Communication method and apparatus, and device and computer storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are a communication method and apparatus, and a device and a computer storage medium. The method comprises: a first device acquiring first information, wherein the first information is information related to the transmission of a second message and / or a third message.

Description

A communication method, apparatus, device, and computer storage medium

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510233115.3, filed in China on February 28, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to a communication method, apparatus, device, and computer storage medium. Background Technology

[0004] In the design of Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT), a naming method similar to that of New Radio (NR) random access messages is used to name messages between devices and readers. The base station (gNB) acting as the reader (which could also be user equipment (UE), but for simplicity, we will use gNB as the reader, though this also applies to the case of UE as reader) triggers the start of inventory by sending a paging message. The A-IoT device (or device, such as a tag) sends Msg1. If Msg1 is successfully received, the gNB sends Msg2 to acknowledge the device's Msg1. After receiving the Msg2 response, the device sends Msg3.

[0005] To improve the transmission efficiency of A-IoT systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) transmission of Msg1 from multiple A-IoT devices is introduced. If Msg1 from multiple A-IoT devices is successfully received, multiple Msg2 responses will occur. If Msg3 is transmitted using the same TDMA method as Msg1, the transmission time of a single Msg3 will be longer than that of Msg1 because Msg3 carries more information bits. TDMA transmission of Msg3 requires the device sending Msg3 to maintain a longer timing interval. Due to device timing deviations, these deviations gradually increase over time, leading to longer Msg3 transmission times. This results in a larger time interval between adjacent Msg3 transmissions when the Reader specifies the start time for multiple Msg3 transmissions, resulting in wasted time domain resources and low efficiency. Furthermore, the transmission efficiency of Msg3 can be further improved compared to the contention-driven transmission of Msg1. Therefore, how to efficiently listen for Msg2 and / or transmit Msg3 in the TDMA context needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the technical problems existing in related technologies, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method, apparatus, device, and computer storage medium.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this disclosure embodiment is implemented as follows:

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method applied to a first device, the method comprising: the first device acquiring first information, wherein the first information is information related to the transmission of a second message and / or a third message.

[0009] In the above scheme, the first information includes one or more of the following:

[0010] The second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a physical reader to device channel (PRDCH) for second message transmission;

[0011] The third information corresponding to the third message transmission includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information;

[0012] The fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure.

[0013] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the time interval between the second messages;

[0014] The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

[0015] In the above scheme, the maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or, the maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

[0016] In the above scheme, the first device acquires the first information, including:

[0017] The first device receives a PRDCH sent by the second device, the PRDCH including the first information.

[0018] In the above scheme, the PRDCH carries the second message, which includes one or more of the following from the first information: the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information indicating the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; and the sixth information.

[0019] And / or, the PRDCH carries a paging message or a random access trigger message, wherein the paging message or random access trigger message includes one or more of the following from the first information: the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

[0020] In the above scheme, the method further includes: the first device sending the third message based on the third information.

[0021] In the above scheme, the method further includes: if the fourth information carried in the second message indicates that the second message is the last second message in this round of random access process and the second message is not the second message corresponding to the first message sent by the first device, the first device terminates listening to the second message.

[0022] In the above scheme, the method further includes: the first device receiving a seventh message sent by the second device, the seventh message including multiple time intervals between the second messages;

[0023] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the seventh piece of information.

[0024] In the above scheme, the plurality of time intervals in the seventh information include at least one of the following:

[0025] The first time interval, representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages;

[0026] The second time interval represents the time interval between discontinuously transmitted second messages.

[0027] In the above scheme, the sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the start time and the end time of the third message and the specified second message, or...

[0028] The sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the physical device carrying the third message and the reader channel (PDRCH) and the start or end time of the PDRCH currently carrying the second message.

[0029] In the above scheme, the method further includes: the first device receiving an eighth message sent by the second device, the eighth message including multiple time intervals of the third message relative to the second message;

[0030] The sixth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the eighth piece of information.

[0031] In the above scheme, the time granularity of the time interval is the chip length.

[0032] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication method, the method being applied to a second device, the method comprising:

[0033] The second device sends first information to the first device, the first information being information related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message.

[0034] In the above scheme, the first information includes one or more of the following:

[0035] The second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a PRDCH for second message transmission;

[0036] The third information corresponding to the third message transmission includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information;

[0037] The fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure.

[0038] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the time interval between the second messages;

[0039] The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

[0040] In the above scheme, the maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or, the maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

[0041] In the above scheme, the second device sending first information to the first device includes: the second device sending a PRDCH to the first device, wherein the PRDCH includes the first information.

[0042] In the above scheme, the PRDCH carries the second message, which includes one or more of the following from the first information: the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information indicating the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; and the sixth information.

[0043] And / or, the PRDCH carries a paging message or a random access trigger message, wherein the paging message or random access trigger message includes one or more of the following from the first information: the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

[0044] In the above scheme, the method further includes: the second device sending a seventh message to the first device, the seventh message including multiple time intervals between the second messages;

[0045] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the seventh piece of information.

[0046] In the above scheme, the plurality of time intervals in the seventh information include at least one of the following:

[0047] The first time interval, representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages;

[0048] The second time interval represents the time interval between discontinuously transmitted second messages.

[0049] In the above scheme, the sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the start time and the end time of the third message and the specified second message, or...

[0050] The sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the physical device carrying the third message and the reader channel PDRCH and the start or end time of the PDRCH currently carrying the second message.

[0051] In the above scheme, the method further includes: the second device sending an eighth message to the first device, the eighth message including multiple time intervals of the third message relative to the second message;

[0052] The sixth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the eighth piece of information.

[0053] In the above scheme, the time granularity of the time interval is the chip length.

[0054] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication device applied to a first device. The device includes a first communication unit for acquiring first information, wherein the first information is information related to the transmission of a second message and / or a third message.

[0055] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication device applied to a second device. The device includes a second communication unit for sending first information to a first device, wherein the first information is information related to the transmission of a second message and / or a third message.

[0056] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the methods described in the first or second aspect of embodiments of this disclosure.

[0057] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a communication device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the program to implement the steps of the methods described in the first or second aspect of embodiments of this disclosure.

[0058] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product, including computer program instructions that cause a computer to perform the steps of the methods described in the first or second aspect of embodiments of this disclosure.

[0059] The communication method, apparatus, device, and computer storage medium provided in this disclosure can acquire first information related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message through the first device, thereby enabling efficient monitoring of the second message (i.e., Msg2) and / or efficient transmission of the third message (Msg3). Furthermore, based on the first information, the waste of time domain resources caused by the timing error of A-IoT devices can be reduced, thereby improving transmission efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0060] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the inventory process of an RFID system based on the time-slot Aloha mechanism;

[0061] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the inventory process based on the random access procedure;

[0062] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0063] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the second message interval transmission in the communication method of this disclosure embodiment;

[0064] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the frequency domain resources of the third message in the communication method of this disclosure embodiment;

[0065] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the transmission of the second message in the communication method of this disclosure embodiment;

[0066] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the transmission interval indication of the second message in the communication method of this disclosure embodiment;

[0067] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the communication method of this disclosure, in which the transmission interval between the second message and the third message is indicated;

[0068] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0069] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0070] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of the communication device according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0071] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the hardware composition structure of the communication device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0072] The present disclosure will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0073] The technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems, such as GSM (Global System of Mobile communication), LTE (Long Term Evolution), or 5G systems. Optionally, a 5G system or 5G network can also be referred to as a New Radio (NR) system or NR network.

[0074] For example, the communication system used in this disclosure embodiment may include network devices and terminal devices (also referred to as terminals, communication terminals, etc.); the network device may be a device that communicates with the terminal device. The network device can provide communication coverage within a certain area and can communicate with terminals located within that area. Optionally, the network device may be a base station in various communication systems, such as an evolved Node B (eNB) in an LTE system, or a gNB in ​​a 5G or NR system.

[0075] It should be understood that devices with communication functions in the network / system of this application embodiment can be referred to as communication devices. Communication devices may include network devices and terminals with communication functions. Network devices and terminal devices can be the specific devices described above, which will not be repeated here. Communication devices may also include other devices in the communication system, such as network controllers, mobility management entities, and other network entities. This disclosure embodiment does not limit this.

[0076] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this document. The term "and / or" in this document merely describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0077] The terms “first,” “second,” etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0078] In Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems, inventory processes can be performed based on the slotted Aloha mechanism. Figure 1 illustrates the inventory process of an RFID system based on the slotted Aloha mechanism. As shown in Figure 1, a round of inventory is initiated using a Query command, carrying parameter Q. The Reader uses this parameter to adjust the probability of tag response, controlling the number of response slots. Upon receiving a Query or QueryAdjust command, the tag will preload a value between 0 and 2 into its slot counter. Q Values ​​between -1 and 1; each time a new QueryRep is received, the tag decrements the slot counter by 1 and backscatters RN16 when its slot counter reaches zero, where RN16 is a 16-bit random or pseudo-random number generated by the tag. When only one tag replies, as shown in Figure 1, the Reader can obtain the information required by the tag. When multiple tags reply in the same slot, a collision occurs, and the inventory of conflicting tags fails. Similarly, there may be slots where no tag meets the response conditions. In Figure 1, PC: Protocol Control, XPC: Extended Protocol Control, EPC: Electronic Product Code, and packet CRC: Packet Cyclic Redundancy Check.

[0079] RFID inventory management is inefficient because it relies solely on sequential communication between the reader and the tag. In the A-IoT design, a naming convention similar to NR random access messages is used to name messages between the device and the reader. The gNB (or possibly UE) acting as the reader triggers inventory management by sending a paging message. The A-IoT device (taking a tag as an example) sends Msg1. If Msg1 is successfully received, the gNB sends Msg2 to acknowledge the tag's Msg1. Upon receiving the Msg2 response, the tag sends Msg3.

[0080] To improve inventory efficiency, support for time-division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) between tags is proposed. Figure 2 illustrates the inventory process based on the random access procedure. As shown in Figure 2, when a tag responds to a paging command from a gNB and sends Msg1, multiple tags are multiplexed using either TDM or FDM. It should be noted that only Msg1 is shown in the figure; an example of MSg3 is not provided.

[0081] When TDM or FDM is used to transmit Msg1, the response to Msg2 supports two options:

[0082] Option 1: A Physical Reader-to-Device Channel (PRDCH) for Msg2 transmission corresponds to Msg1 of one A-IoT device;

[0083] Option 2: One PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to Msg1 for multiple A-IoT devices.

[0084] For option 1, when multiple Msg2s need to be sent, if multiple Msg2s are sent first, and then Msg3 is sent in a time-division manner, considering that the TBS of Msg3 is large, the transmission time of one Msg3 is relatively long. At this time, the device that sends Msg3 later needs to maintain a timer for a long time. Since there is a timing deviation in the device, the timing deviation will gradually increase with the accumulation of time. At this time, the longer the transmission time of Msg3, the greater the uncertainty of the subsequent transmission time due to the existence of timing error. As a result, when the Reader needs to specify the start time of the transmission of Msg3 for multiple time division multiple access (TDMA) transmissions, a large interval (gap) between the start times of adjacent Msg3 transmissions is required to ensure that the transmission of Msg3s from different devices does not overlap, resulting in low efficiency.

[0085] Option 2, which also requires sending multiple time-division Msg3 messages consecutively, presents a similar problem.

[0086] However, if the transmission is always done in the manner of Msg2, Msg3, Msg2, Msg3..., it works well for TDMA, but is less efficient for Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) because Msg1 has already reserved FDMA resources, but Msg3 cannot be transmitted using FDMA.

[0087] Furthermore, according to the existing RFID Msg2 transmission method, Msg2 only carries the confirmation message of Msg1, and the transmission method of Msg3 is similar to that of Msg1, such as the modulation method and data rate remaining unchanged. This also results in low transmission efficiency for Msg3.

[0088] Furthermore, after Msg1 is transmitted using TDMA, how do we determine the start listening time for Msg2? Without considering time-division multiplexing of Msg1, after the tag sends Msg1, can we expect to hear from it within the time window [T]? D2R_min ,T D2R_max Msg2 was detected internally; however, after transmitting using time-division multiplexing, there are certain problems due to timing errors in the device.

[0089] Based on this, the embodiments of this disclosure obtain first information through a first device. The first information is information related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message, so as to ensure the sending efficiency of the third message, and / or improve the transmission efficiency of the third message, and / or clarify the start listening time of the second message.

[0090] This disclosure provides a communication method applied to a first device. Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure; as shown in Figure 3, the method includes:

[0091] Step 101: The first device acquires first information, which is information related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message.

[0092] In this embodiment, the first device can be an A-IoT device (which can be simply referred to as a Device); for example, the first device can be a tag.

[0093] This embodiment is based on a storage method similar to the random access process shown in Figure 2. Taking the reader as a gNB and the A-IoT device as a tag as an example, after the gNB initiates paging, the tag sends Msg1, which is recorded as the first message. If Msg1 is successfully received, the gNB sends Msg2 to acknowledge the tag's Msg1, which is recorded as the second message. After receiving the response to Msg2, the tag sends Msg3, which is recorded as the third message. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the first, second, and third messages have a sequential relationship.

[0094] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the first information includes one or more of the following:

[0095] The second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a PRDCH for second message transmission;

[0096] The third information corresponding to the third message transmission includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information;

[0097] The fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure.

[0098] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the time interval between the second messages;

[0099] The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

[0100] In this embodiment, the first information obtained by the first device related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message includes at least one or more of the following: second information, third information, fourth information, fifth information, and sixth information.

[0101] In some alternative embodiments, for the first message (Msg1) transmitted in TDM, a method of alternating transmission of the second message (Msg2) and the third message (Msg3) is considered. Considering that the device maintains multiple Msg3 transmissions for a long time, leading to increased time uncertainty, a second piece of information is provided. This second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, the first device, or the second message corresponding to a PRDCH used for second message transmission. As one implementation of the second information indicating or identifying the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, the second information may specifically indicate or identify the number of PRDCHs continuously transmitted by the second device to carry the second messages. Continuous transmission here refers to the transmission of information in a sequential manner without being interrupted by the transmission of other information. It does not require that the transmission be continuous and without interval in time. For example, after the first PRDCH carrying Msg2 is sent, after an interval of time T, the second PRDCH carrying Msg2 is sent. There is no other D2R (Device to Reader) information sent between the first PRDCH and the second PRDCH, but T can be 0 or other values. This can also be called continuous transmission.

[0102] As an example, for option 1 above, where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to one Msg1 of an A-IoT device, the second information can be an indication or identifier that after M consecutive Msg2 transmissions, the first device will respond with Msg3. Specifically, refer to option 1 in Figure 4. Taking the first device as a device (or tag) and the second device as a gNB (or reader) as an example, assume three tags (e.g., tag1, tag2, tag3) send Msg1 (the first message) after a paging message, and it is successfully received. After receiving Msg1, the gNB consecutively sends two PRDCHs, each carrying one Msg2, i.e., two consecutive Msg2 transmissions. After receiving Msg2, tag1 and tag2 send Msg3. Then the gNB sends another Msg2, and tag3, after receiving Msg2, sends Msg3. By limiting the number of Msg2 and thus the number of Msg3, the uncertainty of timing can be controlled when the first device performs timer operation, since there are at most M consecutively sent Msg3s.

[0103] For option 2 above, in the case where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to multiple A-IoT devices' Msg1, the second information can be used to indicate or identify the first device (or A-IoT device) or the number M of Msg1 responses or Msg2s corresponding to one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission. Specifically, refer to option 2 in Figure 4. Taking the first device as a device (or tag) and the second device as a gNB (or Reader) as an example, assume that three tags (such as tag1, tag2, and tag3) send Msg1 (i.e., the first message) after paging; after receiving Msg1, the gNB sends a PRDCH carrying two Msg2s; after receiving Msg2, tag1 and tag2 send Msg3; then the gNB sends another Msg2, and after receiving Msg2, tag3 sends Msg3. When the number of Msg1 responses exceeds M, multiple PRDCHs need to be sent in multiple transmissions, with the interval between transmissions being the transmission of Msg3 from the first device.

[0104] In some alternative embodiments, for the first message (Msg1) of FDM transmission, the third message (Msg3) is transmitted after the second message (Msg2) is transmitted. However, the transmission format of the second message (Msg2) can be changed. Based on this, the third information is set, which corresponds to the transmission of the third message. The third information includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information.

[0105] For example, referring to Figure 5, when both Msg1 and Msg3 support FDM transmission, assuming that the candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to Msg1 include four candidate frequency domain resources, namely f1, f2, f3, and f4, with corresponding frequency shift factors R1, R2, R3, and R4, respectively, and the data rate is r. Assuming that only two first devices select f1 and f3 respectively to send Msg1, with a data rate of r, the occupied transmission bandwidth is 2r. Considering that only two first devices send Msg1, when the first device transmits Msg3, the frequency shift factor can be used to shift the frequency domain to other positions, as shown by f1' and f2' in Figure 5. In other optional embodiments, the data transmission rate can be adjusted simultaneously, for example, by adjusting the data rate to 2r. This allows for more efficient use of the reserved frequency resources while reducing the transmission time of Msg3 and improving disk access speed.

[0106] The transmission rate can be calculated by combining the chip length with the frequency shift factor. In this embodiment, the chip length information (i.e., chip length) can also be called chip duration, which represents the duration of the chip.

[0107] In this embodiment, the third information includes one or more of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information. These three types of information can be adjusted simultaneously. For example, when only one device (i.e., the first device) uses the frequency domain resources of f2, only the transmission rate, i.e., the bandwidth information, can be adjusted.

[0108] In some alternative embodiments, the maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or, the maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

[0109] This embodiment addresses the case of transmitting the first message (Msg1) using a combination of TDM and FDM. The second information indicates or identifies the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or indicates or identifies the maximum number of first messages, the first device, or the second message corresponding to a PRDCH used for second message transmission. This maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or, the maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

[0110] As an example, for option 1 above, in the case where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to one Msg1 of an A-IoT device, the maximum number M of consecutively transmitted Msg2 is predefined or configured: after the second device continuously transmits M Msg2s, the first device responds with Msg3. In this case, since FDM is supported, considering that the number of frequency domain resources for Msg3 is the same as that for Msg1, assuming that the number of candidate frequency domain resources for Msg1 is x, M can be agreed upon or configured as x or 2x. Then, the M Msg3 transmissions after Msg2 will only occupy one or two time domain transmission opportunities, thereby reducing the time the UE needs to wait for its own Msg3 transmission and improving time utilization efficiency. As shown in Figure 6, in option 1, M = x, so each Msg3 transmission will only occupy one time domain transmission opportunity, and the time the device needs to wait only includes the transmission time of one Msg3 and the processing time before and after it.

[0111] For option 2 above, where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to multiple A-IoT devices' Msg1, the maximum number of A-IoT devices or the maximum number of Msg1 devices corresponding to one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission is predefined or configured as M. When the number of Msg1 devices requiring a response is greater than M, it needs to be sent multiple times via multiple PRDCHs, with adjacent transmissions separated by the transmission of Msg3 devices, as shown in option 2 in Figure 6.

[0112] In traditional technical solutions, because the device (A-IoT device, i.e., the first device) defines a [T] when listening to Msg2. D2R,min ,T D2R,max The time window is defined within which the device expects to listen for Msg2. When introducing this alternating transmission of Msg2 and Msg3, unless a long time window is defined that includes the transmission time of multiple Msg3s, the device can detect Msg2 after the interval of Msg3 transmissions. However, this approach has the problem that the device needs to continuously monitor until the end of the window, which is very inefficient given the device's limited power storage.

[0113] Based on this, in some optional embodiments, the fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in the current round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is a PRDCH transmission carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in the current round of random access procedure. In this way, the first device does not need to detect the end of the window, but can determine whether to terminate the detection of Msg2 according to the indication of the fourth information, which can save the device's energy consumption.

[0114] In this process, the current round of random access can also be called a round of random access. Specifically, after the second device (Reader) sends paging or other random access trigger messages, the first device sends Msg1 (the first message), the second device (Reader) sends Msg2, and then the first device sends Msg3 (optionally, the second device (Reader) sends Msg4). This is called the current round of random access or a round of random access.

[0115] In some alternative embodiments, the first device acquiring the first information includes: the first device receiving a PRDCH sent by the second device, wherein the PRDCH includes the first information.

[0116] In some alternative embodiments, the PRDCH carries the second message, which includes one or more of the following from the first information: the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information indicating the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; and the sixth information.

[0117] And / or, the PRDCH carries a paging message or a random access trigger message, wherein the paging message or random access trigger message includes one or more of the following from the first information: the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

[0118] In this embodiment, one or more of the following information in the first information may be carried by the second message (i.e., Msg2): the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information used to indicate the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; the sixth information; and / or, one or more of the following information in the first information may also be carried by a paging message or a random access trigger message (i.e., a message that triggers the first device to send the first message): the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

[0119] In some alternative embodiments, for Msg1 transmitted in FDM, Msg2 may carry the third information in addition to carrying part or all of the ID of Msg1. The third information includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information.

[0120] In some optional embodiments, the method further includes: the first device sending the third message based on the third information. That is, the first device can determine at least one of the frequency domain information, transmission rate information, and chip length information of the third message based on the third information carried in the second message (Msg2), and transmit the third message (Msg3) according to at least one of the determined frequency domain information, transmission rate information, and chip length information.

[0121] In other alternative embodiments, in the A-IoT system, besides the random access process in the inventory process involving information with a sequential relationship such as Msg2 and Msg3, there is also a command flow. In the command flow, the Reader may send an R2D message via PRDCH, for example, indicating a read or write command to the device. The device then sends corresponding response information back to the Reader via PDRCH. In this case, a second message can correspond to the R2D message, and a third message can correspond to the corresponding response information.

[0122] In some alternative embodiments, the fourth information may be carried in a second message (Msg2), which indicates whether the second message is or is not the last second message in the current round of random access procedure, or indicates whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying a second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in the current round of random access procedure.

[0123] As an example, the fourth information can be a 1-bit indication, that is, a 1-bit indication is added or preset in the second message (Msg2) to indicate whether the current second message (Msg2) is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is not another PRDCH carrying a second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure. If the 1-bit indication is 1, it indicates that the current second message (Msg2) is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or that there is not another PRDCH carrying a second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure. Thus, after the first device listens to the current second message and finds no response corresponding to its own first message, it will continue to listen for subsequent second messages. Correspondingly, if the value of the 1-bit indication is 0, it means that the current second message (Msg2) is the last second message in this round of random access, or it is used to indicate that there is a PRDCH transmission carrying a second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access. In this case, if the first device listens to the second message and does not find a response to the first message it sent, it will give up listening to the second message, indicating that the random access was unsuccessful.

[0124] In some optional embodiments, the method further includes: if the fourth information carried in the second message indicates that the second message is the last second message of the current round of random access procedure and the second message is not the second message corresponding to the first message sent by the first device, the first device terminates listening to the second message.

[0125] In this embodiment, the first device does not need to detect the end of the window, but can use the indication of the second message to determine whether to stop monitoring the second message, thus saving the energy consumption of the energy-saving device.

[0126] In some alternative embodiments, the method further includes: the first device receiving seventh information sent by the second device, the seventh information including a plurality of time intervals between second messages; the fifth information being used to indicate one of the plurality of time intervals in the seventh information.

[0127] In this embodiment, the first device can receive the seventh information via a paging message, random access trigger message, or other R2D message from the second device. The seventh information may include multiple time intervals between the second messages. The fifth information carried in the second message (Msg2) is used to indicate the time interval between the current second message and the next second message, which is one of the pre-configured time intervals between the second messages.

[0128] In some alternative embodiments, the plurality of time intervals in the seventh information includes at least one of the following: a first time interval representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages; and a second time interval representing the time interval between non-consecutively transmitted second messages.

[0129] In this embodiment, for the case where the second and third messages are sent at intervals, the multiple time intervals in the seventh information include at least a first time interval and a second time interval. The first time interval represents the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages. Specifically, the time interval between second messages can refer to the time interval between the PRDCHs carrying the second messages, as in other embodiments. See, for example, the time interval between Msg2 corresponding to tag1 and tag2 in Figure 7, or the time interval between Msg2 corresponding to tag3 and tag4. The second time interval represents the time interval between non-consecutive transmitted second messages. See, for example, the time interval between Msg2 corresponding to tag2 and tag3 in Figure 7.

[0130] In some alternative embodiments, the fourth and fifth information can be carried via a second message. For example, referring to Figure 7, two time intervals can be pre-configured via paging messages or other messages. The first time interval, representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages, can be denoted as K1; the second time interval, representing the time interval between non-consecutive transmitted second messages, can be denoted as K2. The first Msg2 indicates that the current message is not the last Msg2, and also indicates that the time interval between the next Msg2 and the current Msg2 is one of the two pre-configured intervals, i.e., K1. The second Msg2 indicates that the current message is not the last Msg2, and also indicates that the time interval between the next Msg2 and the current Msg2 is one of the two pre-configured intervals, i.e., K2.

[0131] In some alternative embodiments, the first time interval can be predefined. For example, if the second message is sent without interval or at a fixed interval, the first time interval does not need to be indicated by the first information. That is, the second message does not need to include the first time interval. In this case, the second time interval only needs to be pre-configured or configured through paging messages or other R2D messages.

[0132] In some alternative embodiments, when the first message is transmitted in TDM or in a combination of TDM and FDM, and the second message is followed by multiple consecutive third message transmissions, the sixth information can be carried in the second message (Msg2). The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

[0133] In the various embodiments of this disclosure, the third message may be represented as a PDRCH carrying the third message, and the second message may be represented as a PRDCH carrying the second message. And / or, the time interval between the third message and the second message may be the time interval between the Physical Device-to-Reader Channel (PDRCH) carrying the third message and the PRDCH carrying the second message, and so on in other embodiments.

[0134] In some alternative embodiments, the sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the third message and the start time or end time of the specified second message, or the sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the PDRCH carrying the third message and the start time or end time of the PDRCH currently carrying the second message.

[0135] In this embodiment, for option 1, where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to one Msg1 of an A-IoT device, Msg2 indicates the time interval of Msg3 relative to Msg2. For example, the start or end time of the second message can be specified as the reference time T. ref The indicated time interval is compared to T. ref The time interval.

[0136] Regarding option 2 above, in the case where one PRDCH used for Msg2 transmission corresponds to multiple A-IoT devices' Msg1, different first devices are responded to using different information fields in the PRDCH. When responding to different devices, the time interval relative to Msg3 is also indicated. For example, the start or end time of the current PRDCH used for Msg2 transmission can be used as the reference time T. ref The indicated time interval is Msg3 compared to T. ref The time interval.

[0137] In some alternative embodiments, the method further includes: the first device receiving an eighth message sent by the second device, the eighth message including a third message relative to a plurality of time intervals of the second message; the sixth message being used to indicate one of the plurality of time intervals in the eighth message.

[0138] In this embodiment, the first device can receive the eighth information via the paging message, random access trigger message (used to trigger Msg1's R2D message), or other R2D messages from the second device. The eighth information may include multiple time intervals between the third message and the second message, such as T. gap1 T gap2 ... T gapP And so on, depending on the maximum number of third messages that can be sent consecutively. The sixth information carried by the second message (Msg2) is then used to indicate one of the aforementioned time intervals.

[0139] For example, as shown in FIG8, the time interval between two second and third messages can be pre-configured via paging messages or other messages, for example denoted as T. gap1 and T gap2 For option 1, the time interval between Msg2 and Msg3 is indicated as T. gap1 The second Msg2 indicates that the time interval with Msg3 is T. gap2 For option 2, different information fields in the PRDCH indicate the time interval between Msg2 and Msg3 corresponding to different first devices.

[0140] In some alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the time granularity of the time interval is the chip length.

[0141] Based on the above embodiments, this disclosure also provides a communication method, which is applied to a second device. Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure; as shown in Figure 9, the method includes:

[0142] Step 201: The second device sends first information to the first device, the first information being information related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message.

[0143] In this embodiment, the second device is a reader; for example, the second device can be a base station, such as a gNB; or, the second device can also be a UE.

[0144] In some alternative embodiments, the first information includes one or more of the following:

[0145] The second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a PRDCH for second message transmission;

[0146] The third information corresponding to the third message transmission includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information;

[0147] The fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure.

[0148] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the time interval between the second messages;

[0149] The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

[0150] In this embodiment, the first information obtained by the first device related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message includes at least one or more of the following: second information, third information, fourth information, fifth information, and sixth information.

[0151] In some alternative embodiments, for the first message (Msg1) transmitted in TDM, a method of alternating transmission of the second message (Msg2) and the third message (Msg3) is considered. Considering that the device maintains multiple Msg3 transmissions for a long time, leading to increased time uncertainty, a second piece of information is provided. This second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, the first device, or the second message corresponding to a PRDCH used for second message transmission. As one implementation of the second information indicating or identifying the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, the second information may specifically indicate or identify the number of PRDCHs continuously transmitted by the second device to carry the second messages. Continuous transmission here refers to the transmission of information in a sequential manner without being interrupted by the transmission of other information. It does not require that the transmission be continuous and without interval in time. For example, after the first PRDCH carrying Msg2 is sent, after an interval of time T, the second PRDCH carrying Msg2 is sent. There is no other D2R (Device to Reader) information sent between the first PRDCH and the second PRDCH, but T can be 0 or other values. This can also be called continuous transmission.

[0152] As an example, for option 1 above, where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to one Msg1 of an A-IoT device, the second information can be an indication or identifier that after M consecutive Msg2 transmissions, the first device will respond with Msg3. Specifically, refer to option 1 in Figure 4. Taking the first device as a device (or tag) and the second device as a gNB (or reader) as an example, assume three tags (e.g., tag1, tag2, tag3) send Msg1 (the first message) after a paging message, and it is successfully received. After receiving Msg1, the gNB consecutively sends two PRDCHs, each carrying one Msg2, i.e., two consecutive Msg2 transmissions. After receiving Msg2, tag1 and tag2 send Msg3. Then the gNB sends another Msg2, and tag3, after receiving Msg2, sends Msg3. By limiting the number of Msg2 and thus the number of Msg3, the uncertainty of timing can be controlled when the first device performs timer operation, since there are at most M consecutively sent Msg3s.

[0153] For option 2 above, in the case where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to multiple A-IoT devices' Msg1, the second information can be used to indicate or identify the first device (or A-IoT device) or the number M of Msg1 responses or Msg2s corresponding to one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission. Specifically, refer to option 2 in Figure 4. Taking the first device as a device (or tag) and the second device as a gNB (or Reader) as an example, assume that three tags (such as tag1, tag2, and tag3) send Msg1 (i.e., the first message) after paging; after receiving Msg1, the gNB sends a PRDCH carrying two Msg2s; after receiving Msg2, tag1 and tag2 send Msg3; then the gNB sends another Msg2, and after receiving Msg2, tag3 sends Msg3. When the number of Msg1 responses exceeds M, multiple PRDCHs need to be sent in multiple transmissions, with the interval between transmissions being the transmission of Msg3 from the first device.

[0154] In some alternative embodiments, for the first message (Msg1) of FDM transmission, the third message (Msg3) is transmitted after the second message (Msg2) is transmitted. However, the transmission format of the second message (Msg2) can be changed. Based on this, the third information is set, which corresponds to the transmission of the third message. The third information includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information.

[0155] For example, referring to Figure 5, when both Msg1 and Msg3 support FDM transmission, assuming that the candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to Msg1 include four candidate frequency domain resources, namely f1, f2, f3, and f4, with corresponding frequency shift factors R1, R2, R3, and R4, respectively, and the data rate is r. Assuming that only two first devices select f1 and f3 respectively to send Msg1, with a data rate of r, the occupied transmission bandwidth is 2r. Considering that only two first devices send Msg1, when the first device transmits Msg3, the frequency shift factor can be used to shift the frequency domain to other positions, as shown by f1' and f2' in Figure 5. In other optional embodiments, the data transmission rate can be adjusted simultaneously, for example, by adjusting the data rate to 2r. This allows for more efficient use of the reserved frequency resources while reducing the transmission time of Msg3 and improving disk access speed.

[0156] The transmission rate can be calculated by combining the chip length with the frequency shift factor. In this embodiment, the chip length information (i.e., chip length) can also be called chip duration, which represents the duration of the chip.

[0157] In this embodiment, the third information includes one or more of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information. These three types of information can be adjusted simultaneously. For example, when only one device (i.e., the first device) uses the frequency domain resources of f2, only the transmission rate, i.e., the bandwidth information, can be adjusted.

[0158] In some alternative embodiments, the maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or, the maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

[0159] This embodiment addresses the case of transmitting the first message (Msg1) using a combination of TDM and FDM. The second information indicates or identifies the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or indicates or identifies the maximum number of first messages, the first device, or the second message corresponding to a PRDCH used for second message transmission. This maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or, the maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

[0160] As an example, for option 1 above, in the case where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to one Msg1 of an A-IoT device, the maximum number M of consecutively transmitted Msg2 is predefined or configured: after the second device continuously transmits M Msg2s, the first device responds with Msg3. In this case, since FDM is supported, considering that the number of frequency domain resources for Msg3 is the same as that for Msg1, assuming that the number of candidate frequency domain resources for Msg1 is x, M can be agreed upon or configured as x or 2x. Then, the M Msg3 transmissions after Msg2 will only occupy one or two time domain transmission opportunities, thereby reducing the time the UE needs to wait for its own Msg3 transmission and improving time utilization efficiency. As shown in Figure 6, in option 1, M = x, so each Msg3 transmission will only occupy one time domain transmission opportunity, and the time the device needs to wait only includes the transmission time of one Msg3 and the processing time before and after it.

[0161] For option 2 above, where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to multiple A-IoT devices' Msg1, the maximum number of A-IoT devices or the maximum number of Msg1 devices corresponding to one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission is predefined or configured as M. When the number of Msg1 devices requiring a response is greater than M, it needs to be sent multiple times via multiple PRDCHs, with adjacent transmissions separated by the transmission of Msg3 devices, as shown in option 2 in Figure 6.

[0162] In traditional technical solutions, because the device (A-IoT device, i.e., the first device) defines a [T] when listening to Msg2. D2R,min ,T D2R,max The time window is defined within which the device expects to listen for Msg2. When introducing this alternating transmission of Msg2 and Msg3, unless a long time window is defined that includes the transmission time of multiple Msg3s, the device can detect Msg2 after the interval of Msg3 transmissions. However, this approach has the problem that the device needs to continuously monitor until the end of the window, which is very inefficient given the device's limited power storage.

[0163] Based on this, in some optional embodiments, the fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in the current round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is a PRDCH transmission carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in the current round of random access procedure. In this way, the first device does not need to detect the end of the window, but can determine whether to terminate the detection of Msg2 according to the indication of the fourth information, which can save the device's energy consumption.

[0164] In this process, the current round of random access can also be called a round of random access. Specifically, after the second device (Reader) sends paging or other random access trigger messages, the first device sends Msg1 (the first message), the second device (Reader) sends Msg2, and then the first device sends Msg3 (optionally, the second device (Reader) sends Msg4). This is called the current round of random access or a round of random access.

[0165] In some alternative embodiments, the second device sends first information to the first device, including: the second device sends a PRDCH to the first device, the PRDCH including the first information.

[0166] In some alternative embodiments, the PRDCH carries the second message, which includes one or more of the following from the first information: the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information indicating the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; and the sixth information.

[0167] And / or, the PRDCH carries a paging message or a random access trigger message, wherein the paging message or random access trigger message includes one or more of the following from the first information: the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

[0168] In this embodiment, one or more of the following information in the first information may be carried by the second message (i.e., Msg2): the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information used to indicate the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; the sixth information; and / or, one or more of the following information in the first information may also be carried by a paging message or a random access trigger message (i.e., a message that triggers the first device to send the first message): the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

[0169] In some alternative embodiments, for Msg1 transmitted in FDM, Msg2 may carry the third information in addition to carrying part or all of the ID of Msg1. The third information includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information.

[0170] In some alternative embodiments, the fourth information may be carried in a second message (Msg2), which indicates whether the second message is or is not the last second message in the current round of random access procedure, or indicates whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying a second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in the current round of random access procedure.

[0171] As an example, the fourth information can be a 1-bit indication, that is, a 1-bit indication is added or preset in the second message (Msg2) to indicate whether the current second message (Msg2) is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is not another PRDCH carrying a second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure. If the 1-bit indication is 1, it indicates that the current second message (Msg2) is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or that there is not another PRDCH carrying a second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure. Thus, after the first device listens to the current second message and finds no response corresponding to its own first message, it will continue to listen for subsequent second messages. Correspondingly, if the value of the 1-bit indication is 0, it means that the current second message (Msg2) is the last second message in this round of random access, or it is used to indicate that there is a PRDCH transmission carrying a second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access. In this case, if the first device listens to the second message and does not find a response to the first message it sent, it will give up listening to the second message, indicating that the random access was unsuccessful.

[0172] In some alternative embodiments, the method further includes: the second device sending a seventh message to the first device, the seventh message including a plurality of time intervals between the second messages;

[0173] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the seventh piece of information.

[0174] In this embodiment, the first device can receive the seventh information via a paging message, random access trigger message, or other R2D message from the second device. The seventh information may include multiple time intervals between the second messages. The fifth information carried in the second message (Msg2) is used to indicate the time interval between the current second message and the next second message, which is one of the pre-configured time intervals between the second messages.

[0175] In some alternative embodiments, the plurality of time intervals in the seventh information includes at least one of the following: a first time interval representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages; and a second time interval representing the time interval between non-consecutively transmitted second messages.

[0176] In this embodiment, for the case where the second and third messages are sent at intervals, the multiple time intervals in the seventh information include at least a first time interval and a second time interval. The first time interval represents the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages. Specifically, the time interval between second messages can refer to the time interval between the PRDCHs carrying the second messages, as in other embodiments. See, for example, the time interval between Msg2 corresponding to tag1 and tag2 in Figure 7, or the time interval between Msg2 corresponding to tag3 and tag4. The second time interval represents the time interval between non-consecutive transmitted second messages. See, for example, the time interval between Msg2 corresponding to tag2 and tag3 in Figure 7.

[0177] In some alternative embodiments, the fourth and fifth information can be carried via a second message. For example, referring to Figure 7, two time intervals can be pre-configured via paging messages or other messages. The first time interval, representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages, can be denoted as K1; the second time interval, representing the time interval between non-consecutive transmitted second messages, can be denoted as K2. The first Msg2 indicates that the current message is not the last Msg2, and also indicates that the time interval between the next Msg2 and the current Msg2 is one of the two pre-configured intervals, i.e., K1. The second Msg2 indicates that the current message is not the last Msg2, and also indicates that the time interval between the next Msg2 and the current Msg2 is one of the two pre-configured intervals, i.e., K2.

[0178] In some alternative embodiments, the first time interval can be predefined. For example, if the second message is sent without interval or at a fixed interval, the first time interval does not need to be indicated by the first information. That is, the second message does not need to include the first time interval. In this case, the second time interval only needs to be pre-configured or configured through paging messages or other R2D messages.

[0179] In some alternative embodiments, when the first message is transmitted in TDM or in a combination of TDM and FDM, and the second message is followed by multiple consecutive third message transmissions, the sixth information can be carried in the second message (Msg2). The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

[0180] In the various embodiments of this disclosure, the third message may be represented as a PDRCH carrying the third message, and the second message may be represented as a PRDCH carrying the second message. And / or, the time interval between the third message and the second message may be the time interval between the Physical Device-to-Reader Channel (PDRCH) carrying the third message and the PRDCH carrying the second message, and so on in other embodiments.

[0181] In some optional embodiments, the sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the start time of the third message and the start time or end time of the specified second message, or...

[0182] The sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the PDRCH carrying the third message and the start or end time of the PDRCH currently carrying the second message.

[0183] In this embodiment, for option 1, where one PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to one Msg1 of an A-IoT device, Msg2 indicates the time interval of Msg3 relative to Msg2. For example, the start or end time of the second message can be specified as the reference time T. ref The indicated time interval is compared to T. ref The time interval.

[0184] Regarding option 2 above, in the case where one PRDCH used for Msg2 transmission corresponds to multiple A-IoT devices' Msg1, different first devices are responded to using different information fields in the PRDCH. When responding to different devices, the time interval relative to Msg3 is also indicated. For example, the start or end time of the current PRDCH used for Msg2 transmission can be used as the reference time T. ref The indicated time interval is Msg3 compared to T. ref The time interval.

[0185] In some alternative embodiments, the method further includes: the second device sending an eighth message to the first device, the eighth message including a third message relative to a plurality of time intervals of the second message;

[0186] The sixth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the eighth piece of information.

[0187] In this embodiment, the first device can receive the eighth information via the paging message, random access trigger message (used to trigger Msg1's R2D message), or other R2D messages from the second device. The eighth information may include multiple time intervals between the third message and the second message, such as T. gap1 T gap2 ... T gapP And so on, depending on the maximum number of third messages that can be sent consecutively. The sixth information carried by the second message (Msg2) is then used to indicate one of the aforementioned time intervals.

[0188] For example, as shown in FIG8, the time interval between two second and third messages can be pre-configured via paging messages or other messages, for example denoted as T. gap1 and T gap2 For option 1, the time interval between Msg2 and Msg3 is indicated as T. gap1 The second Msg2 indicates that the time interval with Msg3 is T. gap2 For option 2, different information fields in the PRDCH indicate the time interval between Msg2 and Msg3 corresponding to different first devices.

[0189] In some alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the time granularity of the time interval is the chip length.

[0190] By employing the technical solution of this disclosure embodiment, by indicating the maximum number of consecutively transmitted Msg2 messages, or the maximum number of A-IoT devices or the maximum number of Msg1 messages M corresponding to the PRDCH used for Msg2 transmission, a smaller number of consecutive Msg3 messages can be transmitted, avoiding the waste of time resources caused by timing errors of A-IoT devices. By indicating whether the current Msg2 is the last Msg2, the energy consumption caused by A-IoT devices listening to Msg2 for the maximum duration can be avoided. By indicating the time interval between adjacent Msg2 messages, the continuous listening of A-IoT devices can also be reduced, as they only need to listen to the next Msg2 message according to the indicated time interval. By indicating the time interval between Msg2 messages, the device can know the accurate time and position of sending Msg3 messages.

[0191] Based on the above embodiments, this disclosure also provides a communication device, which is applied to a first device. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of the communication device according to an embodiment of this disclosure; as shown in Figure 10, the device includes a first communication unit 31, used to acquire first information, wherein the first information is information related to the transmission of a second message and / or a third message.

[0192] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the first information includes one or more of the following:

[0193] The second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a PRDCH for second message transmission;

[0194] The third information corresponding to the third message transmission includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information;

[0195] The fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure.

[0196] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the time interval between the second messages;

[0197] The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

[0198] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or,

[0199] The maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

[0200] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the first communication unit 31 is configured to receive a PRDCH sent by the second device, the PRDCH including the first information.

[0201] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the PRDCH carries the second message, which includes one or more of the following from the first information: the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information indicating the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; and the sixth information.

[0202] And / or, the PRDCH carries a paging message or a random access trigger message, wherein the paging message or random access trigger message includes one or more of the following from the first information: the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

[0203] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the first communication unit 31 is further configured to send the third message based on the third information.

[0204] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes a first processing unit 32, configured to terminate monitoring of the second message when the fourth information carried in the second message indicates that the second message is the last second message of the current round of random access process and the second message is not the second message corresponding to the first message sent by the first device.

[0205] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the first communication unit 31 is further configured to receive seventh information sent by the second device, the seventh information including multiple time intervals between second messages;

[0206] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the seventh piece of information.

[0207] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the plurality of time intervals in the seventh information includes at least one of the following:

[0208] The first time interval, representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages;

[0209] The second time interval represents the time interval between discontinuously transmitted second messages.

[0210] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the start time of the third message and the start time or end time of the specified second message, or...

[0211] The sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the PDRCH carrying the third message and the start or end time of the PDRCH currently carrying the second message.

[0212] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the first communication unit 31 is further configured to receive eighth information sent by the second device, the eighth information including multiple time intervals of the third message relative to the second message;

[0213] The sixth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the eighth piece of information.

[0214] In some alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the time granularity of the time interval is the chip length.

[0215] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first processing unit 32 in the device can be implemented by a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) in practical applications; the first communication unit 31 in the device can be implemented by a communication module (including: basic communication kit, operating system, communication module, standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transceiver antenna in practical applications.

[0216] This disclosure also provides a communication device applied to a second device. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the composition structure of the communication device according to an embodiment of this disclosure; as shown in Figure 11, the device includes a second communication unit 41, used to send first information to a first device, wherein the first information is information related to the transmission of a second message and / or a third message.

[0217] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the first information includes one or more of the following:

[0218] The second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a PRDCH for second message transmission;

[0219] The third information corresponding to the third message transmission includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information;

[0220] The fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure.

[0221] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the time interval between the second messages;

[0222] The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

[0223] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or,

[0224] The maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

[0225] In some alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the second communication unit 41 is configured to send a PRDCH to the first device, the PRDCH including the first information.

[0226] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the PRDCH carries the second message, which includes one or more of the following from the first information: the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information indicating the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; and the sixth information.

[0227] And / or, the PRDCH carries a paging message or a random access trigger message, wherein the paging message or random access trigger message includes one or more of the following from the first information: the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

[0228] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the second communication unit 41 is further configured to send a seventh message to the first device, the seventh message including multiple time intervals between the second messages;

[0229] The fifth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the seventh piece of information.

[0230] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the plurality of time intervals in the seventh information includes at least one of the following:

[0231] The first time interval, representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages;

[0232] The second time interval represents the time interval between discontinuously transmitted second messages.

[0233] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the start time of the third message and the start time or end time of the specified second message, or...

[0234] The sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the PDRCH carrying the third message and the start or end time of the PDRCH currently carrying the second message.

[0235] In some optional embodiments of this disclosure, the second communication unit 41 is further configured to send an eighth message to the first device, the eighth message including multiple time intervals of the third message relative to the second message;

[0236] The sixth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the eighth piece of information.

[0237] In some alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the time granularity of the time interval is the chip length.

[0238] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the second communication unit 41 in the device can be implemented in practical applications through a communication module (including: basic communication kit, operating system, communication module, standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transceiver antenna.

[0239] It should be noted that the communication device provided in the above embodiments is only illustrated by the division of the above program modules. In actual applications, the above processing can be assigned to different program modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different program modules to complete all or part of the processing described above. In addition, the communication device and communication method embodiments provided in the above embodiments belong to the same concept, and their specific implementation process can be found in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0240] This disclosure also provides a communication device, which is a first device or a second device. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the communication device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device includes a memory 52, a processor 51, and a computer program stored in the memory 52 and executable on the processor 51. When the processor 51 executes the program, it implements the steps of the communication method applied to the first device or the second device according to the embodiment of this disclosure.

[0241] Optionally, the communication device may also include at least one network interface 53. The various components in the communication device are coupled together via a bus system 54. It is understood that the bus system 54 is used to enable communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 54 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all buses are labeled as bus system 54 in Figure 12.

[0242] It is understood that memory 52 can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or both. 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), magnetic random access memory (FRAM), flash memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disc, or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM); magnetic surface memory can be disk storage or magnetic tape storage. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Synchronous Static Random Access Memory (SSRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (DDRSDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (ESDRAM), SyncLink Dynamic Random Access Memory (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus Random Access Memory (DRRAM).The memory 52 described in the embodiments of this disclosure is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0243] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to processor 51, or implemented by processor 51. Processor 51 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in processor 51 or by instructions in the form of software. The processor 51 may be a general-purpose processor, DSP, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. Processor 51 can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may be located in a storage medium, which is located in memory 52. ​​Processor 51 reads the information in memory 52 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the aforementioned method.

[0244] In an exemplary embodiment, the communication device may be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), DSPs, programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), FPGAs, general-purpose processors, controllers, MCUs, microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the aforementioned method.

[0245] In an exemplary embodiment, this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, such as a memory 52 including a computer program, which can be executed by a processor 51 of a communication device to perform the steps described in the foregoing method. The computer-readable storage medium may be a memory such as FRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disc, or CD-ROM; or it may be various devices including one or any combination of the above-mentioned memories.

[0246] The computer-readable storage medium provided in this disclosure embodiment stores a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the communication method applied to a first device or a second device according to the present disclosure embodiment.

[0247] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that can be executed by a communication device (such as the processor 51 of the communication device) to complete the steps of any of the aforementioned communication methods.

[0248] The methods disclosed in the several method embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments.

[0249] The features disclosed in the several product embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new product embodiments.

[0250] The features disclosed in the several method or device embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method or device embodiments.

[0251] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as: multiple units or components can be combined, or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection between the various components shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0252] The units described above 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 may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0253] In addition, each functional unit in the various embodiments of this disclosure can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can be a separate unit, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit; the integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

[0254] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above method embodiments can be implemented by hardware related to program instructions. The aforementioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it performs the steps of the above method embodiments. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as mobile storage devices, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0255] Alternatively, if the integrated units described above are implemented as software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, they can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, or the parts that contribute to related technologies, 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 methods described in the various embodiments of this disclosure. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as mobile storage devices, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0256] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure 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 disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, the method being applied to a first device, the method comprising: The first device acquires first information, which is information related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first information includes one or more of the following: The second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a physical reader to device channel PRDCH for second message transmission. The third information corresponding to the third message transmission includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information; The fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure. The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the time interval between the second messages; The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information is obtained in a predefined manner, wherein, The first information is the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a PRDCH used for second message transmission.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or, The maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The first device acquires first information, including: The first device receives a PRDCH sent by the second device, the PRDCH including the first information.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The PRDCH carries the second message, which includes one or more of the following from the first information: the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information indicating the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; and the sixth information. And / or, the PRDCH carries a paging message or a random access trigger message, wherein the paging message or random access trigger message includes one or more of the following from the first information: the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: The first device sends the third message based on the third information.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: If the fourth information carried in the second message indicates that the second message is the last second message in this round of random access process and the second message is not the second message corresponding to the first message sent by the first device, the first device terminates listening to the second message.

9. The method according to claim 2 or 6, further comprising: The first device receives a seventh message sent by the second device, the seventh message including multiple time intervals between the second messages; The fifth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the seventh piece of information.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The plurality of time intervals in the seventh information include at least one of the following: The first time interval, representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages; The second time interval represents the time interval between discontinuously transmitted second messages.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The sixth piece of information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the start time or end time of the third message and the specified second message, or... The sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the physical device carrying the third message and the reader channel PDRCH and the start or end time of the PDRCH currently carrying the second message.

12. The method according to claim 2, 6, or 11, further comprising: The first device receives the eighth message sent by the second device, the eighth message including multiple time intervals of the third message relative to the second message; The sixth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the eighth piece of information.

13. The method according to claim 2, 6 or 11, wherein, The time granularity of the time interval is the chip length.

14. A communication method applied to a second device, the method comprising: The second device sends first information to the first device, the first information being information related to the transmission of the second message and / or the third message.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The first information includes one or more of the following: The second information is used to indicate or identify the maximum number of second messages continuously transmitted by the second device, or to indicate or identify the maximum number of first messages, first devices, or second messages corresponding to a PRDCH for second message transmission; The third information corresponding to the third message transmission includes at least one of the following: frequency shift factor information, transmission rate information, and chip length information; The fourth information is used to indicate whether the second message is or is not the last second message in this round of random access procedure, or to indicate whether there is or is a PRDCH carrying the second message after the current PRDCH carrying the second message in this round of random access procedure. The fifth piece of information is used to indicate the time interval between the second messages; The sixth information is used to indicate the time interval between the third message and the second message.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The maximum number is related to the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message; and / or, The maximum number is an integer multiple of the number of candidate frequency domain resources corresponding to the first message.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The second device sends first information to the first device, including: The second device sends a PRDCH to the first device, the PRDCH including the first information.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The PRDCH carries the second message, which includes one or more of the following from the first information: the third information; the fourth information; the fifth information indicating the time interval between the current second message and the next second message; and the sixth information. And / or, the PRDCH carries a paging message or a random access trigger message, wherein the paging message or random access trigger message includes one or more of the following from the first information: the second information, the third information, the fifth information, and the sixth information.

19. The method according to claim 15 or 18, further comprising: The second device sends a seventh message to the first device, the seventh message including multiple time intervals between the second messages; The fifth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the seventh piece of information.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The plurality of time intervals in the seventh information include at least one of the following: The first time interval, representing the time interval between consecutively transmitted second messages; The second time interval represents the time interval between discontinuously transmitted second messages.

21. The method according to claim 15 or 18, wherein, The sixth piece of information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the start time or end time of the third message and the specified second message, or... The sixth information is used to indicate that the time interval between the third message and the second message is: the time interval between the physical device carrying the third message and the reader channel PDRCH and the start or end time of the PDRCH currently carrying the second message.

22. The method according to claim 15 or 18, further comprising: The second device sends an eighth message to the first device, the eighth message including multiple time intervals of the third message relative to the second message; The sixth piece of information is used to indicate one of the multiple time intervals in the eighth piece of information.

23. The method according to claim 15 or 18, wherein, The time granularity of the time interval is the chip length.

24. A communication apparatus applied to a first device, the apparatus comprising a first communication unit for acquiring first information, the first information being information related to the transmission of a second message and / or a third message.

25. A communication apparatus applied to a second device, the apparatus comprising a second communication unit for sending first information to a first device, the first information being information related to the transmission of a second message and / or a third message.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein, When the program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13; or, when the program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 14 to 23.

27. A communication device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein, When the processor executes the program, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13; or, when the processor executes the program, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 14 to 23.

28. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions that cause a computer to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13; or, the computer program instructions that cause a computer to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 14 to 23.

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