment (UE), such as mobile phones and computers.

[0052] As shown in Figure 1, the communication method includes:

[0053] Step 101: Within the target frame, transmit downlink signals to the terminal device in the first position via downlink beam.

[0054] The target frame includes at least one downlink time slot for downlink signal transmission and at least one uplink time slot for uplink signal transmission; the coverage area of ​​the network device includes at least one wavelet, and the first wavelet can refer to any one of the at least one wavelet; the downlink signal can include information broadcast by the network device, such as system information, or information requested by the terminal device from the network device.

[0055] As an example, a downlink signal can be transmitted to the terminal device in the first position via a downlink beam on any idle first downlink time slot within the target frame.

[0056] Step 102: Within the target frame, perform uplink beam scanning on the first wave position to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

[0057] The time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam is greater than a first set threshold, which is determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

[0058] The uplink signal can refer to the response signal / reply signal of the terminal device in response to the downlink signal. The first set threshold can be determined based on at least one of the propagation delay of the downlink signal and the propagation delay of the uplink signal. For example, the sum of the propagation delay of the downlink signal and the propagation delay of the uplink signal can be used as the first set threshold, or twice the propagation delay of either the downlink signal or the uplink signal can be used as the first set threshold.

[0059] The uplink and downlink beam offsets are explained below using a random access scenario. Please refer to Figure 2, which illustrates the round-trip time (RTT) between the network device and the terminal device during the initial access process. RTT represents the total propagation delay from the time the transmitter starts sending data until the transmitter receives an acknowledgment from the receiver. The specific communication process is as follows:

[0060] (1) The network device transmits system messages such as the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) and System Information Block (SIB) on its downlink beam, and these messages propagate through space to the UE. Because the satellite is far from the UE, this propagation delay (t) is significant. downlink (It is relatively large.)

[0061] (2) On its downlink beam, the UE completes the monitoring and decoding of system messages such as SSB and SIB, selects the preamble and Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) resources, and sends the selected preamble to the network device using the PRACH resources on its uplink beam; the processing delay at the UE end is denoted as t. UEprocess .

[0062] (3) The preamble signal travels through space to reach the network device. The propagation delay of the preamble signal is denoted as t. uplink The network device receives the preamble signal on its uplink beam.

[0063] Therefore, for the same wave position, the minimum offset time tBeamoffset between the uplink and downlink beams is:

[0064] Among them, t UEprocess This represents the processing latency of the terminal device, where tBeamoffset > RTT, and RTT is the first set threshold. Therefore, the uplink beam arrives later than the downlink beam by more than one RTT. That is, when the downlink beam scans the first position and sends the downlink signal at time n, the uplink beam scan needs to be performed on the first position at time n+tBeamoffset to receive the uplink signal.

[0065] To enable network devices to receive uplink signals from terminal devices in a timely manner, reduce communication latency between network devices and terminal devices, and improve communication quality, please refer to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of uplink and downlink beam offset. When the uplink and downlink beam offset shown in Figure 3 can be satisfied before the end of the target frame, this disclosure can perform uplink beam scanning on the first beam position within the target frame and receive the uplink signal without waiting for the next round of scanning of that beam position. Furthermore, it should be noted that the uplink beam dwell time and downlink beam dwell time corresponding to the first beam position in Figure 3 can be configured separately.

[0066] As an example, uplink beam scanning can be performed on the first uplink slot within the target frame when the time interval between the target frame and the first downlink slot is greater than a first set threshold and the slot is idle.

[0067] Based on the above, it can be seen that in this disclosure, when the time interval between the first downlink time slot and the first uplink time slot in the target frame is greater than 1 RTT, it is sufficient to support uplink and downlink beam switching. Beam switching can be performed during the current dwell time without waiting for the next round of scanning of the current position.

[0068] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, within the target frame, a downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the first wave position via a downlink beam; within the target frame, an uplink beam scan is performed on the first wave position to receive the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device; wherein, the time interval between the start time of the downlink beam transmission and the start time of the uplink beam scan is greater than a first preset threshold, the first preset threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal. This disclosure allows for uplink and downlink beam switching within the target frame, meaning that downlink beam transmission and uplink beam scanning can be performed on the first wave position within the target frame without waiting for the next round of scanning of the first wave position, thereby enabling the network device to respond to the terminal device more quickly and reducing the communication latency between the network device and the terminal device.

[0069] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. This embodiment describes the transmission process of SSB, SIB1, SIB19 and random access preamble in the context of a random access scenario.

[0070] As shown in Figure 4, the communication method includes:

[0071] Step 401: Within the target frame, transmit the synchronization signal block SSB and system information block SIB1 to the terminal device via the downlink beam.

[0072] Among them, the time interval between the start time of SSB and the start time of SIB1 is greater than the second set threshold, which is determined based on the terminal device's decoding capability for SSB.

[0073] During random access in satellite communication, when scanning a certain spectral position, the network device first needs to send an SSB to help the UE obtain the cell identifier and complete downlink synchronization acquisition; then it sends an SIB message to help the UE obtain accurate ephemeris information for downlink time-frequency synchronization maintenance. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) within the SSB carries Master Information Block (MIB) information, which contains configuration parameters for the Control Resource Set (CORESET) used to transmit SIB1 and the timing of common search space listening. Therefore, the UE can only obtain the time-frequency resource position occupied by the SIB1 message and perform SIB1 decoding after correctly decoding the PBCH within the SSB. Therefore, a certain interval (second set threshold) needs to be maintained between the transmission of SSB and SIB1 corresponding to the same frequency position to ensure that the UE can accurately decode SIB1 after processing the SSB and obtaining the SIB1 time-frequency resource indication. This interval is related to the UE's processing capability for decoding SSB. As an example, the interval is smaller when the UE has a high processing capability and larger when the processing capability is low. As another example, in order to be compatible with UEs of all processing levels, the interval can be set according to UEs with lower processing capabilities.

[0074] Step 402: Within the target frame, a downlink signal is sent to the terminal device in the first position via the downlink beam. The downlink signal includes the system information block SIB19.

[0075] After monitoring and decoding system messages such as SSB, SIB1, and SIB19, the terminal device can select preamble and PRACH resources, and use the PRACH resources to send the selected preamble to the network device for subsequent random access procedures.

[0076] It should be noted that due to the different configurations of the upper and lower time slots within the frame structure, SSB and SIB1, as well as SIB19, may not be in the same frame.

[0077] Step 403: Within the target frame, perform uplink beam scanning on the first wavelet to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device. The uplink signal includes a random access preamble.

[0078] In cases where the downlink signal includes SIB19 and the uplink signal includes a random access preamble, switching between uplink and downlink beams within the target frame can enable network devices to receive the preamble signal within the current frame period, thereby responding to the terminal device at the fastest speed and reducing the initial access latency of the terminal device.

[0079] In this embodiment, within the target frame, a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a system information block (SIB1) are transmitted to the terminal device via a downlink beam. Within the target frame, a downlink signal, including a system information block (SIB19), is transmitted to the terminal device in the first wave position via a downlink beam. Within the target frame, an uplink beam scan is performed on the first wave position to receive the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device, including a random access preamble. Transmitting SIB19 within the target frame, and performing uplink beam scanning and receiving the random access preamble within the target frame, enables the network device to receive the preamble signal within the current frame period, thereby responding to the terminal device at the fastest speed and reducing the initial access latency of the terminal device. Furthermore, the transmission interval between the SSB and SIB1 is greater than a second preset threshold, ensuring that the terminal device accurately decodes SIB1 after processing the SSB and obtaining the SIB1 time-frequency resource indication.

[0080] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of this disclosure. This embodiment is described in conjunction with a beam-hopping scenario.

[0081] For high-frequency carriers, propagation loss is high, necessitating beamforming transmission to increase the coverage distance of wireless signals. However, due to the limited angle of beam coverage, beam scanning is required to cover the service area of ​​network equipment. Each service area covered by the beam is called a beam position. Covering different service areas at different times forms a hopping beam pattern, as shown in Figure 6, which illustrates beam scanning in a single-beam satellite communication system. Since there are multiple beam positions within the network equipment's coverage area, to ensure fair communication for UEs on each beam position, the network equipment scans each beam position in a time-division manner and communicates with the UE on each beam position. Therefore, how to allocate uplink and downlink resources for initial access and other communication processes on multiple beam positions in TDD mode is a crucial technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0082] As shown in Figure 5, the communication method includes:

[0083] Step 501: In the first downlink time slot within the target frame, a downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the first position via the downlink beam.

[0084] The target frame includes multiple downlink time slots and multiple uplink time slots, and the first downlink time slot can refer to any one or more idle downlink time slots.

[0085] Step 502: If there is an idle downlink time slot in the target frame, a downlink signal is sent to the terminal device in the second downlink position through the downlink beam on the idle second downlink time slot in the target frame.

[0086] The second downlink time slot can refer to any one or more idle downlink time slots within the target frame. It should be noted that an idle downlink time slot can refer to a downlink time slot with an idle symbol. The second downlink time slot and the first downlink time slot can be the same downlink time slot or different downlink time slots. The second wavelet can refer to any wavelet other than the first wavelet within the coverage area of ​​the network device.

[0087] For example, assuming the target frame includes two idle downlink time slots, downlink time slot 0 and downlink time slot 1, and each downlink time slot contains multiple symbols, downlink signals can be transmitted to the terminal device in the first position via downlink beam on downlink time slot 0, and downlink signals can be transmitted to the terminal device in the second position via downlink beam on downlink time slot 1. Alternatively, downlink signals can be transmitted to the terminal device in the first position via downlink beam on an idle symbol F1 in downlink time slot 0, and downlink signals can be transmitted to the terminal device in the second position via downlink beam on an idle symbol F2 in downlink time slot 0. It should be noted that symbol F1 refers to one or more symbols, and symbol F2 refers to one or more symbols.

[0088] Step 503: In the first uplink time slot within the target frame, perform uplink beam scanning on the first wave position to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device.

[0089] The first uplink time slot can refer to any one or more idle uplink time slots within the target frame where the time interval between the target frame and the first downlink time slot is greater than a first set threshold.

[0090] Step 504: If there is an idle uplink time slot in the target frame, perform uplink beam scanning on the second wave position in the idle second uplink time slot to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the second wave position; wherein, the time interval between the second downlink time slot and the second uplink time slot is greater than the first set threshold.

[0091] The second uplink time slot can refer to any one or more idle uplink time slots within the target frame. It should be noted that an idle uplink time slot can refer to an uplink time slot with an idle symbol. The second uplink time slot and the first uplink time slot can be the same uplink time slot or different uplink time slots.

[0092] For example, suppose the target frame includes two idle downlink time slots and two idle uplink time slots, namely downlink time slot 0, downlink time slot 1, uplink time slot 0, and uplink time slot 1, wherein the time interval between downlink time slot 0 and uplink time slot 0 is greater than a first preset threshold, and the time interval between downlink time slot 1 and uplink time slot 1 is greater than the first preset threshold, then:

[0093] (1) If a downlink signal is sent to the terminal device in the first position through the downlink beam in downlink time slot 0, and a downlink signal is sent to the terminal device in the second position through the downlink beam in downlink time slot 1, then uplink beam scanning can be performed on the first position in uplink time slot 0 and uplink beam scanning can be performed on the second position in uplink time slot 1.

[0094] (2) If a downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the first position via a downlink beam on a symbol F1 that is idle in downlink time slot 0, and a downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the second position via a downlink beam on a symbol F2 that is idle in downlink time slot 0, then uplink beam scanning can be performed on the first position on a symbol F3 that is idle in uplink time slot 0, and uplink beam scanning can be performed on the second position on a symbol F4 that is idle in uplink time slot 0. It should be noted that symbol F3 refers to one or more symbols, and symbol F4 refers to one or more symbols.

[0095] It should be noted that when performing time-division scanning on multiple wavelengths, the uplink and downlink beam dwell times on a single wavelength can be configured separately, with the configuration precision being either slot-level or symbol-level. Furthermore, when performing multiple rounds of dwell scanning on a single wavelength, the uplink and downlink beam dwell times for each round can be configured separately.

[0096] Based on the above, when beam hopping is combined with a frame structure, this disclosure can scan multiple beam positions in a time-division manner within the target frame without waiting for the next frame, thereby improving beam scanning efficiency. In addition, when the uplink and downlink switching within the target frame meets the condition that the uplink and downlink beam switching of the same beam position is greater than 1 RTT, this disclosure can perform uplink and downlink beam switching within the target frame without waiting for the next round of uplink beam scanning of that beam position, thereby shortening communication latency.

[0097] As an example, the target frame includes flexible time slots to separate downlink and uplink time slots, with the length of the flexible time slot (GAP) being less than or equal to a first preset threshold. These flexible time slots are guard intervals introduced to prevent uplink and downlink interference.

[0098] Please refer to Figure 7, which shows a schematic diagram of the frame structure of the target frame in a beam-hopping scenario. Each rectangular block in the figure represents a time slot. In the beam-hopping scenario, the length of the flexible time slot is not limited by the round-trip time (RTT), meaning the gap length can be less than or equal to the RTT, which improves resource utilization.

[0099] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, a downlink signal is transmitted to a terminal device in a first downlink slot via a downlink beam in the first downlink time slot within the target frame; if an idle downlink time slot exists within the target frame, a downlink signal is transmitted to a terminal device in a second slot via a downlink beam in the idle second downlink time slot within the target frame; in the first uplink time slot within the target frame, an uplink beam scan is performed on the first slot to receive the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device; if an idle uplink time slot exists within the target frame, an uplink beam scan is performed on the second slot in the idle second uplink time slot to receive the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device in the second slot; wherein the time interval between the second downlink time slot and the second uplink time slot is greater than a first preset threshold. This disclosure enables time-division multiple-slot downlink beam transmission and uplink beam scanning within the target frame without waiting for the next frame, improving beam scanning efficiency and reducing communication latency.

[0100] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0101] During communication between network devices and terminal devices, after receiving downlink signals from the terminal device, the network device sometimes needs to send a response signal to the terminal device to initiate subsequent communication. Taking random access scenarios as an example, for a specific octet, only after completing four or two steps of random access and the UE reporting Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) information can it truly access the network and begin data communication. Therefore, the timing design of the frame structure needs to consider not only the transmission timing of MSG1 (including information from the random access preamble) (RACH Occasion, RO), but also the transmission timing of MSG2, MSG3, MSG4, and various Non-Access Stratum Messages (NAS) used for identification, authentication, and encryption. If the transmission of SSB / SIB messages occupies all downlink resources within a frame period, then the transmission of downlink messages such as MSG2 and MSG4 for other octets cannot be interspersed, which will correspondingly lead to a larger access latency. Based on this, in order to reduce the access latency of the UE, in addition to arranging downlink time slots for transmitting SSB and SIB messages in the target frame of this disclosure, some downlink time slots can also be reserved to facilitate the transmission of downlink messages of other wavelengths.

[0102] As shown in Figure 8, the communication method includes:

[0103] Step 801: In the first frame before the target frame, a downlink signal is sent to the terminal device in the third position via the downlink beam.

[0104] The first frame can refer to any frame before the target frame. For example, the first frame can refer to the frame before the target frame; the third wavelet can refer to any wavelet other than the first wavelet.

[0105] Step 802: In the second frame before the target frame, perform uplink beam scanning on the third wave position to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the third wave position.

[0106] The second frame can refer to any frame before the target frame. The second frame and the first frame can be the same frame or different frames. For example, the first frame can refer to the frame before the target frame.

[0107] It should be noted that the process of the network device transmitting downlink signals and scanning uplink beams for the third wave position is the same as the process of the network device transmitting downlink signals and scanning uplink beams for the first wave position, and will not be described in detail here.

[0108] Step 803: If there is an idle downlink time slot in the target frame, a response signal is sent to the terminal device in the third downlink position through the downlink beam on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame; wherein, the response signal is used to respond to the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the third position.

[0109] In cases where network devices need to respond to uplink signals sent by terminal devices in the third wave, since the third wave has already completed the transmission of downlink beams and the scanning of uplink beams based on historical frames, in order to reduce communication latency, a response signal can be sent to the terminal devices in the third wave based on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame if there is an idle downlink time slot in the target frame.

[0110] It should be noted that, as described in the foregoing embodiments, the first wavelet occupies the first downlink time slot within the target frame to transmit downlink signals, and the second wavelet occupies the second downlink time slot within the target frame to transmit downlink signals. Therefore, the third downlink time slot in this embodiment can refer to any idle downlink time slot within the target frame other than the first downlink time slot and the second downlink time slot.

[0111] For example, if a network device completes the transmission of SIB19 and the reception of MSG1 for the third wavelet in the historical frames (first and second frames) of the target frame, the network device can send MSG2 to the terminal device in the third wavelet through the downlink beam on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame. MSG2 is the response signal of MSG1.

[0112] It should be noted that for the first and second wave positions that complete downlink signal transmission and uplink beam scanning within the target frame, if there is an idle downlink time slot in the third frame after the target frame (e.g., the frame after the target frame), the corresponding response signals can be sent to the terminal devices in the first and second wave positions respectively through the downlink beam based on the idle downlink time slot in the third frame.

[0113] Additionally, it should be noted that in the random access scenario, steps 801-803 above are several access steps in the access process, not a complete access process. That is, after sending a response signal to the terminal device in the third wave position on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame, it is necessary to combine at least one frame after the target frame to transmit subsequent uplink and downlink signals, thereby realizing the random access of the UE in the third wave position.

[0114] In this embodiment, during the first frame preceding the target frame, a downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the third position via a downlink beam; during the second frame preceding the target frame, an uplink beam scan is performed on the third position to receive the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device in the third position; if an idle downlink time slot exists within the target frame, a response signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the third position via a downlink beam on the idle third downlink time slot within the target frame; wherein the response signal is used to respond to the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device in the third position. When the third position has already completed downlink beam transmission and uplink beam scanning based on historical frames (the first and second frames) preceding the target frame, this disclosure utilizes the idle downlink time slot within the target frame to transmit a response signal to the terminal device in the third position, which can avoid significant communication delays between the network device and the terminal device.

[0115] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is applied to a terminal device.

[0116] As shown in Figure 9, the communication method includes:

[0117] Step 901: Receive the downlink signal sent by the network device to the first position where the terminal device is located via the downlink beam within the target frame.

[0118] Step 902: Within the target frame, send an uplink signal to the network device via the uplink beam.

[0119] The time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam by the network device is greater than a first set threshold, which is determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

[0120] For the first wave position, the start scanning time of the uplink beam and the start transmission time of the uplink signal can be the same time or different times.

[0121] In one possible implementation, the downlink signal includes a system information block SIB19, and the uplink signal includes a random access preamble.

[0122] In one possible implementation, the terminal device is further configured to receive a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a system information block (SIB1) transmitted by the network device to the first position via a downlink beam within the target frame; wherein the time interval between the start transmission time of the SSB and the start transmission time of the SIB1 is greater than a second preset threshold, the second preset threshold being determined based on the terminal device's decoding capability for the synchronization signal block.

[0123] In one possible implementation, within the target frame, uplink signals are transmitted to the network device via an uplink beam, including: decoding SIB1 to obtain the physical random access channel configuration index (prach-ConfigurationIndex); and based on the physical random access channel configuration index, transmitting uplink signals to the network device within the target frame via an uplink beam.

[0124] Specifically, the transmission timing of MSG1 can be obtained based on prach-ConfigurationIndex. If the transmission timing is within the frame period of the target frame, the first wave of MSG1 can be transmitted on the RO within the target frame. It should be noted that if the transmission timing is not within the target frame, that is, beyond the frame period of the target frame, the first wave of MSG1 needs to be transmitted on the RO within the frame period of the next frame.

[0125] In one possible implementation, the target frame includes multiple downlink time slots, and the downlink signal is transmitted on the first downlink time slot within the target frame. The network device is also used to: if there are idle downlink time slots within the target frame, transmit downlink signals to the terminal device in the second position via a downlink beam on the idle second downlink time slot within the target frame.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the target frame includes multiple uplink time slots, and the uplink beam scanning is performed on the first uplink time slot within the target frame. The network device is further configured to: when there are idle uplink time slots within the target frame, perform uplink beam scanning on the second idle uplink time slot to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the second idle time slot; wherein the time interval between the second downlink time slot and the second uplink time slot is greater than a first preset threshold.

[0127] As an example, a terminal device in the first wave can transmit an uplink signal in the first uplink time slot, and a terminal device in the second wave can transmit an uplink signal in the second uplink time slot.

[0128] In one possible implementation, the target frame includes a flexible time slot for separating multiple downlink time slots and multiple uplink time slots, the length of which is less than or equal to a first set threshold.

[0129] In one possible implementation, the network device is further configured to: when there is an idle downlink time slot in the target frame, send a response signal to the terminal device in the third downlink slot via a downlink beam on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame; wherein the response signal is used to respond to the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the third slot.

[0130] In this embodiment, the receiving network device transmits downlink signals to the first wave position where the terminal device is located via a downlink beam within the target frame; and transmits uplink signals to the network device via an uplink beam within the target frame. In this disclosure, the terminal device can receive downlink signals and transmit uplink signals within the target frame without waiting for the network device to perform the next scan of the first wave position, thereby enabling the network device to respond to the terminal device more quickly and reducing communication latency between the network device and the terminal device.

[0131] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a target frame in a random access scenario according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Taking a sub-carrier space (SCS) of 30kHz as an example, the TDD frame structure period length is set to 20ms, and the combination of two 5G NR radio frames results in a total of 20 subframes and 40 time slots. The first radio frame is configured with 20 downlink time slots, and the second radio frame is configured with 2 downlink time slots, 2 flexible time slots, and 16 uplink time slots, with a flexible time slot length of 1ms. The downlink and uplink signal carrying resource locations at different wavelengths within the target frame are as follows:

[0132] In the first radio frame, symbols 2-5 within time slot 0 transmit the SSB signal of wavelet 0 (abbreviated as B0); symbols 8-11 within time slot 0 transmit the SSB signal of wavelet 1 (abbreviated as B1); symbols 2-5 within time slot 1 transmit the SSB signal of wavelet 2 (abbreviated as B2); symbols 8-11 within time slot 1 transmit the SSB signal of wavelet 3 (abbreviated as B3); the SIB1 signal of wavelet 0 is transmitted within time slot 10; the SIB1bis signal of wavelet 0 is transmitted within time slot 11; the SIB1 signal of wavelet 1 is transmitted within time slot 12; and the SIB1 signal of wavelet 1 is transmitted within time slot 13. SIB11 signal with wavelet 2 is transmitted in time slot 14; SIB11bis signal with wavelet 2 is transmitted in time slot 15; SIB11 signal with wavelet 3 is transmitted in time slot 16; SIB1bis signal with wavelet 3 is transmitted in time slot 17; SIB19 signal with wavelet 0 is transmitted in time slot 18; SIB19 signal with wavelet 1 is transmitted in time slot 19; SIB19 signal with wavelet 2 is transmitted in time slot 0 of the second radio frame; SIB19 signal with wavelet 3 is transmitted in time slot 1 of the second radio frame; all of the above signals occupy downlink resources in the target frame.

[0133] The second radio frame has time slots 12-13 for RO uplink resources of wavelet 0; time slots 14-15 for RO uplink resources of wavelet 1; 16-17 for RO uplink resources of wavelet 2; and 18-19 for RO uplink resources of wavelet 3.

[0134] Since the distance between the satellite terminal and the on-board base station varies from 508 to 841 km, the round-trip time (RTT) of the wireless signal is approximately 3.39 to 5.61 ms. The interval between the downlink and uplink signals at wave position 0 is the interval between the first radio frame time slot 18 and the second radio frame time slot 12, i.e., 13 time slots, or 6.5 ms, which satisfies the requirement that the uplink / downlink beam switching is greater than the first preset threshold RTT. Similarly, the uplink / downlink beam switching for other wave positions also satisfies this requirement. Furthermore, the interval between the SSB and SIB1 of wave positions 0 through 3 satisfies the UE processing delay requirement, meaning that the interval between the SSB and SIB1 of wave position 0 is greater than the second preset threshold.

[0135] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a target frame in a random access scenario according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Taking SCS = 30kHz as an example, the TDD frame structure period length is set to 20ms, and the combination of two 5G NR radio frames results in a total of 20 subframes and 40 time slots. The first radio frame is configured with 20 downlink time slots, and the second radio frame is configured with 4 downlink time slots, 10 flexible time slots, and 6 uplink time slots, meaning the length of the flexible time slot is 5ms. It should be noted that the target frame can refer to either of the two frames in the figure.

[0136] Compared to Figure 10, there are fewer uplink time slots in Figure 11. When the target frame is the frame shown in the upper position of the figure, the network device cannot complete the reception of MSG1 of wavelength 3 through the target frame. Therefore, the reception of MSG1 of wavelength 3 can be performed through the uplink resources in the frame shown in the lower position of the figure.

[0137] Furthermore, when the target frame is the frame shown in the lower position of the figure, since the reception of MSG1 for wavelets 0-2 has already been completed through the frame shown in the upper position of the figure, the downlink resources within the target frame can be used not only to transmit SSB signals for wavelets 4 (B4)-7 (B7), but also to transmit MSG2 for wavelets 0-2. For example, when the target frame is the frame shown in the lower position of the figure, the first wavelet can refer to any wavelet among B4-B7, the second wavelet can refer to any wavelet among B4-B7 except the first wavelet, and the third wavelet can refer to any wavelet among B0-B2. Since the transmission of SIB19 and the reception of MSG1 have been completed for B0-B2 through the frame shown in the upper position of the figure, in order to reduce random access latency, the response signal, i.e., MSG2, can be transmitted to the terminal device in the third wavelet through the downlink beam on the idle downlink time slot within the target frame.

[0138] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a target frame in a random access scenario according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Taking SCS = 30kHz as an example, the TDD frame structure period length is set to 20ms, and the combination of two 5G NR radio frames results in a total of 20 subframes and 40 time slots. The first radio frame is configured with 18 downlink time slots and 2 flexible time slots, while the second radio frame is configured with 8 flexible time slots and 12 uplink time slots, meaning the length of each flexible time slot is 5ms.

[0139] Compared to Figure 10, Figure 12 has fewer downlink time slots, making it impossible to transmit SIB19 (wavelengths 0-3) within the target frame. Therefore, SIB19 transmission can only be performed on downlink resources in the next frame. In this case, the SSB and SIB1 corresponding to wavelengths 0-3 are not transmitted in the same frame as SIB19.

[0140] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is applied to a network device.

[0141] As shown in Figure 13, the communication device includes a transmitting module 1301 and a scanning module 1302, wherein:

[0142] The transmitting module 1301 is used to transmit a downlink signal to a terminal device in the first wave position via a downlink beam within the target frame; the scanning module 1302 is used to scan the first wave position with an uplink beam within the target frame to receive the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device; wherein the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam is greater than a first set threshold, the first set threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

[0143] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the downlink signal includes a system information block SIB19, and the uplink signal includes a random access preamble.

[0144] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the network device is further configured to transmit a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a system information block (SIB1) to the terminal device via a downlink beam within the target frame; wherein the time interval between the start transmission time of the SSB and the start transmission time of the SIB1 is greater than a second preset threshold, the second preset threshold being determined based on the terminal device's decoding capability for the SSB.

[0145] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the target frame includes multiple downlink time slots, and the downlink signal is transmitted on the first downlink time slot within the target frame. The transmitting module 1301 is further configured to: when there is an idle downlink time slot within the target frame, transmit the downlink signal to the terminal device in the second strobe position through a downlink beam on the idle second downlink time slot within the target frame.

[0146] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the target frame includes multiple uplink time slots, and the uplink beam scanning is performed on the first uplink time slot within the target frame. The scanning module 1302 is further configured to: when there is an idle uplink time slot within the target frame, perform uplink beam scanning on the second wave position on the idle second uplink time slot to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the second wave position; wherein the time interval between the second downlink time slot and the second uplink time slot is greater than a first set threshold.

[0147] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the target frame includes a flexible time slot for separating multiple downlink time slots and multiple uplink time slots, and the length of the flexible time slot is less than or equal to a first preset threshold.

[0148] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the sending module 1301 is further configured to: when there is an idle downlink time slot in the target frame, send a response signal to the terminal device in the third downlink position through a downlink beam on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame; wherein the response signal is used to respond to the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the third downlink position.

[0149] It should be noted that the foregoing explanation of the communication method also applies to the communication device of this embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0150] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is applied to a terminal device.

[0151] As shown in Figure 14, the communication device includes a receiving module 1401 and a transmitting module 1402, wherein:

[0152] The receiving module 1401 is used to receive downlink signals transmitted by the network device to the first wave position where the terminal device is located via a downlink beam within the target frame; the transmitting module 1402 is used to transmit uplink signals to the network device via an uplink beam within the target frame; wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the network device for the uplink beam is greater than a first set threshold, the first set threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

[0153] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the downlink signal includes a system information block SIB19, and the uplink signal includes a random access preamble.

[0154] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the terminal device is further configured to receive a synchronization signal block (SSB) and a system information block (SIB1) transmitted by the network device to the first position via a downlink beam within a target frame; wherein the time interval between the start transmission time of the SSB and the start transmission time of the SIB1 is greater than a second preset threshold, the second preset threshold being determined based on the decoding capability of the terminal device for the synchronization signal block.

[0155] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the transmitting module 1402 is configured to: decode SIB1 to obtain the Physical Random Access Channel Configuration Index; and based on the Physical Random Access Channel Configuration Index, transmit an uplink signal to the network device through an uplink beam within the target frame.

[0156] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the target frame includes multiple downlink time slots, and the downlink signal is transmitted on the first downlink time slot within the target frame. The network device is further configured to: when there is an idle downlink time slot within the target frame, transmit the downlink signal to the terminal device in the second position via a downlink beam on the idle second downlink time slot within the target frame.

[0157] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the target frame includes multiple uplink time slots, and the uplink beam scanning is performed on the first uplink time slot within the target frame. The network device is further configured to: when there are idle uplink time slots within the target frame, perform uplink beam scanning on the second wave position on the idle second uplink time slot to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the second wave position; wherein the time interval between the second downlink time slot and the second uplink time slot is greater than a first preset threshold.

[0158] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the target frame includes a flexible time slot for separating multiple downlink time slots and multiple uplink time slots, and the length of the flexible time slot is less than or equal to a first preset threshold.

[0159] As one possible implementation of this disclosure, the network device is further configured to: when there is an idle downlink time slot in the target frame, send a response signal to the terminal device in the third downlink position via a downlink beam on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame; wherein the response signal is used to respond to the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the third downlink position.

[0160] It should be noted that the foregoing explanation of the communication method also applies to the communication device of this embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0161] According to embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure also provides a communication device, a readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

[0162] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 1500 in this embodiment is intended to represent various forms of devices for wireless communication, such as terminal devices, network devices, where a terminal device can refer to a mobile terminal, wearable device, and other similar communication apparatus. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely examples and are not intended to limit the implementation of the disclosure described and / or claimed herein.

[0163] As shown in Figure 15, the above-mentioned communication device 1500 includes:

[0164] The memory 1501 and the processor 1502 are connected by a bus 1503, which connects the different components (including the memory 1501 and the processor 1502). The memory 1501 stores a computer program. When the processor 1502 executes the program, it implements the communication method of the present disclosure for network devices or for terminal devices.

[0165] Bus 1503 represents one or more of several bus architectures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processor, or a local bus using any of the various bus architectures. For example, these architectures include, but are not limited to, the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, the Micro Channel Architecture (MAC) bus, the Enhanced ISA bus, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0166] Communication device 1500 typically includes a variety of communication device readable media. These media can be any available media that can be accessed by communication device 1500, including volatile and non-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media.

[0167] Memory 1501 may also include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 1504 and / or cache memory 1505. Communication device 1500 may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. By way of example only, storage system 1506 may be used to read and write non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown in FIG. 15, commonly referred to as a "hard disk drive"). Although not shown in FIG. 15, disk drives for reading and writing to removable non-volatile disks (e.g., "floppy disks") and optical disk drives for reading and writing to removable non-volatile optical disks (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, or other optical media) may be provided. In these cases, each drive may be connected to bus 1503 via one or more data media interfaces. Memory 1501 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules configured to perform the functions of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0168] A program / utility 1508 having a set (at least one) of program modules 1507 may be stored, for example, in memory 1501. Such program modules 1507 include, but are not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment. Program modules 1507 typically perform the functions and / or methods described in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0169] The communication device 1500 can also communicate with one or more external devices 1509 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, display 1511, etc.), one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the communication device 1500, and / or any device that enables the communication device 1500 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 1512. Furthermore, the communication device 1500 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 1513. As shown in Figure 15, network adapter 1513 communicates with other modules of the communication device 1500 via bus 1503. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with the communication device 1500, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0170] The processor 1502 performs various functional applications and data processing by running programs stored in the memory 1501.

[0171] It should be noted that the implementation process and technical principles of the communication device in this embodiment are explained in the foregoing description of the communication method applied to network devices or terminal devices in the embodiments of this disclosure, and will not be repeated here.

[0172] To implement the above embodiments, this disclosure also proposes a communication system, including: a terminal device and a network device; wherein the network device is configured to implement a communication method applied to the network device, and the terminal device is configured to implement a communication method applied to the terminal device.

[0173] To implement the above embodiments, this disclosure also proposes a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the communication methods for network devices or terminal devices provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0174] To implement the above embodiments, this disclosure also proposes a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the communication method for network devices or the communication method for terminal devices provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0175] The collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, and disclosure of user personal information involved in this disclosure all comply with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0176] It should be noted that personal information collected from users should be used for legitimate and reasonable purposes and should not be shared or sold outside of these legitimate uses. Furthermore, such collection / sharing should only be conducted after receiving the user's informed consent, including but not limited to notifying the user to read the user agreement / user notice and sign an agreement / authorization that includes authorization of relevant user information before the user uses the function. In addition, any necessary steps must be taken to protect and safeguard access to such personal information data and ensure that others with access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and procedures.

[0177] This disclosure is intended to provide implementation schemes for users to selectively prevent the use or access to their personal information data. Specifically, this disclosure is intended to provide hardware and / or software to prevent or block access to such personal information data. Once personal information data is no longer needed, risks can be minimized by restricting data collection and deleting data. Furthermore, where applicable, such personal information is de-identified to protect user privacy.

[0178] In the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0179] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0180] Any process or method description in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of preferred embodiments of this disclosure includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the functions involved, as will be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of this disclosure pertain.

[0181] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer-based system, a processor-included system, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires (electronic device), a portable computer disk drive (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM). Alternatively, the computer-readable medium may be paper or other suitable media on which the program can be printed, since the program can be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0182] It should be understood that various parts of this disclosure can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented using software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0183] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0184] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this disclosure can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0185] The storage medium mentioned above can be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc. Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a network device, comprising: Within the target frame, downlink signals are transmitted to the terminal device in the first position via downlink beams; Within the target frame, uplink beam scanning is performed on the first wave position to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device; Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam is greater than a first set threshold, which is determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The downlink signal includes a system information block SIB19, and the uplink signal includes a random access preamble.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The network device is also used to send a synchronization signal block SSB and a system information block SIB1 to the terminal device via a downlink beam within the target frame; Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the SSB and the start transmission time of the SIB1 is greater than a second set threshold, which is determined based on the decoding capability of the terminal device for the SSB.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The target frame includes multiple downlink time slots, and the downlink signal is transmitted in the first downlink time slot within the target frame. The method further includes: If there is an idle downlink time slot within the target frame, a downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the second position via a downlink beam on the idle second downlink time slot within the target frame.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The target frame includes multiple uplink time slots, and the uplink beam scanning is performed on the first uplink time slot within the target frame. The method further includes: If there is an idle uplink time slot in the target frame, the second uplink position is scanned in the idle second uplink time slot to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the second uplink position. The time interval between the second downlink time slot and the second uplink time slot is greater than the first set threshold.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The target frame includes a flexible time slot for separating the plurality of downlink time slots and the plurality of uplink time slots, the length of which is less than or equal to the first set threshold.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The method further includes: If there is an idle downlink time slot in the target frame, a response signal is sent to the terminal device in the third downlink position through the downlink beam on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame. The response signal is used to respond to the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the third wave position.

8. A communication method applied to a terminal device, comprising: The receiving network device transmits downlink signals to the first position where the terminal device is located via downlink beam within the target frame; Within the target frame, an uplink signal is transmitted to the network device via an uplink beam; Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam by the network device is greater than a first set threshold, the first set threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The downlink signal includes a system information block SIB19, and the uplink signal includes a random access preamble.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The terminal device is also used to receive the synchronization signal block SSB and system information block SIB1 sent by the network device to the first position through the downlink beam in the target frame; Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the SSB and the start transmission time of the SIB1 is greater than a second set threshold, which is determined based on the decoding capability of the terminal device for the synchronization signal block.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The step of sending an uplink signal to the network device via an uplink beam within the target frame includes: Decode the SIB1 to obtain the Physical Random Access Channel Configuration Index; Based on the physical random access channel configuration index, an uplink signal is sent to the network device via an uplink beam within the target frame.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The target frame includes multiple downlink time slots, and the downlink signal is transmitted in the first downlink time slot within the target frame. The network device is further configured to: If there is an idle downlink time slot within the target frame, a downlink signal is transmitted to the terminal device in the second position via a downlink beam on the idle second downlink time slot within the target frame.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The target frame includes multiple uplink time slots, and the uplink beam scanning is performed on the first uplink time slot within the target frame. The network device is further configured to: If there is an idle uplink time slot in the target frame, the second uplink position is scanned in the idle second uplink time slot to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the second uplink position. The time interval between the second downlink time slot and the second uplink time slot is greater than the first set threshold.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The target frame includes a flexible time slot for separating the plurality of downlink time slots and the plurality of uplink time slots, the length of which is less than or equal to the first set threshold.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The network device is also used for: If there is an idle downlink time slot in the target frame, a response signal is sent to the terminal device in the third downlink position through the downlink beam on the idle third downlink time slot in the target frame. The response signal is used to respond to the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the third wave position.

16. A communication device applied to a network equipment, comprising: The transmitting module is used to transmit downlink signals to the terminal device in the first position via a downlink beam within the target frame; The scanning module is used to perform uplink beam scanning on the first wave position within the target frame to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device. Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam is greater than a first set threshold, which is determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

17. A communication device applied to a terminal equipment, comprising: The receiving module is used to receive downlink signals sent by the network device to the first wave position where the terminal device is located via downlink beam within the target frame; The transmitting module is used to transmit uplink signals to the network device via an uplink beam within the target frame; Wherein, the time interval between the start transmission time of the downlink beam and the start scanning time of the uplink beam by the network device is greater than a first set threshold, the first set threshold being determined based on the propagation delay of the downlink signal and / or the propagation delay of the uplink signal.

18. A communication device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as A memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, which, when executed by the at least one processor, enables the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-7, or to perform the method of any one of claims 8-15.

19. A communication system, characterized in that, This includes network equipment and terminal equipment; The network device is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1-7, and the terminal device is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 8-15.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, wherein, The computer instructions are used to cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-7, or to perform the method of any one of claims 8-15.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method of any one of claims 1-7, or implements the method of any one of claims 8-15.

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