Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and provides a communication method and an apparatus, for switching the type of random access initiated by an A-IoT terminal, thereby improving the efficiency of random access. The method is applied to a first apparatus or a chip of the first apparatus. The method comprises: receiving a first message, and on the basis of the first message, determining to initiate contention-free random access; and if the first message instructs a first apparatus to send first information, sending the first information, wherein the first information comprises a first sequence or a first identifier.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510145217.X, filed on February 7, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", 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 a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] With the continuous evolution of wireless communication technology and the rapid development of cellular networks, for example, in ambient internet of things (A-IoT) technology, A-IoT terminals access the network through readers to transmit data. The process of A-IoT accessing the network is called the A-IoT random access process. Depending on whether there is contention-free random access (CFRA) between terminals during the access process, it can be divided into contention-based random access (CBRA) and contention-based random access (CBRA). Currently, how to improve the random access efficiency of devices is a problem that needs to be researched and solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to improve the random access efficiency of A-IoT terminals.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first device or a chip in the first device, the method comprising:

[0007] Upon receiving the first message, determine whether to initiate a contention-free random access based on the first message;

[0008] If the first message instructs the first device to send the first information, the first information includes a first sequence or a first identifier.

[0009] Therefore, the first device can receive a first message from the second device and determine whether to initiate contention-free random access based on the first message. The first message also instructs the first device to send first information or not to send first information, wherein the first information includes a first sequence or a first identifier, and the second information includes uplink data. In other words, the second device can instruct the first device to send either the first or second information to it; that is, the contention-free random access process can adopt different schemes, and is instructed by the second device, improving the flexibility of the contention-free random access process. In some possible implementations, the first information can be used to obtain the channel quality between the first and second devices, such as when the size of the first sequence or the first identifier is smaller than the size of the uplink data. That is, the second device can determine the uplink resources suitable for sending uplink data based on the first information. Compared to the existing contention-free random access process where the first device can only send upper-layer data based on the specified uplink resources, this significantly improves the efficiency of A-IoT random access.

[0010] In one possible design, after receiving the first message, the method of the first aspect further includes: if the first message instructs the first device not to send the first information or instructs the first device to send the second information, sending the second information, the second information including uplink data.

[0011] Optionally, the size of the first sequence or first identifier included in the first information is smaller than the size of the uplink data included in the second information.

[0012] In other words, the first device requires less transmission resources to send the first information. In the absence of uncertainty about the channel quality between the first and second devices, the success rate of sending the first information using the same transmission resources is higher than the success rate of sending the second information. This avoids repeated reconnections due to data transmission failures, thereby improving the efficiency of random access.

[0013] In one possible design, if the first message instructs the first device to send the first information, sending the first information includes: if the first message indicates the size of the first resource, sending the first information.

[0014] Optionally, the size of the first resource is equal to the size of the first sequence or the first identifier.

[0015] In one possible design, if the first message instructs the first device not to send the first information or instructs the first device to send the second information, sending the second information includes:

[0016] If the first message indicates the size of the second resource, send the second message.

[0017] Optionally, the size of the second resource is greater than the size of the first sequence or the first identifier.

[0018] Therefore, the first message can implicitly indicate whether the first device needs to send the first information by indicating the Transmission Resource Size (TBS), thus saving indication overhead.

[0019] In one possible design, the first information is used to determine the third transmission resources required for the first device to send uplink data. In other words, the second device can respond to the first information and schedule a third transmission resource that is more in line with the actual situation after measuring the first sequence or the first identifier, thereby saving resources and improving data transmission efficiency.

[0020] In one possible design, the method of the first aspect further includes: receiving a second message indicating a third transmission resource, the third transmission resource being determined based on the first information; and transmitting uplink data on the first transmission resource according to the second message, i.e., the first device can transmit uplink data on a more suitable transmission resource.

[0021] Optionally, the second message may also indicate the index of the first sequence or the index of the first identifier. In cases where the second device may receive first information from multiple first devices in the same time / frequency domain, such as in a code division multiple access (CDMA) or frequency division multiple access (FDMA) scenario, indicating the index of the first sequence or the index of the first identifier (i.e., the index related to the first information) via the second message allows the first message to receive a second message matching the first information it sent, thereby acquiring the corresponding third transmission resource.

[0022] In one possible design, the first device is an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device.

[0023] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a second device or a chip in the second device, the method comprising: determining a first message, the first message instructing a first device to initiate a contention-free random access, and the first message further instructing any one of the following: the first device sends first information, the first device does not send first information, or the first device sends second information, the first information including a first sequence or a first identifier, and the second information including uplink data;

[0024] Send the first message to the first device.

[0025] In one possible design, the first message indicates a first transmission resource, which is used to instruct the first device to send the first information.

[0026] Optionally, the size of the first resource is equal to the size of the first sequence or the first identifier.

[0027] In one possible design, the first message indicates a second transmission resource, which is used to indicate whether the first device should not send the first message or the first device should send the second message.

[0028] Optionally, the size of the second resource is greater than the size of the first sequence or the first identifier.

[0029] In one possible design, the second aspect of the method further includes: determining a third transmission resource in response to a first message sent by the first device; and sending a second message to the first device, the second message indicating the third transmission resource.

[0030] Optionally, the second message may also indicate the index of the first sequence or the index of the first identifier.

[0031] It is understandable that the technical effects of the method described in the second aspect can also refer to the relevant introduction of the method described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0032] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, applied to a first device or a chip in the first device, the method comprising:

[0033] Receive a first message, the first message including a first transmission resource, a second transmission resource and a first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the success or failure of the contention for random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource;

[0034] If the first message indicates that the contention-based random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource fails, the contention-based random access is re-initiated on the second transmission resource, and the type of contention-based random access initiated on the first transmission resource is different from the type of contention-based random access initiated on the second transmission resource.

[0035] Therefore, the first message can indicate the success or failure of the contention-based random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource. If the contention-based random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource fails, it switches to the second transmission resource to re-initiate access. The two contention-based random accesses are of different types. For example, if a three-step contention-based random access is initiated on the first transmission resource, the re-initiated access on the second transmission resource is a two-step contention-based random access. Since the number of devices colliding on the same resource is small, the success rate of accessing the device after reassigning the resource after the access failure is higher. The access efficiency of using two-step contention-based random access is higher, and the number of access rounds or the number of paging messages used to initiate re-access can also be reduced.

[0036] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, applied to a second device or a chip in the second device, the method comprising:

[0037] A first message is determined, which instructs the first device to initiate a contention-based random access. The first message includes a first transmission resource, a second transmission resource, and a first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate the success or failure of the contention-based random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource.

[0038] Send the first message to the first device.

[0039] It is understandable that the technical effects of the method described in the fourth aspect can also refer to the relevant introduction of the method described in the third aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0040] Fifthly, a communication method is provided, applied to a core network or a network element in a core network, the method comprising:

[0041] Receive a first message from the second device, the first message being used to request the inventory device;

[0042] Based on the first message, a second message is sent to the second device. The second message instructs the second device to continue to perform contention-based random access to the inventory device, or instructs the second device to perform contention-free random access to the inventory device, or instructs the access to be terminated.

[0043] Therefore, the core network or network elements in the core network can determine whether to switch the A-IoT random access type based on the first message. For example, they can determine whether to switch to contention-free random access based on the number of devices to be inventoried indicated by the first message. For instance, they can switch to contention-free random access when the number of devices to be inventoried is small and the probability of collision is low, so as to improve inventory efficiency.

[0044] Sixthly, a communication method is provided, applied to a second device or a chip in the second device, the method comprising:

[0045] Send the first message, which is used to request the device to be inventoried;

[0046] Upon receiving the second message, terminate the access based on the second message, or send a third message to the device to be inventoried, the third message instructing the device to continue initiating contention-based random access or to initiate contention-free random access.

[0047] It is understandable that the technical effects of the method described in the sixth aspect can also refer to the relevant introduction of the method described in the fifth aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0048] A seventh aspect provides a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus includes a module for performing the communication method described in any implementation of the first or sixth aspect.

[0049] In this application, the communication device may be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly may be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0050] It should be understood that the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the communication method described in either the first or sixth aspect above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units for performing the functions involved in the aforementioned communication method.

[0051] Eighthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor configured to execute the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first or sixth aspect.

[0052] In one possible design, the communication device may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in aspect eight and other communication devices.

[0053] In one possible design, the communication device may further include a memory. This memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately. The memory may be used to store computer programs and / or data relating to the communication method described in either the first or sixth aspect.

[0054] In this application, the communication device may be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly may be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0055] A ninth aspect provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor being configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, such that the communication device performs the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first or sixth aspect.

[0056] In one possible design, the communication device may also include a transceiver. This transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device and other communication devices.

[0057] In this application, the communication device may be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly may be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0058] A tenth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to perform the communication method described in any one of the first or sixth aspects.

[0059] In one possible design, the communication device may also include a transceiver. This transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device and other communication devices.

[0060] In this application, the communication device may be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly may be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0061] Eleventhly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor being coupled to a memory and, after reading a computer program from the memory, executing a communication method as described in any implementation of the first or sixth aspect according to the computer program.

[0062] In one possible design, the communication device may also include a transceiver. This transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device and other communication devices.

[0063] In this application, the communication device may be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly may be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0064] In a twelfth aspect, a processor is provided. The processor is configured to execute the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first or sixth aspect.

[0065] In a thirteenth aspect, a chip is provided, wherein the chip may include a processor for executing the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first or sixth aspect.

[0066] Optionally, the chip also includes a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a program for executing the communication method described in any of the possible implementations of the first or third aspect.

[0067] Fourteenthly, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes one or more terminal devices for performing any possible implementation of the first or sixth aspect, and one or more network devices for performing any possible implementation of the first or sixth aspect.

[0068] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, causing the computer to perform the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first or sixth aspect.

[0069] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first or third aspect.

[0070] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication devices described in aspects seven to sixteen above can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods described in aspects one or six above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0071] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the RFID process;

[0072] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the AS process for A-IoT;

[0073] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0082] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 13 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0085] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0087] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as Wi-Fi wireless network systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, and future communication systems.

[0088] The technical terms and related technical solutions in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0089] 1. Passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID):

[0090] An RFID system consists of a reader and a tag.

[0091] The reader reads information from the tag device or writes information that the tag device needs to store into the tag device. The reader and tag device communicate via contactless data. The tag device has simple functionality, requiring excitation from the reader to send information; that is, the tag device converts the wireless signal emitted by the reader into energy, using this energy to power itself. Tags support power consumption in the microwatt or hundreds of microwatts range, limiting their ability to support complex designs. If RFID is applied to mobile communication systems, such as 5G systems, then the base station can act as a reader, fulfilling its functions.

[0092] The primary application of RFID is identification, but it can also be used for data reading and writing, such as inventory / access.

[0093] As shown in Figure 1, the inventory / access process is as follows:

[0094] S101, the reader sends a select message:

[0095] The selection message is used to select a set of tags. The selection message can carry the inventory session, action, mask, etc.

[0096] When a tag device receives a selection message, the matching tag device sets the selection message and the corresponding flag bit. For example, if the inventory session indicator is session S0 and the behavior indicator is 0, and the mask matches, the tag device sets the flag bit of session S0 to A, which is the initial flag bit. Afterward, the EPC success flag bit will be flipped to B. Thus, A represents tag devices that have not yet transmitted EPC, and B represents tag devices that have successfully transmitted.

[0097] 1) The session and the subsequent flag are bound together. Each flag corresponds to a session. The disk storage session will specify which session's flag is set.

[0098] 2) The behavior specifies how to set the flag, such as behavior indicating 1 or 0. After the tag device receives the flag, if the mask matches, it will set the flag corresponding to the session, such as A (action=1) or B (action=0).

[0099] 3) The mask is used to filter which tag devices are selected. For example, if a tag device stores a complete 96-bit identifier, the mask can indicate that the first 16 bits of the tag are 111...111 and the tag device is selected. If the mask matches, the tag device can further set the bit according to the session's instructions and then listen for subsequent query messages.

[0100] S102, the reader sends a query message.

[0101] Query messages can carry Q-values, session information, or flags.

[0102] Suppose that the session carried by the query message is S0 and the flag bit is A. The session and flag bit of the tag are matched with it, so a random number between 0 and 2^Q-1 is randomly generated according to Q as the initial value of the counter.

[0103] S103, the reader sends a duplicate query message (queryRep).

[0104] Repeated query messages do not need to carry content, have no Q value or session, and can be sent multiple times.

[0105] If no tag device sends a response, such as RN16, the reader continues to send duplicate query messages. If a tag device receives a duplicate query message, it decrements the counter value by 1, e.g., Counter = Counter - 1.

[0106] S104, the tag device sends RN16.

[0107] If the tag device generates a count value of 0, the tag will respond with RN16; otherwise, it will not respond. RN16 is a 16-bit random number (or it could be 16 bits or 8 bits) used for contention resolution. For example, after the tag receives (potentially multiple) duplicate query messages, its count value decreases to 0, and the tag will respond with RN16; otherwise, it will not respond. For example, each duplicate query message corresponds to the start or end of an access time slot. Each duplicate query message received by the tag device signifies the end of the previous time slot and the start of the next time slot. The tag device can randomly select an access time slot to initiate access, send uplink data (EPC), or receive downlink data in the corresponding access time slot.

[0108] S105, the reader returns an acknowledgment message (ACK).

[0109] When the reader receives the RN16 sent by the tag device, if there is no collision (e.g., only one tag sent the RN16), it sends back an ACK, which includes the received RN16 and indicates that the contention was successfully resolved.

[0110] S106, Tag device sends device identification code (electronic product code, EPC).

[0111] If the tag device receives an ACK and the RN16 matches, it will send an EPC response; otherwise, it will not send a response.

[0112] S107, the reader returns a duplicate query message.

[0113] If the tag device sends an EPC and receives a duplicate query message, it indicates that the transmission was successful and flips the flag bit to B. For example, the flag bit can be used to prevent tags that have been stored from being stored again. If the subsequent query message carries the flag bit A, the tag device will not respond if the flag bit is flipped to B.

[0114] 2. Ambient IoT (A-IoT):

[0115] With the development of communication technology, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defined A-IoT. It can be understood as an extension of RFID within 3GPP. Although it shares some principles with RFID, such as similar inventory management processes, 3GPP introduces more value-added scenarios.

[0116] A-IoT is based on cellular network communication infrastructure and consists of readers (such as base stations) and passive / semi-passive / active A-IoT terminals (A-IoT terminals are terminals in the cellular network, which can be understood as IoT terminals with extremely low power consumption and extremely low complexity).

[0117] For example, A-IoT includes network devices and Type I terminal devices, or in other words, an A-IoT-based communication system includes network devices and Type I terminal devices. The Type I terminal devices can be devices with the functionality of A-IoT terminal devices. In this case, both the reader and the A-IoT terminal device can be implemented based on cellular network infrastructure. In other words, both the reader and the A-IoT terminal device can be devices within a cellular network. For example, the functionality of the reader can be implemented by network devices, such as base stations. The A-IoT terminal device can be implemented by terminals within a cellular network, such as ultra-low power, ultra-low complexity IoT terminals, i.e., Type I terminals. The network device and the Type I terminal can perform contactless data communication, thereby reading information from the Type I terminal and / or writing information that needs to be stored into the Type I terminal.

[0118] A-IoT technology can be used to implement one or more of the following functions: inventory management, location tracking, sensing, and commands. Command functions can be understood as implementing write or lock processes. In terms of application scope, A-IoT technology can be applied to scenarios such as logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, or environmental monitoring.

[0119] Inventory management involves using a reader (which can be a base station / terminal) to access A-IoT terminals (A-IoT terminal devices) within the coverage area. Once successfully connected, the device needs to send its unique identifier (which the network can recognize, such as EPC in RFID) to the reader.

[0120] Positioning is the process of using location signals to pinpoint the location of an A-IoT terminal.

[0121] Sensing involves A-IoT terminals reporting sensor data to the base station, such as temperature data.

[0122] Commands can be operation instructions, such as write or lock. Write process: The base station sends downlink commands and data, instructing the A-IoT terminal to write the data into its own memory. Lock process: The base station sends downlink commands, instructing the A-IoT terminal to lock a specified address in the memory area; the contents of that memory area cannot be modified or read.

[0123] A-IoT terminals can be divided into three categories: Device A, Device B, and Device C. Device A or Device 1a can be understood as a passive A-IoT terminal. Device B or Device 1b can be understood as a semi-passive A-IoT terminal. Device C or Device 1c can be understood as an active A-IoT terminal.

[0124] 3. A-IoT overall air interface / access stratum (AS) process:

[0125] As shown in Figure 2, the AS process is as follows:

[0126] S201, the reader sends an A-IoT paging message.

[0127] The A-IoT paging message is one possible name, and it can also be replaced with an (initial) trigger message or other possible names, without any restrictions.

[0128] A-IoT paging messages indicate which devices need to respond. For A-IoT paging messages, an identifier may be required to identify the devices / groups of devices included or associated with this triggering message. For example, an A-IoT paging message may include a single A-IoT device ID; alternatively, it may contain multiple A-IoT device IDs or group IDs mapped to multiple A-IoT devices; or it may not contain any A-IoT device IDs, meaning the message indicates that all A-IoT devices capable of receiving the message need to respond.

[0129] Optionally, the A-IoT paging message can also instruct the device to determine, based on the message, the resources for the device-to-reader (D2R) / uplink data transmission response message, such as time-domain and / or frequency-domain resources.

[0130] Optionally, the paging function of the A-IoT terminal can be understood as not supporting traditional paging messages, traditional paging timing, and traditional discontinuous reception (DRX). Alternatively, it can be assumed that the A-IoT terminal can receive A-IoT paging messages as long as it has sufficient energy.

[0131] S202, random connection between the device and the reader.

[0132] Specifically, the triggered A-IoT terminal transmits device identification by using either a contention-based A-IoT random access procedure or a contention-free A-IoT random access procedure. For further details regarding A-IoT random access, please refer to the following explanation.

[0133] S203, Device-to-reader (D2R) data transmission.

[0134] Specifically, S203 may include possible D2R / uplink data transmission, such as sending read, write, lock, deactivate, and sensor commands, and may also include possible reader-to-device (R2D) / downlink data transmission, such as responses to commands, like the data read by a read command, and success / failure feedback for a write command. It can be understood that S203 is an optional step.

[0135] In summary, the AS process described above supports both inventory and command application scenarios, as detailed below:

[0136] (1) For inventory-only scenarios, the baseline solution includes steps S201 and S202.

[0137] (2) For the inventory and command scenario, the baseline scheme includes steps S201, S202 and S203.

[0138] (3) For command-only scenarios, the baseline solution may include steps S201, S202 and S203, or it may be implemented by the following candidate solutions, the feasibility of which needs to be discussed:

[0139] Step A: The reader sends an A-IoT paging message, which contains commands instructing the device to process / respond to the commands.

[0140] Step B: The triggered A-IoT terminal performs possible D2R data transmission, such as device ID or corresponding response to commands, using either a contention-resolved A-IoT random access procedure or a non-contention-resolved A-IoT random access procedure.

[0141] 4. A-IoT random access process:

[0142] The A-IoT random access procedure is used for A-IoT terminals to access the network for data transmission. Specifically, A-IoT random access is triggered by a reader and can be triggered by a single A-IoT terminal, a group of A-IoT terminals, or all A-IoT terminals under the reader's coverage. Here, the slotted-ALOHA is the baseline of the A-IoT random access procedure.

[0143] Based on the above explanation of the AS process, when an A-IoT terminal responds to a paging message, there are two scenarios: Contention-based Random Access (CBRA) and Contention-free Random Access (CFRA). The specific processes for each scenario are explained below:

[0144] Scenario 1: For CBRA, the access process is as follows:

[0145] Step 1A: Determine or select the access occasion / access resource, for example, it can be randomly selected.

[0146] Step 2A: Perform race resolution.

[0147] Specifically, there are two candidate solutions for the competition problem, as follows:

[0148] Option 1: There is no data in message1 (hereinafter referred to as Msg1) sent by the A-IoT terminal.

[0149] In this scheme, when the A-IoT terminal recognizes the start of its access time, it sends a random ID (Msg1) generated by the A-IoT terminal to the reader. There are no restrictions on how the A-IoT terminal generates the random ID or the size of the random ID. For example, the random ID can be randomly generated by the A-IoT terminal or generated based on the A-IoT terminal ID, and the size of the random ID can be a 16-bit random number or any other arbitrary size.

[0150] Next, the reader sends a random ID indicating successful reception to the A-IoT terminal, namely message2 (hereinafter referred to as Msg2). If the A-IoT terminal receives Msg2 containing the random ID, and this random ID is the same as the random ID previously sent in Msg1, then the contention is considered to have been resolved successfully.

[0151] It is understandable that in Scheme 1, Msg2 can be used to resolve contention, which assumes that the size of the random ID in Msg1 is sufficient to achieve the purpose of resolving contention. That is, the probability that A-IoT terminals that have selected the same access time / resources will send the same random ID value in Msg1 is very small, which means that the range of random ID values ​​is considered to be large enough.

[0152] Option 2: The Msg1 sent by the A-IoT terminal contains data.

[0153] In this scheme, when the A-IoT terminal recognizes the start of its access time, it will send Msg1 containing upper-layer data, which can be the device ID or any other upper-layer data.

[0154] Optionally, Msg1 in this scheme may or may not include a random ID.

[0155] Next, the reader can respond using the successfully received random ID and / or part or all of the device ID and / or ACK. If the A-IoT terminal receives Msg2 containing the random ID and / or part or all of the device ID and / or ACK, and this information is part of the information in Msg1 previously sent by the A-IoT terminal, or information generated based on Msg1 (such as generated according to a hash function), then the race condition is considered successfully resolved.

[0156] Alternatively, the reader may not respond. If the A-IoT terminal does not receive a signal indicating failure, reconnection, or retransmission, it considers the access successful, data transmission successful, or service successful.

[0157] Step 3A: Data transmission occurs between the device and the reader.

[0158] The data transmission process can involve the A-IoT terminal sending upper-layer data to the reader, i.e., D2R data transmission. This upper-layer data, also known as uplink data as described below, can include the A-IoT terminal's device ID, or data from the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) or application layer (or any protocol layer above MAC, with no restriction on the protocol layer name), or any other upper-layer data, such as responses to read / write / deactivate / lock / sensing commands. Optionally, the upper-layer data can be forwarded to the core network node by a second device.

[0159] Optionally, R2D transmission may or may not be included after D2R transmission, such as retransmission or reconnection after D2R transmission failure.

[0160] It is understandable that step 3A is optional for scheme 2 because Msg1 already carries data, so it is not necessary to send another message for data transmission. Therefore, it is evident that scheme 1 requires at least three steps to send Msg1, Msg2, and Msg3 (i.e., the messages used for D2R data transmission in step 3A) to complete the access. Optionally, scheme 1 may also include a step for transmitting a message indicating whether the D2R data transmission was successful (such as Msg4). That is, scheme 1 can be named three-step contention random access or four-step contention random access, while scheme 2 can achieve D2R data transmission with only one step to send Msg1 or two steps to send Msg1 and Msg2 respectively. That is, scheme 2 can be named one-step contention random access or two-step contention random access stream. The naming of scheme 1 or scheme 2 is only an example, and any other possible naming is not limited.

[0161] Scenario 2, for CFRA, the access process is as follows:

[0162] Step 1B: Determine or select the access occasion / access resource.

[0163] This refers to selecting the appropriate D2R timing / resources.

[0164] Step 2B: Data transmission occurs between the device and the reader.

[0165] For an explanation of step 2B, please refer to the explanation of step 3A, which will not be repeated here.

[0166] The inventors discovered in their research that in existing A-IoT CFRA (Cross-Linked Access Array) systems, the resources for A-IoT terminals to transmit upper-layer data are specified by the reader. However, the reader is unaware of information such as the channel quality and distance of the A-IoT terminal. Therefore, the specified uplink resources it allocates may not be suitable for data transmission by the A-IoT terminal. For example, allocating too little uplink resource may result in unsuccessful transmission of upper-layer data, while allocating too much uplink resource may lead to resource waste. In future communication systems that may involve outdoor scenarios, A-IoT coverage distances will be wider, and the differences in resource configuration may be even greater.

[0167] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application proposes the following technical solutions. The technical solutions in this application will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0168] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0169] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being better or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "example" is intended to present the concept in a specific manner.

[0170] First, in this application, "for indicating" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing "information" for indicating A, it can include whether the information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0171] The information indicated by a given piece of information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or its index. It can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be indicated. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the indication of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0172] Furthermore, the specific indication method can also be any existing indication method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication methods and their various combinations. Specific details of various indication methods can be found in existing technologies, and will not be repeated here. As described above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the indication methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected indication method; therefore, the indication methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0173] The information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. This configuration information can include, for example, but not limited to, one or a combination of at least two of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) layer signaling, and physical layer signaling. MAC layer signaling includes, for example, a MAC control element (CE); physical (PHY) layer signaling includes, for example, downlink control information (DCI).

[0174] Second, in the embodiments shown below, the first, second, and various numerical designations are merely distinctions for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, to distinguish different indication information.

[0175] Third, "pre-defined," "pre-configured," or "pre-specified" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other means of indicating relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices), or by pre-defining them in a protocol. This application does not limit the specific implementation method. "Saving" can refer to saving in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into the encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separately installed, while others are integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0176] Fourth, the “protocol” involved in the embodiments of this application may refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, such as 3GPP’s LTE protocols (such as technical specification (TS) 36, i.e., the TS36 series of technical specifications), NR protocols (such as the TS38 series of technical specifications), and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0177] The network architecture and business 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.

[0178] The network architecture and business 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.

[0179] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail first using the communication system shown in FIG3 as an example. Exemplarily, FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable.

[0180] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture, which mainly includes a first device and a second device. The first device can be a terminal, such as an A-IoT terminal, and the second device can be a network device, such as a reader.

[0181] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. 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), ambient internet of networks (A-IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, transportation vehicle with wireless communication capabilities, communication module, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. A terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0182] Network equipment can be devices that provide access services, such as radio access network (RAN) nodes, or network equipment with core network logical functions. RAN nodes can be 3GPP-related cellular systems, such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN nodes can also be open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), cloud radio access network (CRAN), or wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems. RAN nodes can also be communication systems that integrate two or more of the above systems. RAN nodes are sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entities, or access nodes, forming part of the communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes in a communication system can be of the same type or different types.

[0183] In one possible scenario, the 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 base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station or indoor station, a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node can also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0184] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing some of the functions of the base station. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CU), distributed units (DU), or radio units (RU), etc.

[0185] In some examples, the CU is a logical node carrying the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network equipment. The CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces like the E2 interface. Optionally, the CU may have some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the DU (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which can be interfaces like the F1 interface. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-plane) and user plane (U-plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol for the F1 interface, defining the F1 signaling procedures in some examples. The F1 interface supports control plane F1-C and user plane F1-U.

[0186] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP (control unit-control plane) and CU-UP (control unit-user plane). CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and PDCP-C (control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements in the core network, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for data forwarding and receiving in terminal devices. The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0187] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that carries the radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the higher physical layer includes parts of the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0188] In some examples, the RU (Remote Utility Unit) may be included in radio frequency (RF) equipment or units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), or remote radio head (RRH). The RU is a logical node carrying both lower physical layer (PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU may be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio head (RRH), or other similar functionalities. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes PHY processing components such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more UEs via a radio link.

[0189] The DU and RU can be co-located or not. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a lower-layer split-control, user, and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface through a fronthaul link. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces, respectively providing the control plane (C-plane) and user plane (U-plane). In some examples, the control plane (C-plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link; the management plane (M-plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0190] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0191] 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.

[0192] As shown in Figure 4, the ORAN system may include components other than those shown in the figure. Access network equipment (RAN, such as eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network equipment) communicates with the core network (CN) via a backhaul link and with terminal equipment via an air interface. The baseband unit (BBU) in the access network equipment communicates with the core network via a backhaul link, and the radio unit (RU) in the access network equipment communicates with at least one UE via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link; the BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. The BBU includes at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0193] As shown in Figure 5, the ORAN system also includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC), which can specifically include a non-real time RAN intelligent controller (Non-RT RIC) and a near-real time RAN intelligent controller (Near-RT RIC).

[0194] Near real-time (NRT) RICs are used for model training and inference. For example, they are used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. NRT RICs can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, and / or RUs) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data. Optionally, the NRT RIC can deliver inference results to RAN nodes and / or terminals. Optionally, inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs. For example, the NRT RIC delivers inference results to a DU, which then forwards them to an RU.

[0195] Non-real-time RICs are used for model training and inference. For example, they are used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. Non-real-time RICs can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, and / or RUs) and / or terminal devices. This information can be used as training data or inference data, and the inference results can be delivered to RAN nodes and / or terminals. Optionally, inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs; for example, a non-real-time RIC delivers inference results to a DU, which then forwards them to an RU.

[0196] Near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be configured as separate network elements. Optionally, the near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be part of other devices. For example, the near real-time RIC can be set in a RAN node (e.g., in a CU or DU), while the non-real-time RIC can be set in an OAM, a cloud server, a core network device, or other network devices.

[0197] In a communication system, network elements are connected via interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or over-the-air interfaces. These network element nodes, such as core network equipment, access network nodes (RAN nodes), terminals, or one or more devices in the OAM (Operational Access Management) system, are equipped with one or more AI modules. The access network node can be a single RAN node or can comprise multiple RAN nodes, for example, including CU and DU. The CU and / or DU can also be equipped with one or more AI modules. Optionally, the CU can be further divided into CU-CP and CU-UP. One or more AI models are configured in the CU-CP and / or CU-UP.

[0198] The AI ​​module is used to implement corresponding AI functions. AI modules deployed in different network elements can be the same or different. Depending on the parameter configuration, the AI ​​module can achieve different functions. The AI ​​module model can be configured based on one or more of the following parameters: structural parameters (e.g., at least one of the following: number of neural network layers, neural network width, inter-layer connections, neuron weights, neuron activation function, or bias in the activation function), input parameters (e.g., type and / or dimension of input parameters), or output parameters (e.g., type and / or dimension of output parameters). The bias in the activation function can also be called the bias of the neural network. An AI module can have one or more models. A model can infer an output, which includes one or more parameters. The learning, training, or inference processes of different models can be deployed on different nodes or devices, or they can be deployed on the same node or device.

[0199] In some examples, the communication system of this application embodiment can be applied to A-IoT scenarios. As shown in Figure 6(a), the A-IoT terminal and the network device communicate directly and bidirectionally. The communication between the network device and the A-IoT terminal includes environmental IoT data and / or signaling, such as the network device sending downlink data / signaling to the A-IoT terminal and the network device receiving uplink data / signaling from the A-IoT terminal. As shown in Figure 6(b), the A-IoT terminal and the network device communicate bidirectionally through an intermediate node. The intermediate node can be a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a UE, or other devices capable of realizing environmental IoT, used to transmit environmental IoT data and / or signaling between the A-IoT terminal and the network device. As shown in Figure 6(c), the A-IoT terminal sends data / signaling to the network device and receives data / signaling from an auxiliary node; or the A-IoT terminal receives data / signaling from the network device and sends data / signaling to the auxiliary node. The auxiliary node can be a repeater, an IAB, a UE, or other devices capable of realizing environmental IoT. As shown in Figure 6(d), the A-IoT terminal communicates bidirectionally with the terminal device, such as exchanging environmental IoT data and / or signaling.

[0200] Based on this, the first device can be an environmental IoT device as shown in Figure 6, such as an A-IoT terminal, specifically a passive A-IoT terminal, a semi-passive A-IoT terminal, or an active A-IoT terminal. The second device can include a combination of one or more of the network devices, intermediate nodes, auxiliary nodes, or terminal devices shown in Figure 6, such as network devices, intermediate nodes, network devices + intermediate nodes, network devices + auxiliary nodes, terminal devices, etc. The second device is also a part of the network devices, such as CU, DU, RU, or O-CU, O-DU, O-RU in O-RAN. The second device supports environmental IoT functions; the first device and the second device can interact with environmental IoT data and / or signaling to realize corresponding environmental IoT services, such as inventory, positioning, sensing, and command.

[0201] For example, the first device can receive a first message from the second device and determine whether to initiate contention-free random access based on the first message. The first message can also instruct the first device to send first information or not to send first information, or it can instruct the first device to send second information or not to send second information. Exemplarily, the first information may include a first sequence or a first identifier. In some possible implementations, the first information can be used to obtain the channel quality between the first and second devices. If the first device sends the first information to the second device based on the first message to receive the new uplink resource determined by the second device based on the first information, compared to the specified uplink resource used for sending uplink data in the existing contention-free random access process, the new uplink resource determined based on the first information is more consistent with the channel state, which can significantly improve the efficiency of A-IoT random access. Exemplarily, the second information may include uplink data. If the first device sends the second information to the second device based on the first message, the steps of A-IoT random access can be simplified. In other words, the first device can choose to send either the first or second information according to the instruction of the first message to initiate different types of contention-free random access, improving flexibility and efficiency.

[0202] It should be understood that the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to the devices shown in Figures 3-6, such as between the first device and the second device. Specific implementations can be found in the following method embodiments, which will not be repeated here. The solutions in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can be replaced with the names of the corresponding functions in other communication systems.

[0203] It should also be understood that Figures 3-6 are simplified schematic diagrams for ease of understanding only, and the communication system may also include other network devices and / or other terminal devices, which are not shown in Figures 3-6.

[0204] The interaction process between devices in the above-described communication system will be specifically described below with reference to Figures 7-9, through method embodiments. The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the above-described communication system, such as the interaction between the first device and the second device, which will be described in detail below.

[0205] As shown in Figure 7, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0206] S701, the second device determines the first message and sends the first message to the first device.

[0207] The first message instructs the first device to initiate contention-free random access (i.e., A-IoT CFRA). The first message may indicate a transmission resource and / or the device ID of the first device. This transmission resource can be used to carry information / data sent by the first device, including at least one of time / frequency / code resources, specifically a first transmission resource or a second transmission resource. In one example, the first message may explicitly indicate this via a bitmap, a string, or any other possible method, such as bitmap=1 indicating the initiation of contention-free random access. The first message may also implicitly indicate the initiation of contention-free random access, such as indicating only one transmission resource, only one device ID, or multiple transmission resources and multiple device IDs, with the number of transmission resources being the same as the number of device IDs; there is no limitation.

[0208] The first message also indicates the type of CFRA, such as type 1 or type 2. The first transport resource is a resource used in the type 1 contention-free random access procedure. For example, the procedure for type 1 may be that the first device uses the first transport resource to send the first information, so that the second device determines a new transport resource based on the first information, and then the first device uses the new transport resource to send uplink data (such as the second information described below). The second transport resource is a resource used in the type 2 contention-free random access procedure. For example, the procedure for type 2 may be that the first device directly uses the second transport resource to send the second information.

[0209] The first information includes a first sequence or a first identifier. In one example, the first sequence can be a preamble, and the first identifier can be a random ID or a random number. The second information includes uplink data, also known as upper-layer data, which may include the device ID of the first device, or data from the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) or application layer (or data from any protocol layer above MAC, without restriction on the name of the protocol layer), or any other upper-layer data, such as responses to read / write / deactivate / lock / sensing commands.

[0210] For a more detailed explanation of the first and second information, please refer to the relevant descriptions in S702, which will not be repeated here.

[0211] In one possible implementation, the size of the first sequence or first identifier contained in the first information is smaller than the size of the uplink data contained in the second information. That is, the resource size required for the first device to send the first sequence or first identifier is smaller than the resource size required for the first device to send the uplink data. Therefore, in the absence of certain channel quality between the first device and the second device, the first device requires less transmission resources to send the first information. When using the same transmission resources, the success rate of sending the first information is higher than the success rate of sending the second information.

[0212] It should be noted that the descriptions of size, such as data size or resource size, in this embodiment can be precise values, estimated values, rough values, or expected values. For example, "data size" can be the size of the first sequence or the first identifier as mentioned above, and "resource size" can also be called Transport Block Size (TBS), allocated TBS, or available TBS, such as the first resource size or the second resource size as described below. "Size" can be expressed as a numerical value plus a unit, where the length of the unit can be equal to 1 bit, 1 byte, 8 bits, 16 bits, or other lengths. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the first message can indicate the type of CFRA in the following ways: the first message can instruct the first device to send the first information or the first device not to send the second information, that is, instruct the first device to initiate a type 1 contention-free random access; or, the first message can also instruct the first device not to send the first information or the first device to send the second information, that is, instruct the first device to initiate a type 2 contention-free random access.

[0214] Furthermore, the first message can instruct the first device to send / not send the first information, or to send / not send the second information, in various ways. For example, the first message can contain indication information to explicitly indicate this. The indication information can be a single bit, such as 0 indicating that the first device does not send the first information or sends the second information, and 1 indicating that the first device sends the first information or does not send the second information. As another example, the first message can also indicate the size of the resources used to transmit the first information or the second information, i.e., TBS, which can be the first resource size or the second resource size described below.

[0215] In one possible implementation, TBS can be indicated directly / explicitly or indirectly / implicitly. For example, TBS can be directly / explicitly indicated in MAC fields (such as the MAC header, MAC CE, or MAC signaling element), or directly / explicitly indicated in the physical layer (such as the PHY layer) through sequences or fields. For example, TBS can be indirectly / implicitly indicated through other information or parameters obtainable by the first device. For instance, TBS can be indicated through information related to the preamble (such as sequence or length). For example, if the preamble sequence is a first sequence, or the preamble length is a first length, the corresponding indication of TBS is a first value; if the preamble sequence is a second sequence, or the preamble length is a second length, the corresponding indication of TBS is a second value. Similarly, the sequence or length of the postamble and / or intermezzo can also be used to indirectly / implicitly indicate TBS. In one example, the preamble / postamble / intermezzo can be a sequence specified by the protocol. Alternatively, it can be indicated through communication parameters (or transmission parameters / encoding configuration information / modulation configuration). The communication parameters (such as any possible naming convention, including information) can be used to indicate the TBS. These parameters may include one or more of the following: code length, code rate, bit repetition count, level repetition count, encoding method, modulation method, modulation order, etc. For example, if the communication parameter is a first communication parameter (e.g., code length A1, and / or code rate B1, and / or repetition count C1, and / or modulation order D1), the corresponding TBS indication is a first value. If the communication parameter is a second communication parameter (e.g., code length A2, and / or code rate B2, and / or repetition count C2, and / or modulation order D2), the corresponding TBS indication is a second value. In one example, the communication parameters can be indicated by the second device in the downlink R2D message. It is understood that one or more of the aforementioned indication methods can be implemented individually or in combination, without limitation.

[0216] In one possible implementation, the first message may indicate the size of a first resource. The size of the first transmission resource may be equal to the size of the first sequence or the first identifier. For example, the length of the first sequence may be 12 bits, the length of the first identifier may be 16 bits, or it may also include the length of the message header (such as the MAC header). Alternatively, the size of the first transmission resource may be 0 bits (such as when MAC PDU = 0 bits, in which case the D2R information only includes physical layer content). In other words, the transmission resource indicated by the first message can ensure that the first device sends the first information according to the transmission resource. That is, the first message implicitly instructs the first device to send the first information or not to send the second information by indicating the size of the first resource.

[0217] In another possible implementation, the first message may indicate a second resource size. The second resource size is greater than the size of the first sequence or the first identifier, or it is equal to the length of the uplink data (such as deviceID) or the length of the uplink data including the message header (such as a MAC header), or it is greater than 0. In other words, the transmission resource indicated by the first message can guarantee that the first device can transmit larger amounts of data based on that transmission resource, i.e., it can be used to transmit larger amounts of uplink data. That is, the first message can implicitly indicate that the first device should not send the first information or that the first device should send the second information by indicating the second resource size.

[0218] The first message can be implemented by reusing existing messages. For example, the first message can be a paging message in the random access process or any message used to implement the function of the first message in the embodiments of this application. The first message can also be a newly defined message, and the name of the specific message is not limited.

[0219] In one possible implementation, the second device can determine the first message based on its own situation. For example, when the second device is busy, it can determine the first message to instruct the first device not to send the first information or to send the second information, so as to reduce the burden of the random access process. When the second device is idle, it can determine the first message to instruct the first device to send the first information or to not send the second information, so as to improve the efficiency of random access.

[0220] S702, the first device receives the first message and determines to initiate contention-free random access based on the first message.

[0221] The first device determines the type of contention-free random access to initiate based on the first message, and continues to execute the corresponding contention-free random access procedure. Specifically, the following explanation covers two scenarios of contention-free random access: the first message instructs the first device to send the first information, i.e., the first device initiates type 1 contention-free random access; or the first message instructs the first device not to send the first information, i.e., the first device initiates type 2 contention-free random access.

[0222] Case 1: If the first message instructs the first device to send the first information, then the first device sends the first information.

[0223] The first information is information that does not include upper-layer data. Specifically, the first information may include a first sequence or a first identifier, which is used to determine the channel quality between the first device and the second device. In other words, the first information can be used to determine the transmission resources required for the first device to send uplink data (such as the second information) in order to ensure that the data is successfully sent and improve resource utilization.

[0224] In one possible implementation, the first sequence can be implemented using existing cells. For example, the first sequence is a preamble, such as a random access preamble, or a sequence from a first sequence set. The first sequence set can be predefined or preconfigured by a protocol and its multiple sequences are pairwise orthogonal, or it can be a sequence indicated by a second device, or it can also be a sequence predefined or preconfigured by a protocol.

[0225] In one possible implementation, the first identifier can also be implemented using existing information cells. For example, the first identifier can include at least one or more of the following: the identifier of the access stratum (AS) of the first device (AS ID), the random ID of the first device (random ID), the random number of the first device, such as RN16, or an identifier predefined or preconfigured by the protocol, or an identifier indicated by the second device.

[0226] In another possible implementation, the first sequence or the first identifier can also be a newly defined sequence or identifier, such as a newly defined / generated / assigned string / encoding / random number / sequence, etc., and there are no restrictions on the specific implementation method.

[0227] As can be seen from S701, the first message also indicates a first transmission resource. After the first device sends the first information on the first transmission resource, the second device responds to the first information and determines a transmission resource (i.e., the third transmission resource hereinafter) for transmitting uplink data. That is, this transmission resource is determined by the second device measuring the first sequence or the first identifier, and is more consistent with the channel state between the first and second devices; that is, the second device can schedule a transmission resource more suitable for transmitting uplink data. Therefore, when the first device sends the first information, this embodiment may further include:

[0228] Step 1: The second device sends a second message to the first device, and the first device receives the second message from the second device.

[0229] The second message indicates the third transmission resource, which can be a time / frequency / code resource used to transmit uplink data.

[0230] The second message can reuse an existing message. For example, the second message is a Random Access Response (RAR) message, or any message used to implement the function of the second message in the embodiments of this application. The first message can also be a newly defined message, and the name of the specific message is not limited.

[0231] In one possible implementation, the second message may also indicate the first device associated with the first information. This association can be achieved through CRC, scrambling, or explicit carrying, linking some or all of the first devices. Thus, upon receiving the matching second message, the first device can acquire the corresponding third transmission resource. For example, the second device may receive first information from multiple first devices in the same time / frequency domain, such as in a code division multiple access (CDMA) or frequency division multiple access (FDMA) scenario. In other words, the second device can identify multiple third transmission resources corresponding to the first information. Therefore, when sending the second message, it is necessary to explicitly identify the first device corresponding to each third transmission resource to ensure that each first device receives the appropriate transmission resource. For instance, the second message may include an index of the first sequence or an index of the first identifier, where the index of the first sequence characterizes the position of the first sequence within the first sequence set.

[0232] In another possible implementation, the index of the first sequence and / or the index of the first identifier can also be decoupled from the second message. For example, the index of the first sequence and / or the index of the first identifier can also be sent via the system message SIB, or by any other possible message, without any specific restrictions.

[0233] Step 2: The first device sends uplink data on the third transmission resource according to the second message.

[0234] Optionally, the first device may also send random numbers, random IDs, or other data on the third transmission resource without restriction.

[0235] For details, please refer to the above explanation of the A-IoT random access process, which will not be repeated here.

[0236] It is understandable that, for the contention-free random access procedure shown in Case 1, that is, when the first message instructs the first device to send the first information, compared with the existing contention-free random access procedure, an additional step of sending the first information (such as the first sequence or the first identifier) ​​is added, so that the second device can determine a more suitable transmission resource for transmitting uplink data based on the first information, thereby improving the efficiency of random access.

[0237] Case 2: If the first message instructs the first device not to send the first information, then the first device sends the second information.

[0238] The first device can send the second information according to the second transmission resource indicated by the first message. For details, please refer to the above description of the A-IoT random access process, which will not be repeated here.

[0239] In summary, the first device can receive a first message from the second device and determine whether to initiate contention-free random access based on the first message. The first message also instructs the first device to send first information or not to send first information, wherein the first information includes a first sequence or a first identifier, and the second information includes uplink data. That is, the second device can instruct the first device to send either first or second information to it via the first message, thereby improving the flexibility of the contention-free random access process. Furthermore, the first device sends the first information to the second device based on the first message. In some possible implementations, the first information can be used to obtain the channel quality between the first and second devices, such as when the size of the first sequence or the first identifier is smaller than the size of the uplink data, so that the second device can determine the uplink resources suitable for sending uplink data based on the first information. Compared to the existing contention-free random access process where the first device can only send upper-layer data based on specified uplink resources, this significantly improves the efficiency of A-IoT random access.

[0240] The overall process of the method has been described above with reference to Figure 7. The specific process of the method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to Figures 8 and 9.

[0241] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this application embodiment. This communication method can be applied to the above-mentioned communication system, mainly involving the communication interaction between the A-IoT terminal and the reader.

[0242] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0243] S801, the reader sends a paging message to the A-IoT terminal.

[0244] The paging message, also known as the first message mentioned above, instructs the A-IoT terminal to send the second information, such as uplink data, to the reader. For details, please refer to the above introduction about S701. The first message can be a paging message, which will not be elaborated here.

[0245] S802, the A-IoT terminal sends D2R data to the reader.

[0246] D2R data, i.e., uplink data, can include device ID or upper-layer data. Please refer to the description of Case 2 in S702, which will not be repeated here.

[0247] S803, the reader sends an indication to the A-IoT terminal whether the D2R data transmission was successful or failed.

[0248] It is understood that step S803 is an optional step; if no instruction is sent, the D2R data transmission is assumed to be successful.

[0249] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this embodiment. This communication method can be applied to the above-mentioned communication system, and mainly involves the communication interaction between the A-IoT terminal and the reader.

[0250] Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, the communication method flow is as follows:

[0251] S901, the reader sends a paging message to the A-IoT terminal.

[0252] The paging message, also known as the first message mentioned above, instructs the A-IoT terminal to send the first information to the reader, such as the first sequence (preamble) or the first identifier (random number or random ID). For details, please refer to the above introduction about S701, which will not be repeated here.

[0253] S902, the A-IoT terminal sends a preamble, a random number, or a random ID to the reader.

[0254] The preamble is the first sequence included in the first information mentioned above, and the random number or random ID is the first identifier included in the first information mentioned above. For details, please refer to the introduction of S701, which will not be repeated here.

[0255] S903, the reader sends a random access response message to the A-IoT terminal.

[0256] The random access response message can be a RAR message or any other message that may be named. It indicates the transmission resources used to transmit uplink data, such as the third transmission resource. For details on the second message and case 1 in S702, please refer to the description of the second message and case 1 in S702.

[0257] Optionally, the RAR may also include an index of the first sequence or an index of the first identifier.

[0258] S904, the A-IoT terminal sends D2R data to the reader.

[0259] The A-IoT terminal sends D2R data to the reader according to the transmission resources indicated in the RAR. Please refer to the introduction of Case 1 in S702, which will not be repeated here.

[0260] S905, the reader sends an indication to the A-IoT terminal whether the D2R data transmission was successful or failed.

[0261] It is understood that step S905 is an optional step; if no instruction is sent, the D2R data transmission is assumed to be successful.

[0262] Furthermore, during the A-IoT competition for random access, the reader provides multiple resources to multiple A-IoT terminals for competition for random access. Different A-IoT terminals may collide on the same resource, causing some devices to fail to access. The current solution to resolve the failure of competition for random access is to trigger all devices that failed to access on the resource to re-access, but the probability of collision may still be very high.

[0263] The probability of a collision occurring on the same resource is relatively high if the number of A-IoT terminals does not exceed a certain limit (e.g., three). For example, when the number of A-IoT terminals requiring access is the same as the number of resources provided, there is a 68% probability that only two A-IoT terminals will collide on the same resource, and a 23% probability that three A-IoT terminals will collide on the same resource. The probability values ​​shown here are only examples; the specific values ​​are related to the reader's implementation capabilities, algorithms, and interference and communication parameters in the communication scenario. In other words, if only devices that failed to access the same resource are re-accessed, the collision probability will be greatly reduced.

[0264] Therefore, please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this application embodiment. This communication method can be applied to the above-mentioned communication system and mainly involves the communication interaction between a first device and a second device. Specifically, the first device can be an A-IoT terminal, and the second device can be a reader. The method includes:

[0265] S1001, the reader sends a paging message to the A-IoT terminal.

[0266] There can be multiple A-IoT terminals, such as A-IoT terminal #1 and A-IoT terminal #2 shown in Figure 10. Unless otherwise specified, the A-IoT terminals mentioned in the method shown in Figure 10 refer to A-IoT terminal #1 and A-IoT terminal #2.

[0267] Paging messages are used to select / trigger / paging / store A-IoT terminals. In response to a paging message, an A-IoT terminal performs one or more of the following: selects access resources, performs random access, and transmits data. It should be noted that in the embodiments described herein, the paging message is merely a naming example; it could also be called an (initial) trigger message, or any other message used to perform the above functions, without limitation.

[0268] Optionally, the paging message may also include identification information, such as one or more of the following: paging identifier, device ID, group ID, AS ID, and temporary ID, used to select A-IoT terminals. Optionally, if the paging message does not include identification information, then all A-IoT terminals are selected / triggered / paging / stored (i.e., no A-IoT terminal filtering is performed).

[0269] The paging message can instruct the device to determine the resources for the D2R data transmission response message, such as time-domain and / or frequency-domain resources, as described below as the first transmission resource and / or the second transmission resource. The first transmission resource may include at least one possible time / frequency resource, and the second transmission resource may also include at least one possible time / frequency resource.

[0270] S1002, the A-IoT terminal sends Msg1#1 to the reader.

[0271] The A-IoT terminal sends Msg1#1 to the reader on the first transmission resource. Msg1#1 is a random ID / random number (such as RN16), which does not include uplink data. For details, please refer to the relevant description of Scheme 1 regarding the contention random access process mentioned above. That is, the A-IoT terminal performs a three-step contention random access scheme on the first transmission resource, which will not be elaborated further.

[0272] It is understood that Msg#1 is an example naming convention, and other messages mentioned below (such as Msg#2, Msg2, etc.) are similar and do not limit their possible naming.

[0273] S1003, the reader sends Msg2 to the A-IoT terminal, and the A-IoT terminal receives Msg2 from the reader.

[0274] Msg2 includes a first transmission resource and a second transmission resource associated with the paging message, used to indicate the success or failure of a contention-based random access initiated by an A-IoT terminal. For example, Msg2 may include a random ID or a random number, or include an access failure indication.

[0275] Msg2 also instructs the A-IoT terminal to switch between contention-based random access types. Contention-based random access types can include the two / one-step contention-based random access and / or three / four-step contention-based random access and / or other possible contention-based random access schemes in the future, as described above. The following explanation uses Msg2 instructing the A-IoT terminal to switch between two / one-step contention-based random access and three / four-step contention-based random access as an example.

[0276] In one possible implementation, Msg2 can indicate the type of contention-based random access by carrying an indication message. For example, this indication message can indicate the handover action of the A-IoT terminal. It could be a 1-bit indication message; a value of 1 indicates the A-IoT terminal is switching from a three / four-step contention-based random access to / initiating / performing a two / one-step contention-based random access, and a value of 0 indicates the A-IoT terminal is switching from a two / one-step contention-based random access to / initiating a three / four-step contention-based random access, and vice versa. There is no specific limitation. As another example, this indication message can also indicate the type of random access the A-IoT terminal is performing / initiating on the second transmission resource. For instance, it could indicate whether the A-IoT terminal is performing / initiating a two / one-step contention-based random access or a three / four-step contention-based random access on the second transmission resource. The value of this indication message is merely an example and is not limited.

[0277] In one possible implementation, Msg2 can also instruct the A-IoT terminal to switch from contention-based random access to / perform / initiate contention-free random access, or A instructs the A-IoT terminal to switch from contention-free random access to / perform / initiate contention-based access. For specific instruction methods, please refer to the above description, which will not be repeated here.

[0278] In one possible implementation, Msg2 can also instruct the A-IoT terminal to switch from any contention-based random access scheme to / perform / initiate any contention-free random access scheme. That is, Msg2 can instruct to switch to / perform / initiate any random access type. The specific instruction method can be referred to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0279] Optionally, the aforementioned indication information may also be carried in the message header (such as the MAC header), or in the MAC CE (control information), or MAC cell, or MAC SDU, or MAC payload, or in the paging message described in S1001, i.e., it is not limited to being sent by Msg2.

[0280] Specifically, if the first transmission resource and random ID / random number received by the A-IoT terminal in Msg2 match the Msg1#1 it sent, it indicates that the A-IoT terminal's contention for random access is successful. If the first transmission resource in Msg2 matches, but the random ID / random number in Msg2 does not match, or Msg2 does not contain a random ID / random number, or Msg2 includes an access failure indication, it indicates that the A-IoT terminal's contention for random access has failed.

[0281] Furthermore, for A-IoT terminals that successfully compete for random access (A-IoT terminal #1 as shown in Figure 10), the following S1004 will continue to be executed; for A-IoT terminals that fail to compete for random access (A-IoT terminal #2 as shown in Figure 10), the following S1005 will continue to be executed. The following description will be based on A-IoT terminal #1 and A-IoT terminal #2 as examples.

[0282] S1004, A-IoT terminal #1 sends Msg3 to the reader.

[0283] Msg3 includes uplink data. For details on the implementation method, please refer to the description of step 3A in the above random access procedure, which will not be repeated here.

[0284] S1005, A-IoT terminal #2 sends Msg1#2 to the reader on the second transmission resource according to Msg2.

[0285] Msg1#2 includes a random ID / random number (such as RN16) and uplink data. For details, please refer to the above description of Scheme 2 regarding the contention-based random access process. That is, the A-IoT terminal executes a two-step contention-based random access scheme on the second transmission resource, which will not be elaborated further.

[0286] In one possible implementation, the second transmission resource may include X time-domain and / or Y frequency-domain resources, and the A-IoT terminal #2 randomly selects one of the X time-domain and / or Y frequency-domain resources to send Msg1#2.

[0287] In one possible implementation, the second device may also send indication information for switching the access type during X access opportunities or N access opportunity sets, based on the signal measurement and / or collision situation of the first device, to switch the random access type from three-step random access to two-step random access. For example, please refer to Figure 11, which is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment. This communication method is applicable to the aforementioned communication system and mainly involves the communication interaction between the first device and the second device. Specifically, the first device can be an A-IoT terminal, and the second device can be a reader. The method includes:

[0288] S1101, the reader sends a paging message to the A-IoT terminal.

[0289] There can be multiple A-IoT terminals, such as A-IoT terminal #1 and A-IoT terminal #2 shown in Figure 11. Unless otherwise specified, the A-IoT terminals mentioned in the method shown in Figure 11 refer to A-IoT terminal #1 and A-IoT terminal #2.

[0290] S1102, the A-IoT terminal sends Msg1#1 to the reader.

[0291] The A-IoT terminal sends Msg1#1 to the reader on the first transmission resource. Msg1#1 is a random ID / random number (such as RN16), which does not include uplink data.

[0292] S1103, the reader sends instruction information to the A-IoT terminal.

[0293] Optionally, the indication information may also indicate new resources for sending Msg1#1, such as time resource updates for each Msg1#1, or TBS updates, etc.

[0294] S1104, the A-IoT terminal sends Msg1#2 to the reader according to the instruction information.

[0295] Msg1#2 includes a random ID / random number (such as RN16) and the upstream data.

[0296] It is understood that S1101-S1102 can refer to the relevant explanations of S1001-S1002 above, and S1104 can refer to the relevant explanations of S1005 above, so they will not be repeated here.

[0297] In summary, the second device can instruct the first device to switch the random access type. As shown in Figure 12, which is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment, this communication method is applicable to the aforementioned communication system and mainly involves the communication interaction between the first device and the second device. Specifically, the method includes:

[0298] S1201, the second device determines the first message and sends the first message to the first device, and the first device receives the first message from the second device.

[0299] The first message instructs the first device to initiate a contention-based random access. The first message includes a first transmission resource, a second transmission resource, and first indication information. The first indication information indicates the success or failure of the contention-based random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource. For example, the first message can be Msg2 in S1003 above, or it can be the indication information in S1103 above; there is no limitation.

[0300] Alternatively, the first message may also explicitly indicate whether the first device needs to switch the random access type by means of a number of bits or a string.

[0301] S1202, if the first message indicates that the contention for random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource has failed, the first device re-initiates the contention for random access on the second transmission resource according to the first message.

[0302] The type of contention-based random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource is different from the type of contention-based random access initiated on the second transmission resource. For details, please refer to the flowchart shown in Figure 10 or Figure 11, which will not be summarized here again.

[0303] In summary, the second device can associate a first transmission resource with a first message (such as Msg2) and indicate the success or failure of a contention-based random access initiated by the first device on the first transmission resource. The first message also indicates a second transmission resource, enabling the first device that failed to access the first resource to re-initiate a different type of contention-based random access on the second transmission resource. For example, the first device could initiate a three-step contention-based random access on the first transmission resource, and if that fails, initiate a two-step contention-based random access on the second transmission resource. Alternatively, it can instruct the first device to switch the random access type during the access process via an indication message. This not only reduces the collision probability of devices that failed to access the first resource during the re-access process but also improves the efficiency of random access and reduces the number of access rounds / paging messages.

[0304] As explained above, in the AS process, after an A-IoT terminal successfully connects to the network via the reader, it is stored by the network. As more and more A-IoT terminals associated with the reader are successfully stored by the network, the probability of collisions occurring with the remaining unconnected / stored devices during subsequent access processes decreases. If competitive random access is still performed on the remaining devices at this point, it would result in too many redundant steps in the access process, reducing access efficiency.

[0305] Therefore, please refer to Figure 13, which is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this application embodiment. This communication method can be applied to the above-mentioned communication system and mainly involves the communication interaction between a first device, a second device, and a network. Specifically, the first device can be an A-IoT terminal, the second device can be a reader, and the network is a core network or a network element in the core network. The method includes:

[0306] S1301, the network sends a service request message to the reader.

[0307] The service request message includes a device group ID and / or a session ID, which enables the reader to instruct the A-IoT terminal to initiate random access. The service request message can have one possible name, or any other possible name, without restriction.

[0308] S1302, A-IoT terminals and readers engage in one or more rounds of competitive random access.

[0309] There can be multiple A-IoT terminals. One or more rounds of contention for random access can refer to one or more contention-based random access processes initiated by a single A-IoT terminal after an access failure, or it can refer to one or more contention-based random access processes initiated by multiple A-IoT terminals after an access failure; there is no limitation. The specific process can be referred to in the contention-based random access process shown in Figures 10 to 12 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0310] S1303, the reader sends a request message to the network.

[0311] The request message is used to request the ID of the device to be inventoried from the network. The device to be inventoried is an A-IoT terminal that has not been connected or has failed to connect. The request message may also include the A-IoT terminal ID associated with the reader, such as an ID report.

[0312] S1304, In response to the request message sent by the reader, the network sends a response message to the reader.

[0313] The response message is used to instruct the reader to continue contention-based random access for the remaining devices to be inventoried, or to perform contention-free random access for the devices to be inventoried, or to terminate the access. Specifically, the content of the response message is determined by the number of devices to be inventoried. If the number of remaining devices to be inventoried is greater than the threshold, the reader is instructed to continue contention-based random access; if the number of remaining devices to be inventoried is less than the threshold, the reader is instructed to perform contention-free random access; if the number of remaining devices to be inventoried is zero, the access is terminated. The threshold can be pre-configured or predefined by the protocol.

[0314] In one possible approach, the response message can explicitly indicate the number of devices by bit count or string, or implicitly indicate it by whether it carries a list of device IDs or a group ID. The ID list can include device IDs of one or more A-IoT terminals. For example, if the response message does not carry an ID list, the reader is instructed to continue with contention-based random access; if the response message carries an ID list, the reader is instructed to perform contention-free random access. Optionally, the network can choose to send either an ID list or a group ID based on the number of devices to be inventoried. If the number of devices is large (greater than a certain value), a group ID is sent to reduce indication overhead; if the number of devices is small (less than a certain value), an ID list is sent for clearer indication.

[0315] Optionally, if the network does not send a response message or sends a service termination indication, it can also be used to instruct the reader to terminate access.

[0316] S1305, the reader sends an access instruction message to the A-IoT terminal.

[0317] It can be understood that the A-IoT terminals here are devices among those to be inventoried. The access instruction message instructs the A-IoT terminals to continue initiating contention-based random access, or instructs the A-IoT terminals to initiate contention-free random access. In one possible implementation, the reader can determine the A-IoT terminals to be inventoried based on the ID list in the response message, and initiate contention-free random access to these A-IoT terminals.

[0318] The reader can send an access indication message to the A-IoT terminal based on the request message. The access indication message can explicitly instruct the A-IoT terminal to continue to initiate contention-based random access or to initiate contention-free random access. For example, the access indication message can be a 1-bit indication information. When the indication information value is 1, it instructs the A-IoT terminal to initiate contention-based random access; when the value is 0, it instructs the terminal to initiate contention-free random access, and vice versa. This value is only an example and is not a limitation. The access indication message can also implicitly instruct the A-IoT terminal to continue to initiate contention-based random access or to initiate contention-free random access. If the access indication message carries part or all of the ID list, it instructs the A-IoT terminal to initiate contention-free random access; if the access indication message does not carry the ID list, it instructs the A-IoT terminal to initiate contention-based random access.

[0319] Optionally, the reader may not rely on the response message; that is, the reader can determine the device to be inventoried independently. For example, if the reader can obtain the reported device ID and group ID, the reader can send an access instruction message to the A-IoT terminal without network instructions. In other words, steps S1303-S1304 are optional steps.

[0320] S1306, the A-IoT terminal sends D2R data to the reader according to the access method indicated in the access instruction message.

[0321] The specific access process can be referred to as the contention-free random access process in Figures 7-9, or the contention-based random access process in Figures 10-12, without any restrictions.

[0322] In other words, the network (i.e., the core network) or network elements within the network can instruct the second device (such as a reader) whether to switch the A-IoT random access type. As shown in Figure 14, which is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment, this communication method is applicable to the aforementioned communication system and mainly involves the communication interaction between the network and the second device. Specifically, the method includes:

[0323] S1401, the network receives a first message from the second device, the first message being used to request the device to be inventoried.

[0324] S1402, the network sends a second message to the second device based on the first message.

[0325] The second message may instruct the second device to continue performing contention-based random access to the inventory device, or instruct the second device to perform contention-free random access to the inventory device, or instruct the access to be terminated.

[0326] S1403, the second device receives the second message and terminates the access according to the second message, or sends a third message to the device to be inventoried, the third message instructing the device to be inventoried to continue to initiate contention-based random access or initiate contention-free random access.

[0327] For specific implementation methods of S1401-S1403, please refer to the relevant descriptions of S1301-S1306 above. Further details will not be provided.

[0328] In summary, the core network or network elements in the core network can receive request messages (such as the first message) sent by the second device. Based on the number of devices to be inventoried indicated in the request message, it can determine whether to switch to contention-free random access. When the number of devices to be inventoried is small and the probability of collision is low, switching to contention-free random access can improve inventory efficiency.

[0329] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used above are merely to distinguish different concepts in the methods described in each figure and have no explicit referential meaning. That is, unless otherwise specified, the meanings of the concepts described by the same terms "first," "second," etc., in different figures may differ. For example, the meaning of the first transmission resource mentioned in the method described in Figure 7 may differ from that mentioned in the method described in Figure 10. However, since the explanation of S903 in Figure 9 can be referenced from the relevant introduction in Figure 7, it can be assumed that the meaning of the third transmission resource mentioned in the method described in Figure 9 is the same as that mentioned in the method described in Figure 7, and so on. Further elaboration is unnecessary.

[0330] It is understood that Figures 7-14 above can also be applied to the O-RAN scenario, in which the third device can also configure the second device. For example, the third device can be a controller, such as a RIC, or any other possible controller. The third device can dynamically configure the type of random access (RA) performed by the second device, such as indicating the type of contention-free random access (including three-step contention-free random access or two-step contention-free random access, etc.) in the method shown in Figures 7-8, or indicating the type of contention-free random access or contention-free random access (including three-step contention-free random access or two-step contention-free random access, etc.) in the method shown in Figures 10-12. The third device can also dynamically configure the number threshold of the first device (A-IoT device), such as in the method shown in Figures 13-14, when the number of first devices accessed by the second device reaches the number threshold, the second device sends a request message to request the devices to be inventoried, thereby executing subsequent steps.

[0331] In one possible implementation, the RIC can determine the aforementioned parameters within a certain time period or a time window after the current time based on prior information such as historical information. The RIC needs to provide prior information to the CU to enable the second device to determine the type of random access to be performed or the threshold number of the first device. The second device can be a BS consisting of (optionally) RIC, CU, and DU modules.

[0332] In the O-RAN architecture, signaling transmission for the second device can be first transmitted between the CU and DU modules.

[0333] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As exemplarily shown in Figure 15, the communication device 1500 includes a transceiver module 1502 and a processing module 1501. For ease of explanation, Figure 15 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0334] The communication device 1500 can be applied to the communication methods of Figures 7-14 above to realize the corresponding functions. For example, the transceiver module 1502 can be used to implement the transceiver function in the communication methods of Figures 7-14 above, and the processing module 1501 can be used to implement other functions in the communication methods of Figures 7-14 above besides the transceiver function.

[0335] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 may include a transmitting module (not shown in FIG. 15) and a receiving module (not shown in FIG. 15). The transmitting module is used to implement the transmitting function of the communication device 1500, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device 1500.

[0336] Optionally, the communication device 1500 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 15) that stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 1501 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 1500 can perform the functions in the methods shown in FIG. 7-FIG. 14.

[0337] It is understood that the communication device 1500 may be a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be set in the network device, or a device that includes the network device. This application does not limit this.

[0338] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device 1500 can be referenced from the technical effects of the communication method described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0339] Figure 16 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the communication device can be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the terminal. As shown in Figure 16, the communication device 1600 may include a processor 1601. Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include a memory 1602 and / or a transceiver 1603. The processor 1601 is coupled to the memory 1602 and the transceiver 1603, for example, they can be connected via a communication bus.

[0340] The following section, with reference to Figure 16, provides a detailed description of each component of the communication device 1600:

[0341] The processor 1601 is the control center of the communication device 1600. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 1601 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0342] Optionally, the processor 1601 can perform various functions of the communication device 1600 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 1602 and calling data stored in the memory 1602, such as performing the communication methods shown in Figures 7-14 above.

[0343] In a specific implementation, as one example, processor 1601 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG16.

[0344] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 1600 may also include multiple processors, such as processors 1601 and 1604 shown in FIG. 16. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0345] The memory 1602 is used to store the software program that executes the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 1601 to execute it. The specific implementation method can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0346] Optionally, the memory 1602 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 1602 may be integrated with the processor 1601 or may exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1601 through the interface circuit of the communication device 1600 (not shown in FIG. 16). This embodiment of the application does not specifically limit this.

[0347] Transceiver 1603 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 1600 is a terminal, transceiver 1603 can be used to communicate with a network device or with another terminal device. As another example, if communication device 1600 is a network device, transceiver 1603 can be used to communicate with a terminal or with another network device.

[0348] Optionally, transceiver 1603 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in Figure 16). The receiver is used to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0349] Optionally, the transceiver 1603 can be integrated with the processor 1601 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1601 through the interface circuit of the communication device 1600 (not shown in FIG16). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0350] It is understood that the structure of the communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. Actual communication devices may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0351] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device 1600 can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0352] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or it can be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0353] It should also be understood that 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 random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous linked DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0354] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0355] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the aforementioned communication method. Alternatively, the computer program includes instructions for implementing the aforementioned communication.

[0356] This application also provides a computer program product, including: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the communication method provided above.

[0357] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a first device and a second device for performing the communication method described above.

[0358] This application also provides a chip, which may include a processor that executes the communication method described above. Optionally, the chip may further include a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a program for executing the communication method described above.

[0359] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. A and B can be singular or plural. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it can also represent an "and / or" relationship. Please refer to the context for a more accurate understanding.

[0360] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0361] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0362] 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.

[0363] 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.

[0364] 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.

[0365] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they 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.

[0366] 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.

[0367] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods 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 (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0368] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a first device or a chip of the first device, the method comprising: receiving a first message, determining initiation of contention-free random access according to the first message; if the first message indicates the first device to send first information, sending the first information, the first information comprising a first sequence or a first identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the receiving the first message, the method further comprises: if the first message indicates the first device not to send the first information or indicates the first device to send second information, sending the second information, the second information comprising uplink data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first information comprises the first sequence or the first identifier with a size smaller than the uplink data comprised in the second information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The sending the first information if the first message indicates the first device to send first information comprises: if the first message indicates a first resource size, sending the first information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The first resource size is equal to the size of the first sequence or the first identifier.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, The sending the second information if the first message indicates the first device not to send the first information or indicates the first device to send second information comprises: if the first message indicates a second resource size, sending the second information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The second resource size is greater than the size of the first sequence or the first identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information is used to determine a third transmission resource required by the first device to send uplink data.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving a second message, the second message indicating a third transmission resource, the third transmission resource being determined according to the first information; sending uplink data on the third transmission resource according to the second message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The second message further indicates an index of the first sequence or an index of the first identifier.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first device is an environmental Internet of Things device.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a second device or a chip of the second device, the method comprising: determining a first message, the first message indicating a first device to initiate contention-free random access, and the first message further indicating any one of: the first device to send first information, the first device not to send first information, or the first device to send second information, the first information comprising a first sequence or a first identifier, the second information comprising uplink data; sending the first message to the first device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first message indicates a first transmission resource, the first transmission resource being used to indicate the first device to send first information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first resource size is equal to the size of the first sequence or the first identifier.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first message indicates a second transmission resource, the second transmission resource being used to indicate the first device not to send first information or the first device to send second information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The second resource size is greater than the size of the first sequence or the first identifier.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein, The method further comprises: determining a third transmission resource in response to the first information sent by the first device; sending a second message to the first device, the second message indicating the third transmission resource.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The second message further indicates an index of the first sequence or an index of the first identifier.

19. A communications device, characterized by An apparatus comprising means for performing any of the methods of claims 1-18.

20. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer instructions, when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-18.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium comprises computer programs or instructions, when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-18 is performed.

22. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer programs or instructions are executed, the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-18 is performed.

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